As U.S. splinters on public health, the South can lead on improving wellness
As evidence-based vaccine standards are questioned and cuts have continued at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, various groups have stepped in to protect public health on their turf.
A group of Western states and a group of Northeastern states signed on together to protect public health.
The American Academy of Pediatrics has developed its own guidelines, as has the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, around vaccine standards.
It’s easy to be skeptical about a similar approach in the South. Public health and health care have become politically polarizing in recent years, to the extent that it can be challenging to find a path forward.
Life spans are shorter in the South for these reasons
Over the past 30 years, the South has largely failed to invest in public health and instead leaned on federal largesse to bolster essential services, like immunizations, fighting infectious diseases like tuberculosis (rates of which are increasing across the South), and even providing primary care in our communities.
Since COVID-19, our crucial public health measures like school vaccine requirements and quarantine authority for infectious diseases are at serious risk.
So, what does that mean for us? As a Southerner, our lives are shorter, and we’re more likely to lose babies and moms to preventable deaths.
These are doubly true for our rural communities, where residents have a 20% higher death rate than folks in urban areas. We’re more likely to be uninsured, have preventable hospital stays, and struggle with access to health care. Today, Georgia has one of the lowest reported MMR vaccination rates in the country and the lowest in the South.
Despite our most recent history, we have a long legacy of incredible public health progress in the South.
In the mid-20th century, we succeeded in eradicating malaria in the Southeast through effective mosquito control.
South Carolina’s U.S. Sen. Fritz Hollings was a leader in securing funding for the creation of our modern WIC program, or the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children.
In the 1990s, Southern states had some of the highest vaccination rates in the country through the hard work of local public health officials.
Peach State can lead with locally created solutions
While the challenges in the South are significant, they shouldn’t deter us from striving for better.
We believe that everyone in our communities is entitled to the same standard of health care and public health services as any other citizen.
As Georgians, we don’t have to match the politics of Massachusetts or Colorado.
We can and should create locally driven solutions that prioritize the well-being of our people and ensure everyone receives the care they deserve.
Scott Thorpe is a longtime public health advocate and executive director of the Southern Alliance for Public Health Leadership.
Dr. Jennifer Sarrett is founder & CEO of Disruptive Inclusion, a health care and biotech consultancy, and is a current board member of the Southern Alliance for Public Health Leadership.
