BOSTON, MA – Today, the Massachusetts Public Health Association (MPHA) announced the release of a candidate questionnaire for current candidates in the Massachusetts governor’s race. The questionnaire asks each candidate to provide details on their public health-related platforms, including their position on creating a cabinet-level position to oversee public health policies statewide.  

“The COVID pandemic has made it crystal clear that we need a robust public health system to keep us all safe and healthy. But here in Massachusetts we also witnessed the fallout – in delayed decision-making, confused priorities and poor planning – that resulted because public health leadership was not in direct communication with the governor,” said Carlene Pavlos, Executive Director of the Massachusetts Public Health Association. “If we are serious about reducing health inequities, the state’s public health leader must have a seat at the table with the other cabinet secretaries when policy is being made about the full range of issues that impact health – from the environment to food access to transportation.”

The questionnaire covers a broad range of public health policies, from strategies for reducing opioid abuse and improving air quality to continued support for COVID-19 testing and vaccination, increasing access to affordable housing and public transportation, reducing health inequities, and transforming the local public health system.

Read the full release.