That time we accidentally created national healthcare infrastructure, with Dave Kasten

In this episode, Patrick McKenzie (patio11) is joined by Dave Kasten, to discuss their experiences building VaccinateCA, a charitable effort that collected, collated, and distributed vaccine distribution information during the COVID-19 pandemic. (If you Googled for the vaccine, the search results likely came from VaccinateCA’s data.) They cover the challenges of rapidly scaling a volunteer-driven organization, the lessons learned about public health infrastructure, the intricacies of interfacing with government bureaucracy, and reasons to be cautiously optimistic about tech/government collaboration.Expanding on a theme from recent episodes (see: Casey Handmer), Dave and Patrick cover the stark differences between government and tech sector’s approach to problem-solving. They offer insights into the often-misunderstood world of government operations, the individuals who make it function, and the "scar tissue" of regulations that can both protect and hinder progress.–Full transcript available here: https://www.complexsystemspodcast.com/episodes/tech-government-dave-kasten/–Sponsors: WorkOS | Check  Building an enterprise-ready SaaS app? WorkOS has got you covered with easy-to-integrate APIs for SAML, SCIM, and more. Start now at https://bit.ly/WorkOS-Turpentine-NetworkCheck is the leading payroll infrastructure provider and pioneer of embedded payroll. Check makes it easy for any SaaS platform to build a payroll business, and already powers 60+ popular platforms. Head to checkhq.com/complex and tell them patio11 sent you.–Links:The Story of VaccinateCA, Works in Progress https://worksinprogress.co/issue/the-story-of-vaccinateca/https://davekasten.substack.com/ https://www.bitsaboutmoney.com/ Complex Systems episode ft. Kelsey Piper (Spotify): https://open.spotify.com/episode/33rHTZVowaq76tCTaKJfRB –Twitter:@patio11@David_Kasten–Timestamps:(00:00) Intro(00:23) Dave Kasten’s unique career path(01:37) The beginning of VaccinateCA(03:09) Early challenges and volunteer efforts(07:24) Volunteer coordination and call center operations(10:55) Navigating policies and procedures(14:33) Navigating policies and prioritization(21:00) Adapting to volunteer feedback(22:50) Sponsors: WorkOS | Check(25:07) Public reception and media involvement(35:40) Government and institutional responses(45:59) Differences between tech and government approaches(47:52) Challenges in pandemic information dissemination(49:10) Accuracy and information systems(53:43) Government and agile development(56:51) Bureaucratic constraints and historical practices(01:08:55) Government workforce and technological challenges(01:22:34) The importance of policy engagement(01:33:42) Wrap–Complex Systems is part of the Turpentine podcast network.