Politics and Public Health—Engaging the Third Rail
نویسنده
چکیده
Among professionals in public health, the political system is commonly viewed as a subway’s third rail: avoid touching it, lest you get burned. Yet it is this third rail that provides power to the train, and achieving public health goals depends on a sustained, constructive engagement between public health and political systems. This commentary outlines the importance of such engagement, and suggests ground rules that can help bridge the current divide. Many of the top public health achievements have been achieved through such engagement, yet mutual suspicion and historically complex working relationships have led to immeasurable lost opportunities. Public health champions are quick to point to examples where “politics trumps science,” and politicians point to “overreach” by public health agencies and advocates. Both sides would benefit from a new working relationship that puts suspicion and old habits in the past to generate opportunities to save lives and money.
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