Resources
Stop the harassment of the public health workforce
- This commentary describes attacks on health officials responding to COVID-19 and strategies for elected officials and health officials to address the problem.
•50 State Survey: Legal Protections for Public Health Officials, The Network for Public Health Law, Nov 2020.
- The Network for Public Health Law researched criminal statutes that punish individuals who impede public health officials’ duties. The Network found 35 states and Washington, DC have statutes in place.
•These Journal of Public Health Management and Practice (JPHMP) commentaries describe the challenges public health agencies are facing in the face of the pandemic and offer leadership strategies and skills to confront them.
- Public Health Officials and COVID-19: Leadership, Politics, and the Pandemic, JPHMP, Jan/Feb 2021.
- Leading in the COVID-19 Crisis: Challenges and Solutions for State Health Leaders, JPHMP, Jul/Aug 2020.
Reject efforts to sideline public health
• An Emerging Threat to Public Health Authority, ChangeLab Solutions and Local Solutions Support Center, Feb 2021.
- This fact sheet summarizes efforts to limit public health powers at the state and local levels.
• COVID-19 Legislation, National Conference of State and Local Legislators (NCSL), 2020.
- This interactive dashboard provides real-time data on state-level COVID-19 legislation that has been introduced across the country.
• COVID-19: Local Action Tracker, National League of Cities & Bloomberg Philanthropies, 2020-2021.
- This is an inventory of actions and responses local leaders across the country have taken in response to COVID-19.
Revitalize Public Health Agencies
- This website describes President Biden’s proposed American Rescue Plan to address health disparities, strengthen COVID-19 response, invest in public health and education, and advance economic recovery.
• Public Health Workforce Loan Repayment Act of 2020: H.R.6578, U.S. Congress.
- This is the text for bill H.R.6578, proposed in 2020 to establish the Public Health Workforce Loan Repayment Program as an amendment to the Public Health Service Act.
• Data Modernization Initiative, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
- This website describes the CDC’s strategy to modernize the nation’s data, workforce capacity, and technology to better support public health decision making and surveillance.
• The following JPHMP commentaries present challenges and lessons learned from the COVID-19 pandemic and steps the United States can take to strengthen its public health system and ensure effective response to future pandemics and outbreaks.
- Four Steps to Building the Public Health System Needed to Cope With the Next Pandemic, JPHMP, Jan/Feb 2021.
- COVID-19 and Public Health: Looking Back, Moving Forward, JPHMP, Jan/Feb 2021.