The Bipartisan Policy Center (BPC) https://bipartisanpolicy.org, has formed a new coalition of organizations working together to develop a five year roadmap for public health leaders and elected officials.
The goal is to influence strategic investments and decision-making in order to build a more robust and sustainable public health system. “The nation is at a critical crossroads with the attention focused on public health during COVID-19 and the historic one time emergency investments in America’s public health system”, said Dr. Anand Parekh, BPC’s Chief Medical Advisor, who is leading the project.
The coalition includes the de Beaumont Foundation, CDC Foundation, Kresge Foundation, Pew Charitable Trusts, Sunflower Foundation ASTHO, NACCHO, Big Cities Health Coalition, and the Public Health Accreditation Board.
The bipartisan task force is made up of current and former federal, state, and local government officials, and representatives in the healthcare field. The private sector will review all input and develop a set of recommendations to be released in a final report by the end of the year.
The project referred to as Public Health Forward: Modernizing the U.S. Public Health System, will organize the organization’s recommendations around six core issues:
- Create an interoperable and modern data and technology infrastructure
- Build workforce capacity
- Address health equity and promote racial healing and transformation
- Strengthen public health laws and governance to support a modern system
- Effectively and efficiently finance local, state, and territorial governmental public health functions
- Catalyze cross-sectoral partnerships and community engagement
BPC in partnership with coalition members, will conduct research, interviews, town halls, listening sessions, and multiple roundtable discussions with federal, state, and local partners as well as public health professionals from other sectors.