Issue Category: Prevention and Public Health Policy

Los estados con mayor riesgo de impactos en la salud del cambio climático suelen estar menos preparados para proteger a los residentes durante eventos relacionados con el clima, según un nuevo informe

(Washington, DC y Baltimore, MD – 9 de diciembre de 2020) – Muchos de los estados con mayor riesgo de cambio climático también son los menos preparados para lidiar con él, según un nuevo informe publicado hoy por Trust for America’s Health y Escuela de Salud Pública Bloomberg de la Universidad Johns Hopkins. Este grupo de estados enfrenta mayores peligros, incluidos huracanes, inundaciones, olas de calor y enfermedades transmitidas por vectores, pero han hecho lo mínimo para prepararse, según el informe Cambio climático y salud: evaluación de la preparación estatal.

El informe evaluó los 50 estados y el Distrito de Columbia en su nivel de preparación para los efectos del cambio climático en la salud. Los investigadores encontraron una gran variación: algunos estados han hecho preparativos importantes, mientras que otros apenas han comenzado este proceso. Ocho estados en particular son los más vulnerables a los impactos del cambio climático en la salud y los menos preparados.

Los estados en el grupo más vulnerable / menos preparado fueron: Georgia, Kentucky, Mississippi, Oklahoma, Carolina del Sur, Tennessee, Texas y Virginia Occidental. En general, cuanto más vulnerable era un estado, menos preparado solía estar. Muchos de estos estados de alta vulnerabilidad / baja preparación se encuentran en el sureste o sur de las Grandes Llanuras.

“Queríamos comprender mejor los riesgos que se plantean a los estados individuales y su nivel de preparación para proteger a los residentes”, dijo el autor principal del informe, Matt McKillop. “Nuestra esperanza es que el informe brinde a los funcionarios de todos los niveles información útil para prepararse mejor”.

Otro grupo de estados ha hecho mucho más para prepararse. Este grupo incluye: Colorado, Maine, Maryland, New Hampshire, Utah, Vermont, Wisconsin y el Distrito de Columbia. (Consulte el anexo para obtener un resumen de preparación estado por estado).

Los investigadores enfatizaron que todos los estados, incluidos los calificados como los más preparados, pueden hacer mucho más para proteger a los residentes de los efectos nocivos para la salud del cambio climático.

“Los impactos del cambio climático en nuestra salud exigen que los legisladores respondan”, dijo Megan Latshaw, científica de la Escuela de Salud Pública Johns Hopkins Bloomberg. “Nuestro objetivo es que todos los estados tomen esto como una llamada de atención y piensen en este informe como un punto de partida para hacer más para ayudar a que la vida de los residentes sea más segura”.

Algunos eventos relacionados con el clima, como huracanes e incendios forestales, tienen impactos obvios en la salud. Pero otros son más insidiosos, incluidas olas de calor más frecuentes; deterioro de la calidad del aire; inundaciones crónicas; y aumentos de enfermedades relacionadas con vectores, agua y alimentos. Estas amenazas ya existen. Pero el cambio climático los exacerba y también modifica o expande las regiones y poblaciones en riesgo. Además, todos estos efectos pueden afectar gravemente la salud mental y el bienestar.

Los investigadores calcularon la vulnerabilidad de cada estado analizando una variedad de factores. El medio ambiente y la geografía son cruciales, pero además, los factores sociales y demográficos también juegan un papel clave. Algunas poblaciones y comunidades son especialmente vulnerables. Los residentes de alto riesgo incluyen aquellos que son muy jóvenes o muy mayores, personas con discapacidades y quienes viven en la pobreza. A menudo, el legado y la presencia continua del racismo sistémico, incluidos los patrones de privación y discriminación, hace que las comunidades de color sean especialmente vulnerables.

El informe hace recomendaciones sobre cómo las autoridades federales, estatales y locales pueden hacer más para salvaguardar la salud de los residentes, particularmente la de los más vulnerables.

Las evaluaciones estatales se basaron en tres indicadores: vulnerabilidad, preparación para la salud pública y adaptación relacionada con el clima. Todos los hallazgos del informe son relativos, es decir, se basan en comparaciones entre estados.

Las recomendaciones incluyen:

Federal

  • El Congreso debería promulgar legislación que cree un plan nacional de preparación climática.
  • La administración y el Congreso deben financiar completamente el programa de Clima y Salud de los CDC y la Red Nacional de Seguimiento de la Salud Pública Ambiental.
  • Fortalecer el sistema nacional de salud pública y la fuerza laboral, incluso mediante la modernización de las capacidades de datos y vigilancia.

Estadal

  • Complete todos los pasos del marco de construcción de resiliencia contra los efectos climáticos (BRACE) de los CDC.
  • Reforzar la capacidad básica de preparación para la salud pública y establecer y mantener fondos y personal dedicados para los preparativos relacionados con el clima.
  • Planifique con las comunidades, no para ellas.

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Trust for America’s Health es una organización no partidista sin fines de lucro que promueve la salud óptima para cada persona y comunidad y hace de la prevención de enfermedades y lesiones una prioridad nacional. En Twitter en: @healthyamerica1

La Escuela de Salud Pública Bloomberg de la Universidad de Johns Hopkins se dedica a la mejora de la salud de todas las personas a través del descubrimiento, la difusión y la traducción del conocimiento, y la educación de una comunidad global diversa de científicos investigadores, profesionales de la salud pública y otros.

States at Greatest Risk for Health Impacts of Climate Change are Often Least Prepared to Protect Residents During Climate Related Events, New Report Finds

(Washington, DC and Baltimore, MD – December 9, 2020) – Many of the states most at risk from climate change are also the least ready to deal with it, according to a new report from researchers at Trust for America’s Health and the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. This group of states faces increased hazards including hurricanes, floods, heat waves, and vector-borne diseases, but have done the least to prepare, according to the report Climate Change & Health: Assessing State Preparedness.

The report assessed all 50 states and the District of Columbia on their level of preparedness for the health effects of climate change. The researchers found a great deal of variation: Some states have made significant preparations, while others have barely begun this process. Eight states in particular are both most vulnerable to the health impacts of climate change and least prepared.

States in the most-vulnerable/least-prepared group were: Georgia, Kentucky, Mississippi, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, and West Virginia.  Overall, the more vulnerable a state was, the less prepared it tended to be. Many of these high vulnerability/low preparedness states are in the Southeast or Southern Great Plains.

“We wanted to better understand the risks posed to individual states and their level of readiness to protect residents,” said the report’s lead author, Matt McKillop, Senior Researcher at Trust for America’s Health. “Our hope is that the report will give officials at all levels actionable information to better prepare.”

Another group of states: Colorado, Maine, Maryland, New Hampshire, Utah, Vermont, Wisconsin, and the District of Columbia – have done much more to prepare (See addendum for state-by-state preparedness summary.)

The researchers emphasized that every state, including those rated as most prepared, can do much more to protect residents from the harmful health impacts of climate change.

“The impacts of climate change on our health demand that policymakers respond,” said Megan Latshaw, a scientist at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. “Our goal is that every single state will take this as a clarion call and think of this report as a starting point to do more to help make residents’ lives safer.”

Some climate-related events, such as hurricanes and wildfires, have immediate health impacts. Others are more insidious, including more frequent heat waves; deteriorating air quality; chronic flooding; and increases in vector, water, and food-related disease. These threats already exist. But climate change exacerbates them, and also shifts or expands the regions and populations at risk. In addition, all of these effects can take a severe toll on mental health and well-being.

Some populations and communities are especially vulnerable. High-risk residents include those who are very young or very old, people with a disability, and those living in poverty. Often, the legacy and continued presence of systemic racism, including patterns of deprivation and discrimination, makes communities of color especially vulnerable.

The researchers calculated each state’s vulnerability by looking at a range of factors. Environment and geography are crucial, but in addition, social and demographic factors also play a key role. State assessments were based on three indicators: vulnerability, public health preparedness, and climate-related adaptation. All of the report’s findings are relative, i.e., based on comparisons between states.

The report, released today at the 3rd annual Bloomberg American Health Summit, makes recommendations for federal and state action including:

Federal

  • Congress should enact legislation creating a national climate-readiness plan.
  • The administration and Congress should fully fund the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) Climate and Health program and the National Environmental Public Health Tracking Network.
  • Strengthen the national public health system and workforce, including by modernizing data and surveillance capacities.

State

  • Complete all steps of the CDC’s Building Resilience Against Climate Effects (BRACE) framework.
  • Bolster core public health preparedness capacity, and establish and sustain dedicated funding and staffing for climate-related preparations.
  • Plan with communities, not for them.

 

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Trust for America’s Health is a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization that promotes optimal health for every person and community and makes the prevention of illness and injury a national priority. On Twitter at: @healthyamerica1

The Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health is dedicated to the improvement of health for all people through the discovery, dissemination, and translation of knowledge, and the education of a diverse global community of research scientists, public health professionals, and others in positions to advance the public’s health.

The Bloomberg American Health Initiative was created in 2016 with a $300 million gift from Bloomberg Philanthropies to the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. The Initiative is tackling key public health challenges in the U.S., focusing primarily on addiction and overdose, adolescent health, the environment, obesity and the food system, and violence. It is also working to train a new generation of professionals committed to improving health in America.

Ensuring COVID-19 Vaccine Access, Safety, and Utilization: Building Vaccination Confidence in Communities of Color

This webinar comes at a critical juncture as COVID-19 vaccine development continues. As has been the case with previous public health emergencies, the COVID-19 pandemic is exposing racial inequities that have long existed in the U.S. Racial and ethnic disparities also continue in vaccine access, due to contributing factors such as lack of access to health coverage and care and issues of distrust.

Featured experts shared with policymakers and stakeholders the historical reasons for vaccine hesitancy in communities of color, highlighted ongoing vaccination disparities and discussed policy recommendations to build vaccine confidence and access in communities of color.

20 Public Health Organizations Condemn Herd Immunity Scheme for Controlling Spread of SARS-CoV-2

Great Barrington Declaration is not grounded in science and is dangerous

(Washington, DC – October 14, 2020) – SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19 has infected at least 7.8 million people in the United States and 38 million worldwide. It has led to over 215,000 deaths domestically, and more than 1 million globally – with deaths continuing to climb.

If followed, the recommendations in the Great Barrington Declaration would haphazardly and unnecessarily sacrifice lives. The declaration is not a strategy, it is a political statement. It ignores sound public health expertise. It preys on a frustrated populace. Instead of selling false hope that will predictably backfire, we must focus on how to manage this pandemic in a safe, responsible, and equitable way.

The suggestions put forth by the Great Barrington Declaration are NOT based in science.

  • There is no evidence that we are even remotely close to herd immunity. To the contrary, experts believe that 85 to 90 percent of the U.S. population is still at risk of contracting SARS-CoV-2. Herd immunity is achieved when the virus stops circulating because a large segment of the population has already been infected. Letting Americans get sick, rather than focusing on proven methods to prevent infections, could lead to hundreds of thousands of preventable illnesses and deaths.[i] It would also add greater risk in communities of color which have already experienced disproportionate impacts of the pandemic.
  • The declaration ignores what are our best tools to fight the virus, i.e. wearing masks, physical distancing, hand-washing, avoiding large crowds, strategic testing, rapid isolation of infected people and supportive quarantine for people who need to isolate.
  • We have seen the failure of the herd immunity experiment in nations such as Sweden, which has the highest mortality rate among Nordic countries.[ii] COVID-19 carries a much higher risk of severe disease and death than other infections where herd immunity was attempted before a vaccine was available.[iii] It is illogical to ignore public health and scientific evidence when so many lives are at stake.

Combatting the pandemic with lockdowns or full reopening is not a binary, either/or choice. We need to embrace common sense public health practices that allow for a safe reopening of the economy and a return to in-person work and learning while also using proven strategies to reduce the spread of the virus.

The declaration suggests a so-called focused protection approach. It suggests allowing the virus to spread unchecked among young people to create herd immunity in the entire population. This notion is dangerous because it puts the entire population, particularly the most vulnerable, at risk. Young people are not all healthy and they don’t live in vacuums.[iv] They interact with family members, co-workers and neighbors. Inviting increased rates of COVID-19 in young people will lead to increased infections rates among all Americans.

Public health guidance and requirements related to masking and physical distancing are not an impediment to normalcy – they are the path to a new normal. The goal is both public health safety and economic security; the two are not in conflict with one another, they are dependent on each other. We need to focus our efforts on the development and implementation of a national, science-based and ethical pandemic disease-control strategy.

The pandemic has created serious hardships on families’ economic security and on American’s mental health and well-being. What we need is a coordinated and robust national response including mask use, hand hygiene and physical distancing, while also ensuring social supports for those most vulnerable, including physical and mental health, and social factors.  What we do not need is wrong-headed proposals masquerading as science.


This statement was authored by:

American Public Health Association

Big Cities Health Coalition

Trust for America’s Health

American Academy of Social Work and Social Welfare

Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology

Association of Public Health Laboratories

Association of Schools and Programs of Public Health

de Beaumont Foundation

Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security at the Bloomberg School of Public Health

Los Angeles County Department of Public Health

National Association of County Behavioral Health and Developmental Disabilities Directors

National Association of County and City Health Officials

National Association for Rural Mental Health

National Network of Public Health Institutes

New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene

Nurses Who Vaccinate

Prevention Institute

Public Health Institute

Resolve to Save Lives, an initiative of Vital Strategies

Well Being Trust

 

[i] https://www.medpagetoday.com/infectiousdisease/covid19/88401

[ii] https://www.medpagetoday.com/infectiousdisease/covid19/88401

[iii] https://coronavirus.jhu.edu/from-our-experts/early-herd-immunity-against-covid-19-a-dangerous-misconception

[iv] https://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/volumes/69/wr/mm6941e1.htm?s_cid=mm6941e1_w

New Report Recommends Policies to Protect and Improve Americans’ Health by Transforming the Public Health System

Nation’s Public Health System Needs Sustained Attention and Investment; The Report Provides Action Plan for the Administration and Congress Taking Office in 2021

(Washington, DC – October 6, 2020) — The COVID-19 pandemic sharply illuminated weaknesses in the nation’s public health system and ways in which structural racism put communities of color at disproportionate risk of negative health outcomes, according to a new report, The Promise of Good Health for All: Transforming Public Health in America. The report was released today by Trust for America’s Health.  Among its findings is that the nation’s public health system is dangerously inadequate. The report offers a blueprint for policymakers taking office next year on how to strengthen the system, protect against health security threats, address the social determinants of health, and combat racism and other forms of discrimination that negatively affect community and individual health and resilience.

Americans are facing increasing environmental and weather-related threats from wildfires to hurricanes. Infectious disease outbreaks are a constant and complex risk as world travel allows small outbreaks to become worldwide threats in a matter of hours. Additionally, Americans have higher levels of chronic disease and mental health and substance misuse issues than ever before.  As a nation, we spend over $3 trillion annually on healthcare but lag behind other developed countries in practically every health metric. A key to addressing these threats to the nation’s health is a significant investment in the public health system, including programs rooted in prevention and working at the population health level. The report calls for an annual $4.5 billion investment in the nation’s public health infrastructure including in 21st century data systems and a robust public health workforce.

“Even before COVID-19, numerous health emergencies, including infectious disease outbreaks like measles, Zika and Ebola, the opioid epidemic, weather-related events and lung injuries due to vaping demonstrated the urgency of a strong public health system,” says John Auerbach, President and CEO of Trust for America’s Health.

“Each of these emergencies brought short-term attention to the importance of the public health system, but short-term attention is not enough.  Without sustained investment the nation’s public health system we will not be ready to protect Americans’ lives and livelihoods during the next health emergency,” Auerbach said.

The conditions in which people live and work are key drivers of their health. Therefore, solutions to health risks and inequities largely exist outside the healthcare sector and reinforce the importance of investing in population health and the social determinants of health. Increasing the nation’s investment in health promotion and disease prevention will not only improve the quality of life for millions of Americans, it will help decrease the nation’s exploding healthcare spending.

The report focuses on five key priority areas:

PRIORITY 1: Make substantial and sustained investments in a more effective public health system including a highly-skilled public health workforce.

PRIORITY 2: Mobilize an all-out effort to combat racism and other forms of discrimination and to advance health equity by providing the conditions that optimize health.

PRIORITY 3: Address the social determinants of health including economic, social, and environmental factors that result in preventable illness, injuries and death.

PRIORITY 4: Proactively address threats to the nation’s health security.

PRIORITY 5: Improve health, safety, and well-being for all people by providing pathways to optimal health across the life span.


Among the report’s recommendations for federal policymakers are:

  • Strengthen and modernize the public health system by creating a $4.5 billion per year Public Health Infrastructure Fund to support foundational public health capabilities at the state, local, territorial and tribal levels.
  • Build 21st century public health surveillance systems at the federal, state and local levels to enable rapid detection and response to disease threats.
  • Create a Health Defense Operations budget designation to build sustainable funding for public health programs that prevent, detect and respond to outbreaks.
  • Make advancing health equity and eliminating health disparities a national priority with a senior-level, federal interdepartmental task force charged with adopting policies and programs in housing, employment, health, environmental justice and education that reduce health inequities and address the social determinants of health.
  • Expand grants to address health inequities and ensure funding is reaching under-resourced, marginalized, and disproportionately affected communities.
  • Prioritize increased funding for state, local, tribal and territorial public health emergency preparedness and response programs, such as CDC’s Public Health Emergency Preparedness program and HHS’s Hospital Preparedness Program.
  • Build surge capacity across the healthcare system and develop standards for healthcare facility readiness. Policymakers should provide payment incentives and reward facilities that maintain specialized disaster care capabilities.
  • Grow the CDC’s Climate and Health Program so it can support every state, large cities, territories and tribes to be climate-ready. Clean air and water regulations should be restored and strengthened, including the Clean Air Act and Clean Water Act.
  • Increase research and effective messaging to build vaccine confidence and ensure that no person faces barriers to receiving all necessary vaccinations.
  • Promote optimal health across the lifespan through access to health insurance, job-protected paid leave for workers, and significant investments in programs proven to support families and improve health – from babies to older adults.

The report is endorsed by the American Public Health Association, the Asian & Pacific Islander American Health Forum, the Big Cities Health Coalition, the Public Health Institute, and the National Network of Public Health Institutes.

 

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Trust for America’s Health is a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization that promotes optimal health for every person and community and makes the prevention of illness and injury a national priority. On Twitter at @HealthyAmerica1

TFAH and Other Leaders Launch Public Health Communications Collaborative to Support and Advance Public Health During COVID-19 Pandemic

(Washington, DC, September 2, 2020) – The Public Health Communications Collaborative (PHCC), launched today, will promote the value of public health to protect Americans’ health and safety as well as the nation’s economy. The collaborative will coordinate and amplify public health messaging on COVID-19 issues to increase Americans’ confidence in health guidance by communicating the best available science, by positioning public health leaders as expert spokespersons, and by quickly correcting misinformation.

“Unfortunately, misinformation and conflicting messages about COVID-19 have confused the American public at a time when clear guidance about how to protect their health is critical,” said John Auerbach, President, and CEO of Trust for America’s Health. “This collaborative will share information that will advance science-based decision making during the pandemic and in doing so will help save lives.”

Founding members of the PHCC are Trust for America’s Health, the CDC Foundation, and the de Beaumont Foundation. Partner organizations are the American Public Health Association, the Association of State and Territorial Health Officials, the Big Cities Health Coalition, the National Association of County and City Health Officials, PATH, and Resolve to Save Lives.

The Public Health Communications Collaborative website will be a hub repository of information and messaging products designed to help state and local public health officials share information with their constituents and navigate the current media landscape. The site will be updated regularly with real-time messaging and resources.

To sign up for email updates from PHCC, visit the website.