A report from the Bipartisan Policy Center and a coalition of nine foundations and public health associations outlines the critical investments needed to modernize the U.S. public health system in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The report, Public Health Forward: Modernizing the U.S. Public Health System (71 pages, PDF), calls for state, local, and territorial policies that enable the nation to respond to an array of public health challenges — including future pandemics, mental illness, substance abuse, and obesity — while ensuring that every American has the opportunity to achieve their best possible health and well-being. To that end, the report outlines recommendations for policy makers and public health departments in the areas of financing, data information and technology, workforce development, public health laws and governance, partnerships, and community engagement.

Recommendations include providing flexible funding and maximizing existing assets to support public health services and capabilities, including those needed to address health inequities; strengthening the collection of timely and actionable public health data to guide programs, respond to emergencies, and address health inequities; investing in the recruitment and retention of a diverse and inclusive governmental public health workforce; reviewing, evaluating, and modernizing public health governance structures and statutory responsibilities; incentivizing partnerships between public health departments and other sectors and stakeholders; and investing in long-term relationship-building and partnership development with residents and community-based organizations — especially those serving communities experiencing health inequities — and in Tribal consultation.

Launched in July, the Public Health Forward coalition includes de Beaumont, CDC, Kresge, and Sunflower foundations; the Pew Charitable Trusts; the Association of State and Territorial Health Officials; the National Association of County and City Health Officials; the Big Cities Health Coalition; and the Public Health Accreditation Board.

“No health challenge facing America — from the pandemic to the opioid crisis and mental health to diabetes and obesity — can be surmounted without a well-resourced, staffed, technologically connected public health system [that] fosters partnerships and engages communities,” said BPC chief medical advisor Anand Parekh, who led the project. “It’s time we no longer take public health for granted.”

(Photo credit: GettyImages/Drazen Zigic)