Funding Cuts Contributing to Declines in Public Health Workforce, Programs
Between 2012 and 2016, the number of full-time employees at state health agencies declined by 3%, and the percentage of workers eligible for retirement is expected to go from 17% to 25% by 2020, according to recent data from the Association of State and Territorial Health Officials.
Findings released in November from the 2016 Association of State and Territorial Health Officials Profile Survey—the only comprehensive source on activities, structures, and resources within state and territorial public health agencies—showed that such workforce declines are being driven by decreases in funding; increases in pass-through funding going to third parties, such as nonprofits and local health agencies; and a decline in direct health service provision.
The survey found that between 2010 and 2016, state health agencies reported a “marked decline” in many health service activities; for example, 17 of 18 clinical services surveyed decreased, as did 12 of 14 maternal and child health services. One possible explanation for the decline, the survey reported, is the recent increase in Medicaid and insurance coverage. In addition, some agencies may be contracting out direct clinical service provision.
The 2016 survey found that chronic disease prevention continues to be a guiding mission, with the number of state health agencies tapping chronic disease prevention as a top priority increasing from 14.5% in 2012 to nearly 24% in 2016.
Prevention activities among state and territorial health agencies often include screening for HIV/AIDS and other sexually transmitted diseases, population-based tobacco use prevention efforts, and vaccine management and inventory distribution for both childhood and adult immunizations.
Photo by Sean Locke, courtesy iStockphoto.
State and territorial health agencies provide vital health services such as vaccination, but budget cuts are squeezing staff and programs.
Common agency activities focused on the protection of people’s health included laboratory testing for dangerous pathogens and foodborne illness; influenza typing; maintaining registries for childhood immunizations, birth defects, and cancer; food safety training and education; and radiation.
—Kim Krisberg
Read the full article in The Nation’s Health at http://thenationshealth.aphapublications.org/content/47/10/10.2.full.
Pollution in China Linked to More Deaths
More air pollution leads to higher mortality, according to a study presented at the American Public Health Association’s 2017 Annual Meeting and Expo in November.
Researchers from Drexel University’s Dornsife School of Public Health examined the association between air pollution and mortality in more than 100 cities in China between 2012 and 2015. Using data from the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention, the researchers found that more than 5% of the variation in all-cause mortality could be explained by differences in the air quality index across China, with lower pollution associated with lower mortality. The highest air quality index values, which indicate greater amounts of pollution, occurred in winter, whereas the lowest occurred in summer.
“Our research shows that air pollution is not just significantly linked to health problems like cardiovascular disease, diabetes and asthma, but also to a significantly higher rate of death,” said American Public Health Association member Longjian Liu, MD, PhD, MSc, an associate professor at the Dornsife School of Public Health.
—Kim Krisberg
Read more research from the meeting in The Nation’s Health at http://thenationshealth.aphapublications.org/content/47/10/10.1.full.