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The last installment in an @AP @KHNews yearlong investigation into the U.S. public health system shows the stark toll on the public health workforce. 1/? https://apnews.com/article/pandemics-public-health-michael-brown-kansas-coronavirus-pandemic-5aa548a2e5b46f38fb1b884554acf590
Here's what we found:
181 local and state health officials have resigned, retired or been fired
1 in 8 lives in a U.S. community that has lost a local health leader
24 states are pushing legislation to curtail public health powers
@AP @KHNews #UnderfundedUnderThreat
181 local and state health officials have resigned, retired or been fired 1 in 8 lives in a U.S. community that has lost a local health leader 24 states are pushing legislation to curtail public health powers @AP @KHNews #UnderfundedUnderThreat
Public health officials in some places told us they were exhausted, threatened, sued, made fun of and generally shown little to no respect from their communities as they tried to protect them from the coronavirus. https://apnews.com/article/public-health-united-states-immunizations-coronavirus-pandemic-bad00165d02934f086261d21bce5f640
One official we interviewed - Dr. Gianfranco Pezzino -- resigned his post in Shawnee, Kan. yesterday because the county commissioners relaxed their COVID restrictions just as the pandemic is getting out of hand. @AP @KHNews #UnderfundedUnderThreat
Another, Tisha Coleman, lost her mother to COVID on Sunday. Her husband refused to require masks in the family hardware store, even as Tisha advocated for a countywide mask mandate. Tisha, her husband and mother all were infected. @AP @KHNews
Here's more from the whole #UnderfundedUnderThreat series: Since 2010, spending on state and local public health has declined 16 percent, leaving departments starved for resources when the pandemic struck. https://apnews.com/article/virus-outbreak-general-news-michael-pence-us-news-e28724a125a127f650a9b6f48f7bb938
It wasn't just money. Public health departments lost 38,000 jobs in that time even as the U.S. population grew. The ACA tried to restore funding for public health but the Obama administration and Congress kept raiding the fund. #UnderfundedUnderThreat @AP @KHNews
Wondering what your public health department does? Glad you asked! “We test 97% of America’s babies for metabolic or other disorders. We do the water testing. You like to swim in the lake and you don’t like poop in there? Think of us.” #UnderfundedUnderThreat @AP @KHNews
They get rid of mosquitoes, inspect restaurants for roaches and rats, vaccinate kids against terrible diseases and try to keep your water lead-free. With so little money, and a pandemic, some of that stuff ain't happening. @AP @KHNews https://apnews.com/article/bc7a3de603413b95676f4fe451cb840b
The decline in public health investment was not even among states. Florida was one of the hardest hit. From 2010-2019 Florida cut per-capita public health spending by 41%. https://apnews.com/article/6893f2828b8da2aa163ebf93f4919866
And when Congress allocated money to states for the pandemic response, many were slow to put funds toward public health. Others never did. In Minnesota, for example, the zoo got $6 million before Minneapolis' health department got any money.
https://apnews.com/article/virus-outbreak-tx-state-wire-minnesota-politics-underfunded-and-under-threat-33228796a8a66a50546c9e3ddacfef1b @AP @KHNews
https://apnews.com/article/virus-outbreak-tx-state-wire-minnesota-politics-underfunded-and-under-threat-33228796a8a66a50546c9e3ddacfef1b @AP @KHNews
The slow erosion in funding over years and the relentless cuts in staff were a clear sign that elected officials and taxpayers did not value the work of their public health professionals. They also didn't pay them much: many public health workers qualify for government aid. @AP
That lack of respect became glaringly clear during the pandemic, when officials and citizens ignored the advice of their public health professionals, refusing to wear masks, stay home, keep away from others. It quickly escalated to threats and harassment. https://apnews.com/article/8839ed5e94eea718304820218919738e
