File – Robert Turick, 68, works to erase household debris that Hurricane Milton Storm Surge has swept … [+]
On New Year’s Day, after a pick -up truck was plowed into a crowd in New Orleans, dozens of victims were transported to the hospital. The Chief Medical Officer of the New Orleans University Medical Center reported It was the “highest number of critical patients that the hospital has ever seen.” A few days later, a patient died As a result of the H5N1 virus or bird flu. It was the first such death in the United States. And then forest fires began to tear through Los Angeles County. And North Carolina and Tennessee still have to deal with the aftermath of a devastating hurricane.
Everyone is looking for explanations in the aftermath of so many crises. Politicians, experts and ordinary people ask: “What else to do to prevent this disaster, or to prepare it better?” Strengthening public health is an important answer – but health departments are seriously under -financed throughout the country.
In California, people with asthma, pneumonia and other lung diseases to stay With a high risk due to exposure to smoke. The death toll has reached 29, experts predict that thousands Will eventually die from inhaling the poisonous smoke, and much more will undoubtedly suffer. In California, North Carolina and Tennessee, the relocation of families raises heavy questions: Where will people live? Where and when do children go back to school? How will people go back to work or find jobs again? Even for people who can stay in their homes, work and go to school, these disasters have persistent consequences long after the news cycle has continued. In addition to the physical damage they leave on their path, they feed an already important crisis in the field of mental health.
In recent years, the federal government has funded local efforts to reduce health effects as a result of forest fires – providing subsidies to improve air quality in public buildings, for example and initiating programs to ensure that wildland fire brigade people receive high -quality mental health care. Yet federal financing for natural disasters is often reactionary, not preparatory – and quickly fades as the headlines do. Natural disasters grow stronger and more visits. Innovative programs for public health, from septic security campaigns during hurricanes to outreach to vulnerable population groups prior to tornados, are crucial for preparation.
Public health is also crucial for reducing violence incidents. Nationally, health departments are based on data to identify risk factors and to develop more effective prevention strategies for their communities. In 2022, the Republicans and Democrats in the Congress adopted legislation to implement some strategies with regard to arms safety, such as the court procedures of the state crisis and support for school safety. Consistent investments will yield considerable returns. According to experts, every dollar invested in intervention programs for community violence yields $ 41 in community savings For medical and legal costs.
The ROI is similar to epidemics. So far, only one person has died of H5N1, but a million died of Covid-19. I am an epidemiologist of trade. I have worked in health departments in Georgia, Texas and Pennsylvania – and I can say with confidence that there is not one department in this country that is completely ready for another pandemic. Some preparation measures were adopted in 2022, as part of the two -part Pandemics Act, including programs for public health aimed at strengthening the supply chain and improving data collection. Coordination between health departments will be vital in our pandemic strategy. According to a recent survey Most Americans, released by the Beaumont Foundation and Harvard Th Chan School of Public Health, would support the policy from the COVID era during a future pandemic, including masking, closures and vaccination requirements. But to implement with minimal disruption, health departments must be in a constant state of readyness.
Some note that in the current political climate such a preparation can prove to be impossible. But public health has often brought leaders together on both sides of the aisle. Legislation was adopted to provide care to veterans who are exposed to burning pits, fighting the opioid epidemic, offering COVID-19 lighting and reducing gender-based violence. The challenge is not a polarization; It’s timing. Preparation and prevention are both urgent and important – and we must encourage action for An emergency, not just during or after.
President Trump mentioned last week Gerald Parker To lead the office of the White House of Pandemic Preparedness and Response policy. I hope that his dozens of years of experience in working in both democratic and republican administrations – in the departments of Defense, Domestic Security and Health and Human Services – will enable him to enable leaders to meet our shared needs.
We are just over a month to the year and we have already experienced such a loss. The impact of these tragedies is clear; The need for investments in public health must be just as much. Because every emergency situation is an emergency for public health.