Trinity Health President and CEO Mike Slubowski on Preparing for the Next Public Health Emergency
March 23, 2022The COVID-19 pandemic has exposed the weaknesses in our nation's public health and delivery system infrastructure; additional investments and rebuilding of both is needed.
Trinity Health applauds the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee’s advancement of the Prepare for and Respond to Existing Viruses, Emerging New Threats and Pandemics Act (PREVENT Pandemics Act). This bipartisan legislation acts on the lessons learned from COVID-19 to better prepare for future pandemics and to modernize the nation's public health system. The PREVENT Pandemics Act aligns with Trinity Health recommendations to update public health data collection; strengthen the health care workforce, improve surveillance and laboratory capacity; strengthen the health care supply chain; improve community health and advance biomedical research among other provisions.
We are encouraged to see policies to establish a new Office of Pandemic Preparedness and Response Policy at the White House; create grants for community health workers and social influencers of health; develop educational opportunities for health care workers; address inadequacies in the health care supply chain; and establish the Advanced Research Projects Authority for Health (ARPA-H). Trinity Health encourages Congress to quickly pass this legislation to improve the nation’s public health infrastructure and prepare for the next public health threat.
At the same time, Trinity Health cautions Congress that the health care delivery system is severely damaged from the pandemic and it too requires additional investment. We ask Congress to provide funding to health systems to rebuild our workforces and redesign care delivery.
A world-class health care system that provides access and equitable care for all, assumes responsibility for total cost of care and care outcomes, connects clinical care with social care, builds the health care workforce for the future, is prepared for the next public health emergency and is financially sustainable will support and strengthen a strong public health and delivery system infrastructure and will significantly contribute to improving the health of communities.