Health departments do good work all the time, yet they aren’t structured to take advantage of learning from this good work. Some of this has to do with focus and mission. Some with staffing. Health Departments don’t usually do research, and the presentation of knowledge is essentially a research function.

On a grand scale, we find ourselves today looking to the experience of 1918 flu pandemic to learn lessons for future pandemics. In looking back, although there was lots of information, lots has been lost, and so created gaps in our knowledge, and much of this past experience has been lost.