The Hard Road Ahead for Public Health Departments
The Hard Road Ahead for Public Health Departments
Public health officials—already on the defensive due to the backlash against COVID-19 pandemic orders—are now facing a lack of support from the federal government, leaving them alone on the front lines to promote health while battling disease.
Stanford Health Policy's Michelle Mello and research assistant Jamie Wang write in this JAMA Forum commentary that public health departments are bracing for a new era of significantly reduced federal support. But they offer up some recommendations, such as public health officials bolstering coalitions of likeminded professionals who work under similar political and legal constraints.
“The role of state governments in safeguarding public health has rarely been more important than it is today," write Wang and Mello, JD, PhD, a professor of health policy and of law.
"The 2025 presidential turnover appears to be ushering in an era of reduced federal involvement, leaving states with the responsibility of being the primary engine of public health protection at a time when they already face grave challenges. In his first few weeks in office, President Trump announced a planned withdrawal from the World Health Organization; terminated thousands of workers from federal health agencies; and paused health grants, health program funding, and public communications from health agencies. He also revoked Biden-era executive orders strengthening occupational health protection, federal leadership on COVID-19 response and global health, action to advance racial equity and support underserved communities, oversight of artificial intelligence in health care, action to avert the health effects of climate change, enrollment in Medicaid and Affordable Care Act plans, and testing models to control prescription drug costs.”
