Charlotte Haberaecker, president and CEO of Lutheran Services in America, will join a bipartisan task force made up of current and former federal, state, and local government officials, and representatives in the health care field and private sector that will review input and develop a set of recommendations for building a robust public health system in the United States. The task force’s findings will be released in a final report by the end of the year.
The Bipartisan Policy Center today announced the formation of a new coalition of organizations working together to develop a five-year roadmap for public health leaders and elected officials that influences strategic investments and decision-making to build a more robust and sustainable public health system. The project, Public Health Forward: Modernizing the U.S. Public Health System, will define the vision and capabilities for a 21st century governmental public health system that promotes health, prevents disease, and protects all communities across the country. The coalition’s recommendations will be organized around six core issue areas:
- creating an interoperable and modern data and technology infrastructure,
- building workforce capacity,
- addressing health equity and promoting racial healing and transformation,
- strengthening public health law and governance to support a modern system,
- effectively and efficiently financing local, state, and territorial governmental public health functions, and
- catalyzing cross-sectoral partnerships and community engagement.
To inform this work, the coalition invites all state and local public health employees, community-based organization leaders, staff, and constituents to complete a short survey, which is being conducted in partnership with Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. The survey deadline is August 20, 2021.
Over the next several months, BPC, in partnership with the 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 to develop a shared vision and operational framework for a robust public health system. The project will also be influenced by a public health advisory committee composed of national public health leaders.
Task force members include:
- Charlotte Haberaecker, President and CEO, Lutheran Services in America
- Mike Beebe, Former Governor, Kentucky
- Mary Ann Borgeson, Commissioner, Douglas County, Nebraska
- Michael Curry, Esq., President and CEO, Massachusetts League of Community Health Centers; Member, National Board of Directors, NAACP
- Matt Eyles, President and CEO, America’s Health Insurance Plans
- Mira Irons, M.D., Chief Health and Science Officer, American Medical Association
- Sly James, Former Mayor, Kansas City, Missouri
- John Kasich, Former Governor, Ohio
- Rob Nirenberg, Mayor, San Antonio, Texas
- Phyllis J. Randall, Chair At-Large, Loudoun County, Virginia, Board of Supervisors
- Michael Rell, Mayor, Town of Wethersfield, Connecticut
- Kristen Silverberg, Executive Vice President for Policy, Business Roundtable
- Jonathan Singer, Former State Representative, Colorado
- Deb Soholt, Former State Senator, South Dakota
