Public health: "It’s truly a matter of life and death"

 

Faculty lead & program manager a lifetime ago (January 2020)

I often describe November 2019 - January 2024 as 'I worked for the School of Public Health for 5 years then came back to the Health Sciences Library as their librarian,' but that summary can never do justice to that time & certainly not to my phenomenal colleagues. 

We did amazing work. I can't remember what was so funny on this day when we launched it. We certainly had no idea what was about to happen to everyday life as we knew it. We kept the program going throughout 2020 & 2021 in a virtual pivot, then in hybrid yearly cohorts supportive of where our scholars were at & improving to the best of our ability and resources based on evaluation feedback. 

Our faculty lead back then is now our State Health Officer (previously Chief Science Officer) who signed a standing order for all of Washington, in break with FDA rules, acts to assure wide access to COVID-19 vaccines last week. He notes, "COVID-19 vaccines are well-researched, well-tested, and have saved millions of lives around the world." 

That resulted in his national time with Rachel Maddow Tuesday! We are so lucky to have him & the rest of our solidly scientific evidence-based team at the helm of our state's department of health, and on Thursday our insurance announced their COVID-19 vaccine coverage at no cost too.

Last week also had the Surgeons general warning: CDC saves lives. It's up to us to save public health that included this blog post title. 

They caution "As former surgeons general, we took an oath to protect the health of the American people. This includes speaking out when the public’s health is in danger ‒ even when doing so is uncomfortable or politically charged. We see that danger now in the current turmoil at the CDC. We call on the American people to recognize the stakes. The CDC’s work is foundational to our health security, and without a stable, expert-led agency, we are vulnerable.

We urge all Americans to contact their elected representatives and demand that they prioritize the stability and competence of the CDC."

Even the World Health Organization says US CDC needs to be protected. 

I'm still thinking about what the best strategy is to protect public health as I revisit all the federal .gov health information sources links we have. Some are fine, some are gone, some are looking rather questionable.