Our Spring Issue is here!
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On indigenous displacement, family leave, and the future of PEPFAR
Our Spring issue examines politics and policies that affect the public’s health around the globe. “Public health is intertwined with politics,” writes Michael Fitzgerald, our editor-in-chief. “[It] is always a form of political action—or inertia.” Politicians can either let policies stagnate or evolve to meet changing public health needs. This issue deconstructs examples of both.
We assigned journalist Barry Yeoman to delve into how decades-old decisions to develop industry in Louisiana has led to coastal erosion and community displacement for the state’s indigenous tribes. Facing down these problems is Devon Parfait, a 25 year-old chief in the fight of his tribe’s life. The resulting story on tribal resilience in the face of climate change was produced in partnership with the Food and Environment Reporting Network (FERN).
Policymakers have also let the Family and Medical Leave Act stagnate for decades . The 30-year-old bill hasn’t changed much since President Bill Clinton signed it into law in 1993. ?Some states are adding paid family leave, but as America’s population ages, this piecemeal action will increasingly expose the limitations of our approach to family leave.??
A more positive example of political action comes from the U.S. President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR), which turned 20 this year. PEPFAR’s success has made ending HIV a possibility by 2030. Will it put itself out of business? Also in this issue: Cities around the globe are creating new positions to deal with intense heat waves: chief heat officers. And with a new director on the horizon, can the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention fix four key problems ?
What’s popular this week
Chronic food illness kills up to 678,000 Americans a year. Federal law requires policymakers to take action. Nutritionist and public policy expert Jerold Mande argues we need better funding and leadership.
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The former president of Costa Rica, Carlos Alvarado Quesada, sat down with me to talk about governing through a pandemic, Costa Rica’s public health successes, and how he deals with stress: Garageband.
We talked to experts about specific programs they’ve seen hold promise for easing loneliness, and approaches taken in other countries to fight isolation.
What we’re reading this week
Related: 8 tips for parents and teens on social media use | Associated Press
Related: Climate change could be keeping you up at night | Christine Mehta
See you next week!
—Christine