Analysis: Discussion of U.S. public health overview podcast

Public Health and the Dairy Cow in the Room - KFF Health News Public health, one of the more misunderstood concepts in the health world, is about the health of entire populations, rather than individuals. As a result, public health is closely tied to things like the environment, nutrition, and safety. With major concerns such as bird flu looming, President-elect Donald Trump’s priorities could translate into efforts that undermine those of public health workers. In this special episode of KFF Health News’ “What the Health?”, chief Washington correspondent Julie Rovner is joined by Healthbeat editor-in-chief Charlene Pacenti, KFF Health News public health correspondent Amy Maxmen, and Healthbeat New York City reporter Eliza Fawcett. Lydia Zuraw KFF Health News

...To illuminate the importance and nuances of public health — and recognizing that public health is best explained at the local level — KFF Health News has partnered with Civic News Company to launch a project called Healthbeat. 

Among the takeaways from this week’s episode:

• The covid-19 pandemic revealed the need for a deeper understanding of public health — a data-driven field devoted to the health and well-being of populations. Some of the biggest public health issues of the moment include childhood vaccination rates, and long covid and post-traumatic stress disorder cases among health care workers.
• Bird flu is top of mind for many in public health. While the virus has been around for decades, its transmissibility to cattle is new, and that concerning characteristic emerged in the United States. The outbreak was not contained when it was first observed in a handful of states, and now the question is whether the virus mutates to enable human-to-human transmission — a trait that could make bird flu the next pandemic.
• Many in the public health community are wary of the possibility that Trump and his administration’s officials could gut funding and policies that support the nation’s health — and even non-health policies can hold consequences for health care. For instance, anti-immigration measures could drain the health workforce; many immigrants work as home health aides, nursing home staffers, and more.
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