Speaker 1: What are some of today's top public health issues and how do we address them? John Auerbach and Sarah DeGhia are in studio now with their thoughts. Well welcome. So happy to have you all here. So thank you so much for being here and being out here and part of HPHA-TV. Let's talk about first off, you know, what are your visions for a better public health system? And we'll start

Speaker 2: with you, John. Well I think there are a few characteristics of a better, stronger public health system. One is adequate and sustainable funding. Another is focused on equity and community focus. A third might be making sure that we're doing the work that addresses the major public health issues that is being faced by the public. And then finally I would say we need to be guided by state-of-the-art data, science, and evidence. All right and Sarah, what are your thoughts on this?

Speaker 3: Some of my issues will be the same as John's, but I would start out with saying that a better public health system, one, centers equity. And that means that we're bringing community members into decision-making processes. We're partnering with them, elevating their solutions, and resourcing them to be able to be our partners. The second issue I would say is we need to increase our public health law practitioners' knowledge of and confidence in using law and policy to better promote equity. The third issue I would say is that we need to make sure that, just as John mentioned, that our public health systems are resourced to do their jobs to better protect all of our health. And finally I would say that we need to make sure that our public health departments are fully resourced. Now you mentioned

Speaker 1: several different things that need really attention to. What do you think is the most important one that we need to focus on right now? And Sarah, I'll

Speaker 3: start with you. I would say really centering equity. For so long, our communities, BIPOC communities, LGBT communities, women, and other traditionally marginalized communities have not been the center of our policies and our practices. And as a result, while you see some increases in overall public health, you see a widening of health disparities and inequities, particularly amongst those communities that have been traditionally marginalized. And so if we are to see the increase of our health overall, we really need to center the health of those communities in particular. And again, law and policy are really important tools to be able to help us advance equitable systems for

Speaker 1: change. Okay, and John, tell us about what your thoughts are. Well, I agree with

Speaker 2: everything that Sarah said. And I think I would add to that that we need to pay attention to the infrastructure of the public health sector and the workforce of the public health sector. We've just neglected those because there haven't been resources for them. The way that funding has been allocated over the last several years is very much disease-specific or condition-specific. And without regard to how do you have a well-respected and well-supported workforce, and how do you have the wraparound kind of activities you really need in order to make sure that your public health agencies are able to function efficiently. So infrastructure in a sustainable way and lots of attention to supporting the workforce. So that's important what you're saying as

Speaker 1: far as involving, it sounds like everybody, almost like a wraparound way so that we can, you know, make sure that public health is better in the United States. And, you know, Sarah, you also talked about, you know, law and policy and how can those really work together, I guess, because you have to have everybody

Speaker 3: collaborating, right? Absolutely, and I would endorse 100% that public health really does need to collaborate with other partners and other partners need to collaborate with public health because we're dealing with complex challenges and issues. We're dealing with inequities that are deeply embedded and entangled into our system's policies and practices. We cannot, public health can't do it alone, and we also need to have those partners at the table to ensure that we're doing it together in order to tackle these big problems and

Speaker 1: challenges. And on a positive note, what are we doing that's right? You know, I know people want to know about hope and they want to know about, you know, being positive and what, you know, what is actually happening that's, you know, working right now? And that could be John, you want to start? Well, I would say one

Speaker 2: thing that I think we, where we've made real progress is our focus on the importance of equity and the importance of paying attention to the social determinants of health, the social and economic factors that have an influence on public health. That's really become mainstream public health now, and it doesn't mean that we're where we need to be yet. That work is still somewhat fragile and we need to shore it up at all times, but we're better positioned than we've ever been before to deal with such issues as racism, homophobia, transphobia, and the impact that has on health. So there's a reason for hope because of the full embracing of those concerns by the public health sector.

Speaker 1: John, thank you again, and also Sarah for joining us here today for this interview on public health. Thank you.