"Coronavirus headlines dominate the public’s attention. Worldwide cases exceed 105,000, with more than 3,500 deaths, including 19 in the U.S., and the World Health Organization urged governments to “pull out all the stops” to fight the disease.Continue reading the article online (subscription may be required)
The headlines put a spotlight on an existing problem in Massachusetts, according to one public health advocate – not enough funding for local public health departments to tackle big public health issues, like coronavirus, and smaller ones, including restaurant inspections that protect the public against food-borne illness.
“Headlines (about coronavirus) recognize that it’s time for investment (in local public health),” said Carlene Pavlos, executive director of the Massachusetts Public Health Association.
In the Bay State, it’s a story of haves and have nots when it comes to public health. Much of the disparity comes down to population. Bigger communities have room in their budgets to carve out money for public health, while smaller communities often don’t have that luxury."
https://www.milforddailynews.com/news/20200309/advocate-says-there-arent-enough-resources-for-public-health-protection
The quote is from Natick. Franklin has one health inspector for our 34,000 population. As the budget discussion has just begun, this is timely.
Town of Franklin Health Dept https://www.franklinma.gov/health-department
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| https://www.franklinma.gov/health-department/urgent-alerts/corona-virus-information-portal |
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