Public Health and the Dairy Cow in the Room

Public health, one of the more misunderstood concepts in the health world, is about the health of entire populations, rather than individuals. As a result, public health is closely tied to things like the environment, nutrition, and safety.

One commonality among many of President-elect Donald Trump’s picks to manage federal health agencies is their distrust of the nation’s public health system. With major concerns such as bird flu looming, that sentiment could translate into efforts to undermine those of public health workers.

To illuminate the importance and nuances of public health — and recognizing that public health is best explained at the local level — KFF Health News has partnered with Civic News Company to launch a project called Healthbeat.

In this special episode of KFF Health News’ “What the Health?”, chief Washington correspondent Julie Rovner is joined by KFF Health News public health correspondent and Healthbeat national reporter Amy Maxmen, Healthbeat editor-in-chief Charlene Pacenti, and Healthbeat New York City reporter Eliza Fawcett.

Chapters:
0:00 - Intro
1:07 - Healthbeat Intro
7:02 - Public Health Stories
10:40 - Health Care Budget Cuts
12:50 - Bird Flu
21:22 - Impact of Health Misinformation

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