July 2022: Public Health Agencies Respond to Challenges

Posted on May 26, 2022 by Lloyd F. Novick

Editor in chief Lloyd F. Novick highlights new articles in the July/August 2022 issue of the Journal of Public Health Management and Practice.

July 2022: Public Health Agencies Respond to Challenges

Our July issue contains an article by Zaugg and colleagues on abortion activities in health departments. This is certainly a timely subject. We are following up with a blog post on JPHMP Direct by these authors on the current situation that will explore the deleterious public health consequences if the recent leaked draft of the Supreme Court is indeed issued in June. The article describes the convening in May 2020 of a group of maternal and child health and family planning professionals working in health departments, representatives of schools of public health, and members of affiliated organizations. The purpose was to explore values and principles relevant to health departments’ engagement in abortion. The convening followed a structured consensus process that included multiple rounds of input and opportunities for feedback and revision. Activities were delineated related to abortion that were appropriate for health departments. These activities included collecting and publishing data; communicating evidence-based content with the public and policy makers; assuring quality of health services; and addressing stigma and bias around abortion.

In addition, the July issue contains six scientific articles and an editorial focused on COVID-19. Disparities in COVID-19 testing of Hispanics/Latino populations are shown in an analysis of state demographic data by Pond. Evaluation of large contact tracing programs in King County, Washington, and is the subject of an article by Hood and co-authors. The Association of State and Territorial Health Officials (ASTHO) also conducted two rapid queries, between fall of 2020 and spring of 2021, to collect information from the field regarding the status of COVID-19 case investigation and contact tracing (CI/CT) programs. These snapshot evaluations are described in an article by Harper-Hardy and co-authors. Mauzy details COVID-19 efforts in Massachusetts local health departments (LHDs). Massachusetts leads the nation in the number of LHDs (n = 351). An article by Bernet investigates the association of COVID-19 infection and vaccination rates with the 2020 presidential election voting preferences in Florida counties.

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With our July issue, we publish an important supplement Transformation and Innovations in Public Health. This issue was developed by the Public Health Center for Innovations at the Public Health Accreditation Board. The articles highlight communities and states making substantial changes needed to modernize and transform public health. Skills of the public health workforce are emphasized as are the framework of Foundational Public Health Services.

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Author Profile

Lloyd F. Novick: Lloyd F. Novick, MD, MPH, is Professor Emeritus of the Department of Public Health at the Brody School of Medicine, East Carolina University. Previously, he was chair of this Department. He has served as the Commissioner of Health and Secretary for Human Services of Vermont, Director of Health Services for Arizona, and Director of the Office of Public Health for New York State. Previous academic positions include Professor and Director of the Preventive Medicine Program for SUNY Upstate Medical University, Professor and Chair of Epidemiology at the University of Albany School of Public Health, and Clinical Professor and Director of the Teaching Program in Epidemiology and Public Health at the University of Vermont, College of Medicine. He is the Founding Editor and Editor-in-Chief of the Journal of Public Health Management and Practice. He is also editor of five books, including Public Health Administration: Principles for Population-Based Management; Public Health Issues in Disaster Preparedness; Community-Based Prevention Programs that Work; Public Health Leaders Tell Their Stories; and Health Problems in the Prison Setting. He is past president of the Association of Teachers of Prevention and Research (APTR) and the Association of State and Territorial Health Officials (ASTHO). He has received a number of national awards, including Special Recognition Award, American College of Preventive Medicine (2005); Duncan Clark Award, Association of Teachers of Preventive Medicine (2003); Yale University Distinguished Service Award (2003); Excellence in Health Administration, American Public Health Association (2001); and the Arthur T. McCormack Award, Association of State and Territorial Health Officials (1992). He is a graduate of Colgate University (BA), New York University (MD), and Yale University (MPH).