Discussion Forum: Impact of Trump Administration on Public Health

This discussion forum post examines the potential effects of the Trump administration's policies, particularly concerning reduced funding and organizational changes, on public health disaster preparedness and response capabilities. The student analyzes the implications of replacing Obamacare and decreasing federal program funding, drawing insights from a Washington Post article. The post highlights the importance of governmental organizations like the CDC in disseminating public health education and providing preventive services. It emphasizes the global nature of disease outbreaks and the necessity of international disease prevention strategies, especially in economically vulnerable regions. The discussion explores how funding cuts might impact the ability to tackle disease outbreaks both domestically and internationally, affecting healthcare service quality and the capacity to control outbreaks within the US. The post concludes by emphasizing the ethical and international implications of policy decisions on public health.

Running head: CHANGES IN PUBLIC HEALTHCARE POLICY
CHANGES IN PUBLIC HEALTHCARE POLICY
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Introduction
Governmental organizations, such as the Centers of Disease Control and Prevention
(CDC) hold national as well as international importance due to their roles in dissemination public
health education, preventive strategies as well as epidemiological mitigation services, both
locally as well as internationally (Starrs, 2017).
Discussion
The onset of technological advancements has indeed, reduced the world to a global
village. Thus, it is unsurprising to find disease outbreaks which have occurred in small
inconspicuous region, a cause for concern for the entire world. Prevalent examples
demonstrating the global nature of disease outbreaks are the incident reports of West Nile Virus
or Ebola occurring in the United States during the early 2000s, shortly after their discovery
across African and Middle Eastern regions ((Macgregor-Bowles & Bowles, 2017). It is thus the
global nature of disease which has prompted organizations like CDC to undertake international
disease preventive strategies across international regions which were economically and socially
vulnerably tackle the same. Lack of funding thus, is likely to not just impact the health of such
deprived regions but in turn, also the ability to tackle disease outbreaks of the US populations
(Starrs, 2017).
Further, increased financial resources is directly associated with improved healthcare
service and resource quality as well as quantity. The US comprises of a major rural and remote
regions where communities continue to be at risk of preventable disease due to economic, social
and transport deprivation. It is thus plausible to assume that lack of funding will not only impact
global disease prevention programs but also the ability of public health organizations to control

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disease outbreaks and ensure hastened recovery within the nation’s poorest populations
(Macgregor-Bowles & Bowles, 2017).
Conclusion
Despite being one of the well-equipped global strongholds with the capability to tackle
public health issues both within and away from, there now continues to be speculation on what
the future holds for the health of the United States. To conclude, it is expected that the current
federal agencies understand this public outcry and understand the ethical and international
implications of their decisions.

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References
Macgregor-Bowles, I., & Bowles, D. C. (2017). Trump, Brexit, Right-wing anti-globalisation,
and an uncertain future for public health. AIMS public health, 4(2), 139.
Starrs, A. M. (2017). The Trump global gag rule: an attack on US family planning and global
health aid. The Lancet, 389(10068), 485-486.