FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Media Relations
Statement from APHA Executive Director Georges C. Benjamin, MD
“With the new administration and Congress, we should expect changes in health policy. APHA has worked tirelessly with health-minded officials, community leaders, local health practitioners and others on both sides of the political aisle for more than 150 years to advance the health of all people in all communities.
As the Biden and Harris administration departs, we want to thank them for their many noteworthy accomplishments to advance the public’s health. During their tenure they significantly reduced the number of uninsured; led the nation through the end of the COVID-19 public health emergency; protected our health through reducing toxic exposures from power plant emissions, lead and copper in our drinking water; supported reproductive choice following the Supreme Court’s reversal of Roe v. Wade and passed the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022 to address our crumbling infrastructure and climate change.
As Trump and Vance begin their time in office, we look forward to working with them to build on the Biden administration’s strong health policy successes and take a proactive, pro-health approach to continue our quest to make America the healthiest nation. We see opportunities to work together to address chronic health problems, including the obesity epidemic, the gun violence epidemic, our behavioral health crisis and rising maternal deaths — all key areas where we might start to focus. In addition, rebuilding and sustaining our nation’s long-neglected public health infrastructure to address a range of other emerging and reemerging health threats must be a national priority. As the wildfires in California and the hurricanes in our southern east coast cities have demonstrated, climate change is impacting our health and economy in severe ways. We look forward to working to proactively address the root cause of climate change and work in a constructive manner to make our communities more resilient to the destructiveness of severe weather events.
As a nation, our health lags behind that of most industrialized countries. The time is now to advance the best science-based social and health policies and programs. Achieving optimal health, regardless of race, ethnicity, gender identity, age, economic status or geographic residence will remain our chief objective and it should be a goal of the nation.”
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The American Public Health Association champions optimal, equitable health and well-being for all. With our broad-based member community and 150-year perspective, we influence federal policy to improve the public’s health. Learn more at www.apha.org.