Public Health System and President Trump's Second Term

"We have a public health system that does not deliver during times of disaster yet more money is spent on it than any country anywhere in the world." - President Donald J. Trump

On this Martin Luther King Day, we watched the peaceful transfer of power during the Second Inauguration of President Donald J. Trump. This MLK day serves as a firm reminder that our communities of color and marginalized populations and families need protection and need our community leaders to hold up the rights of vulnerable and at risk groups. I only hope today gives our public health community and our community leaders hope and courage to do what it takes to hold the line of prevention, protection, and equality. Americans (and the rest of the world for that matter) are officially propelled into the next 4 years with a republican President who in his last term challenged and even limited our reproductive rights, access to healthcare, educational attainment, and immigration rights.His off putting and even dangerous remarks regarding our dear Mexican, Haitian, and Chinese populations serve as a stark warning that the leader of our nation sees our vulnerable populations and communities of color as "less than" and his threat to cut back funding related to emergency response are all cause for concern. If you are working in public health for the next four years, here's what you can do to prepare to fight the good fight as President Trump promises to make sweeping changes to our industry:

1.Stay Abreast of Changing Policies and Discussions

According to the Kaiser Family Foundation, the Trump administration is expected to send shockwaves through the healthcare and public health industry that impacts funding, protective policies, and certain populations including women and LGBTQI+ communities and even how we handle climate change. You can read more from the Kaiser Family Foundation on certain policies that are expected to be revisited and discussed during Trump's term in this link here. 

2. Practice Acceptance of Change in the Public Health Industry along with Self Care

The biggest concern and question I'm getting lately from our community on social media is "What will happen to my government job?" or "I work in reproductive rights, what can I expect?" If there's anything you can take from this is that changes are common in life and in the industry of public health. Unfortunately job security isn't really a thing anymore, even "permanent jobs" can be removed and departments dismantled. And this happens regardless of whether we have a Democratic or Republican president, so if anything, just know funding changes happen regardless of who's leading the country. Keep in mind you can choose to focus on policy and systems level changes or contribute to research to advance in areas of public health. And while these causes can take a toll on our emotional and mental health, don't let it build up. Be sure to get some space from the noise and find people and places that help you disconnect. You can also try to connect with others and hear how they're doing to navigate changes in their workplace. We are here as a HIRED community of practice to welcome you into a safe space for successful job searching and learning from other public health professionals. Join us when you're ready!  

3. Follow Public Health Funding and Job Openings

Funding will move around and cuts might be made, but try to follow the focus of certain issues and how they veer. In other words, as the President makes sweeping changes to funding, partners will come together to successfully pivot or foundations from private companies will try to fill a void and even reorganize their priorities. For example, vaccinations due to COVID and misinformation have hindered certain communities from increasing children's "herd immunity". To combat this time of miscommunication, healthcare companies, schools, and government agencies are building capacity to increase outreach and connection to parents. Yes, job descriptions and titles are evolving to emphasize more outreach and representation to steward families and parents into making the healthy choice for their child and immunize them early. If you'd like to find these jobs, follow job alerts on our homepage www.publichealthhired.com or search these terms in your search engine: "immunization" and "children's health" and "vaccination". 

Similarly you can expect to see changes to emergency response and disaster preparedness initiatives. President Trump already made remarks regarding the Los Angeles fires that recently happened and still to this day are 55-80% contained. It's been devastating as a Los Angeles resident to see what our communities have survived. I hope everyone who lost their homes can find a safe community again and recover. You can find places to donate or volunteer at https://lacity.gov/LAstrong and thank you to our firefighters across Southern California for risking their lives to control these devastating fires! In this time of crises and into the future, what can we expect? While staying in tune with government changes is a good start, I also recommend you learn more about "Corporate Social Responsibility" because jobs under this term are more aligned to private dollars and for-profit companies and can help you stay connected to community needs when government dollars dissolve. For example, CVS Health has a CSR department and consider their work as "social impact" but touches on various issues. So you can really learn alot if you follow private companies and what causes they fund through community-led efforts and might be happy to discover how a company is aligned to environment protection and climate change overall. Don't forget these companies have a vested interest in community health and that includes their employees health plus environmental factors. 

Regardless of what's to come, you can do your part and commit to a cause that you know is of high need and yet under-resourced or at risk of getting left behind. Here to cheer you on as you navigate these changes and take control of your destiny as part of the workforce! We need you!

Contributor: Zoila Reyna, MPH is the proud Latina founder of Public Health Hired and the authority of securing employment in public health with over 300 job offers being made to the HIRED community. She comes with over 16 years of public health experience working in government, nonprofits, research, private, and hospitals/clinics ranging from tobacco prevention, community engagement, chronic disease management, strategic planning, and working with underserved communities both rural and urban. Since the COVID-19 pandemic, she has dedicated her extra time outside of her full-time job to public health colleagues across the nation and globally to guide hundreds to of public health colleagues through job applications, interviews, and salary negotiation. Connect with her on LinkedIn.