212 Support for Expanded Funding for National, State and Local Public Health Agencies (B)
 

 

WHEREAS,           Recent public health events, e.g., the Dallas Ebola situation, the NYC Ebola event, the Disneyland Measles outbreak, the increase in Hepatitis C rates in prison populations, and the Listeria contamination of ice cream have all demonstrated weaknesses in the preparedness of national, state and local public health agencies to prevent to public health emergencies; and

 

WHEREAS,           The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Report (Dec. 18, 2014, in concert with the Trust for America’s Health), indicates that the US ability to respond quickly and effectively to public health problems such as food safety, low vaccine rates, hospital infections, and infectious disease threats is marginal at best; and

 

WHEREAS,           Federal and State funding for Public Health Services, and for the support of state and local public health departments have declined significantly over the past several years, with significant declines in the necessary local public health professional manpower to perform all necessary functions during times of crisis; 

 

THEREFORE, be it 

 

RESOLVED,  That our AMA encourage Congress to increase Federal budget allocations for The Centers of Disease Control and Prevention, the FDA, and other Agencies within the Department of Health and Human Services which allocate funds to prevent, manage and treat public health related problems such as infections illnesses, emergency preparedness and response, environmental hazards and exposure, and the health education of the US population; and be it further

 

RESOLVED,          That our AMA, working in conjunction with state medical societies, encourage state legislatures to increase the funding through the state budgetary process for state and local Public Health Agencies for MCH, TB and other infectious diseases, immunization services, emergency response and preparedness, general health education, support for age appropriate health education within the school systems of the state, and for the expansion of public health and school health nurse positions in PH agencies and in the public school systems; and be it further

 

RESOLVED,          That our AMA reaffirm its policy to encourage all governmental appointing authorities, governors, mayors and county supervisors, to appoint qualified public health trained and experienced physicians to leadership positions in the local, and state public health agencies.