More than 70 million adults in the United States are living with a disability, which may include physical, sensory, cognitive, developmental, or intellectual difficulties. Research shows that this population is at an increased risk for substance use disorders (SUDs) and suicidality (which is thinking about, planning, and/or attempting suicide).

When public health agencies lack access to clinical data, illnesses spread undetected, the health system becomes overburdened, and health care costs, illnesses, and deaths rise. The water crisis in Flint, Michigan, and the COVID-19 pandemic demonstrate shortcomings in the collection of public health data and their ramifications.

More than 70 million adults in the United States are living with a disability, which may include physical, sensory, cognitive, developmental, or intellectual difficulties. Research shows that this population is at an increased risk for substance use disorders (SUDs) and suicidality (which is thinking about, planning, and/or attempting suicide).

Infectious diseases can move fast, spreading from person to person within days or sometimes mere hours. To effectively identify and reduce the spread of communicable diseases and other health threats, public health departments need timely, standardized, and complete data from doctors, hospitals, and other health care providers. But this critical information is often incorrect, delayed, or simply unavailable, and a new report from The Pew Charitable Trusts helps shed some light on why.