The Kresge Foundation has joined a new coalition of organizations working together to develop a five-year roadmap for public health leaders and elected officials that influences strategic investments and decision-making to build a more robust and sustainable public health system. Other members include the de Beaumont Foundation, the CDC Foundation, the Pew Charitable Trusts, the Sunflower Foundation, the Association of State and Territorial Health Officials (ASTHO), the National Association of County and City Health Officials (NACCHO), the Big Cities Health Coalition (BCHC), and the Public Health Accreditation Board.

The project, Public Health Forward: Modernizing the U.S. Public Health System, will define the vision and capabilities for a 21^st century governmental public health system that promotes health, prevents disease, and protects all communities across the country.

The coalition’s recommendations will be organized around six core issue areas: 1) creating an interoperable and modern data and technology infrastructure, 2) building workforce capacity, 3) addressing health equity and promoting racial healing and transformation, 4) strengthening public health law and governance to support a modern system, 5) effectively and efficiently financing local, state, and territorial governmental public health functions, and 6) catalyzing cross-sectoral partnerships and community engagement.

To inform this work, the coalition invites all state and local public health employees, community-based organization leaders, staff, and constituents to complete a short survey, which is being conducted in partnership with Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. The survey deadline is August 20, 2021.

Over the next several months, the Bipartisan Policy Center, in partnership with the coalition members, will conduct research, interviews, town halls, listening sessions, and multiple roundtable discussions with federal, state, and local partners as well as public health professionals from other sectors to develop a shared vision and operational framework for a robust public health system. The project will also be influenced by a public health advisory committee composed of national public health leaders.

A bipartisan task force made up of current and former federal, state, and local government officials, and representatives in the health care field and private sector will review all input and develop a set of recommendations to be released in a final report by the end of the year.

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