1.0KFF Health Newshttps://kffhealthnews.orgkhnlaurenwhttps://kffhealthnews.org/news/author/khnlaurenw/rich600338<blockquote class="wp-embedded-content" data-secret="lGZe1fvei1"><a href="https://kffhealthnews.org/news/us-public-health-system-underfunded-under-threat-faces-more-cuts-amid-covid-pandemic/">Hollowed-Out Public Health System Faces More Cuts Amid Virus</a></blockquote><iframe sandbox="allow-scripts" security="restricted" src="https://kffhealthnews.org/news/us-public-health-system-underfunded-under-threat-faces-more-cuts-amid-covid-pandemic/embed/#?secret=lGZe1fvei1" width="600" height="338" title="“Hollowed-Out Public Health System Faces More Cuts Amid Virus” — KFF Health News" data-secret="lGZe1fvei1" frameborder="0" marginwidth="0" marginheight="0" scrolling="no" class="wp-embedded-content"></iframe><script type="text/javascript"> /* <![CDATA[ */ /*! This file is auto-generated */ !function(d,l){"use strict";l.querySelector&&d.addEventListener&&"undefined"!=typeof URL&&(d.wp=d.wp||{},d.wp.receiveEmbedMessage||(d.wp.receiveEmbedMessage=function(e){var t=e.data;if((t||t.secret||t.message||t.value)&&!/[^a-zA-Z0-9]/.test(t.secret)){for(var s,r,n,a=l.querySelectorAll('iframe[data-secret="'+t.secret+'"]'),o=l.querySelectorAll('blockquote[data-secret="'+t.secret+'"]'),c=new RegExp("^https?:$","i"),i=0;i<o.length;i++)o[i].style.display="none";for(i=0;i<a.length;i++)s=a[i],e.source===s.contentWindow&&(s.removeAttribute("style"),"height"===t.message?(1e3<(r=parseInt(t.value,10))?r=1e3:~~r<200&&(r=200),s.height=r):"link"===t.message&&(r=new URL(s.getAttribute("src")),n=new URL(t.value),c.test(n.protocol))&&n.host===r.host&&l.activeElement===s&&(d.top.location.href=t.value))}},d.addEventListener("message",d.wp.receiveEmbedMessage,!1),l.addEventListener("DOMContentLoaded",function(){for(var e,t,s=l.querySelectorAll("iframe.wp-embedded-content"),r=0;r<s.length;r++)(t=(e=s[r]).getAttribute("data-secret"))||(t=Math.random().toString(36).substring(2,12),e.src+="#?secret="+t,e.setAttribute("data-secret",t)),e.contentWindow.postMessage({message:"ready",secret:t},"*")},!1)))}(window,document); /* ]]> */ </script> https://kffhealthnews.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2020/06/113-FILE-West-Valley-City-OTKRB121_1350.jpg1350900The U.S. public health system has been starved for decades and lacks the resources necessary to confront the worst health crisis in a century. An investigation by The Associated Press and KHN has found that since 2010, spending for state public health departments has dropped by 16% per capita and for local health departments by 18%. At least 38,000 public health jobs have disappeared, leaving a skeletal workforce for what was once viewed as one of the world’s top public health systems. That has left the nation unprepared to deal with a virus that has sickened at least 2.6 million people and killed more than 126,000.