Originally published: March 2026
The COVID-19 pandemic brought enormous challenges to California’s public health departments. Madera County was no exception. Public demand grew, guidance changed constantly and major data and tracking needs grew. Madera County Department of Public Health (MCDPH) had to act fast to manage the crisis.
Before the pandemic, most of MCDPH’s data collection used paper or simple Excel sheets. When the pandemic began, the department had to securely track thousands of cases, vaccinations and test results. They tried using Excel to build a vaccine dashboard. The huge amount of data became too much for the system. It was clear MCDPH needed modern tools. Moving from paper to digital was essential.
A Digital Leap Forward
The big change came when MCDPH moved into a new, tech-ready building. They now had better infrastructure and funding from Future of Public Health (FoPH). The department reimagined how it worked. An informatics team was created to build a modern digital data system. This would improve operations across 11 programs.
Madera Administrative Services Officer Brenda Vargas led the effort. She developed a clear plan to understand each program’s needs. Then, she guided her team to create digital tools to collect, organize and analyze data. Her leadership turned ideas into action. About a dozen programs have already switched from paper to streamlined digital systems. They include:
- Clinic
- Medical Therapy
- California Children’s Services
- Fiscal
- Communicable Disease
- HIV
- Diabetes Prevention
- Mobile Health
- Childhood Lead Poisoning Prevention
- Lab
- Maternal, Child and Adolescent Health
“FoPH funding gave us the ability to rethink how we manage data,” Vargas explained. “It helped us create and keep positions that are needed for our work but usually not covered by regular grants. This included two new informatics roles, strengthening how we collect and use data every day.”
Vargas explained that for years public health has been underfunded. This makes it hard to hire critical roles. This is especially true for roles in data systems, IT, communications and workforce development. “FoPH funding helped us fill important staffing gaps to keep the department running smoothly,” she said.
FoPH funding also paid for:
“The COVID-19 pandemic made these needs even more urgent. FoPH funding didn’t only help us hire people, it gave us the tools and opportunities to improve how we serve the community and prepare for the future.”
That Investment Paid Off During the Pandemic
In the early months of COVID, MCDPH bought two mobile health units. These units helped deliver the vaccine to as many people as possible. They reached unhoused individuals and other hard-to-reach groups. Over time, the units added services like testing, basic health screenings and resource referrals. The informatics team gathered data from these visits. They tracked how many people were seen, routes taken and services provided. They built a Story Map on Esri ArcGIS. This interactive, online map revealed health patterns, trends and gaps across the county.
The county’s use of Story Map was a success. So much so that they were invited to present at the 2022 Esri Pacific User Conference (the world’s largest conference focused on mapping technology). They showed how they found gaps in services for the unhoused population in Madera County and they explained how they planned to meet those needs. The Story Map gave MCDPH an online space to share data with the public, partners and stakeholders.
“FoPH funding continues to support staffing. Our plan is to use 100% of it for staff,” said Brian Gamble, MCDPH Deputy Director of Administrative Services. “Having the informatics team build systems where we can track data in real time has cut down on slow processing. It’s streamlined a lot of our surveillance work.”
Gamble added that when divisions see how much stronger they can be with better systems and training, it changes how they work. “That’s where I see us, embedded into every part of the department, strengthening our data infrastructure because of FoPH funding,” he said.
Advancing Community Health and Accreditation
Funding from FoPH and California Strengthening Public Health Infrastructure (CASPHI) also helped MCDPH improve its community health assessment (CHA), community health improvement plan (CHIP), strategic plan and accreditation efforts.
“CASPHI funding supported half the cost of two workforce development and accreditation positions. They managed the CHA, CHIP and strategic planning,” said Graciela Valdez, MCDPH Workforce Development Coordinator. “With Brenda [Vargas] and the informatics team, they identified needs and improved training tracking.”
Valdez and Vargas agree that thanks to FoPH and CASPHI funding, staff efficiency has greatly improved. “Better workforce training means we can meet the needs of our communities,” Valdez said. These improvements also supported MCDPH’s public health accreditation in 2023. This is a formal process led by the Public Health Accreditation Board (PHAB). It confirms health departments meet national standards for quality, accountability and performance. Accreditation must be renewed every five years.
With advanced data systems in place, the team can now:
- Streamline work
- Access data easily
- Save staff time to focus on delivering services where they’re needed most
“This digital leap isn't just about technology," Gamble said. “It's about resilience, opportunity and a commitment to meeting the needs of our community. Not just now, but in the future."
Photos courtesy of: Madera County Department of Public Health
If you’re a member of the media and have a question about this story, email Media@cdph.ca.gov.