NEW: 3/4 of Americans live in states that spend under $100 per person on #PublicHealth annually. A @KHNews @AP investigation tracks the systematic underfunding that left the U.S. ill-equipped for #covid19.
#UnderfundedUnderThreat

: https://khn.org/MTEyNzAyNw 

Public health workers sometimes earn so little, they qualify for public aid programs like #Medicaid. They rely on faxes to share #COVID19 records. They work seven-day weeks, yet fear losing their jobs. #UnderfundedUnderThreat

At least 38,000 state and local public health jobs have disappeared since the 2008 recession. #UnderfundedUnderThreat

KHN and @AP interviewed more than 150 people, analyzed spending records from hundreds of state and local health departments, and surveyed statehouses. The investigation found the system is #UnderfundedUnderThreat.

Over time, state and local health departments received so little support that they have found themselves without direction, ignored, even vilified. Now, they face furloughs and potential layoffs. #UnderfundedUnderThreat

But the public doesn’t see the disasters that #PublicHealth workforces thwart. And it’s easy to neglect the invisible. @LaurenWeberHP @laura_ungar @MRSmithAP @hannah_recht @annabarryjester investigate. #UnderfundedUnderThreat https://apnews.com/e28724a125a127f650a9b6f48f7bb938