Show Notes
America has 3,300 local health departments. They are the backbone of our public health system, yet they are agencies most of us never think about. Until there's a crisis.
Join Michael Sparer from Columbia's Mailman School of Public Health as he explores how the US built this fragmented public health system, why it's struggling, and what we need to do to fix it. From Constitutional debates to garbage collection in 1866 New York to today's vaccine controversies, this podcast reveals the invisible infrastructure your health depends on.
Who the health cares? We all should.
Listen to the trailer now, then subscribe so you don't miss the first episode dropping mid-November. Find us on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you listen.
More from Who the Health Cares? with Prof Michael Sparer
Welcome to season three of Who the Health Cares from the Center for Public Health Implementation at Columbia University.
Public health funding is often discussed as a matter of budgets and policy. But the real story is about politics, relationships and power. In the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic, states across the country received an unprecedented influx of federal dollars to strengthen their public health systems. But turning those investments into lasting change proved far more complicated than simply appropriating money.
Public health officials are navigating an increasingly complicated landscape defined by shrinking resources and political polarization. Meanwhile, artificial intelligence is transforming how health systems collect information, manage care and respond to community needs. The challenge for today’s public health leaders is figuring out how to adapt without losing the public’s trust or losing sight of their core mission: improving the health of the communities they serve.
The work of public health often becomes most visible when our systems are under the greatest strain. From hurricanes to pandemics, crises test not only our ability to respond, but also the strength, flexibility and fairness of the systems we rely on every day.
The work of the U.S. public health system is invisible to many of us. That’s why public health guidance is often misunderstood – and ultimately mistrusted – by Americans on both sides of the political aisle. And in times of uncertainty, when clear guidance matters most, the gap between perception and reality is especially costly.