After Nearly 18,000 COVID Deaths, Leaders Demand “No More Band-Aids”

Boston, MA – Today, public health leaders, elected officials, and local public health professionals gathered on the State House steps to call for the transformation of the Commonwealth’s inefficient and inequitable local public health system. The Coalition for Local Public Health and the Massachusetts Public Health Association announced their proposal to allocate $250.9M in federal dollars from the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 over the next five years to build local public health capacity, upgrade data systems, and support workforce development.

“We have known for decades that the local public health system in Massachusetts was inadequate,” said Cheryl Sbarra, Executive Director of the Massachusetts Association of Health Boards. “We will not accept any more Band-Aids on a broken system. What we need now is transformational investment.”

“Thanks to the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021, we have a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to create a 21st century local public health system,” said State Senator Jason Lewis. “It’s essential that we take the lessons learned from the devastation of COVID and use these funds to create a stronger, more equitable system for the future.”

Read the full release.