The Central Michigan District Health Department used the National Public Health Week to highlight the often unseen work of public health professionals, and to draw attention to current challenges, including a growing measles outbreak and recent federal funding cuts, CMDHD Health Officer Steve Hall said.

National Public Health Week was observed April 7 to 13 and recognized by public health agencies across the country. Hall said the annual observance serves as a time to acknowledge the role local health departments play in supporting safe and healthy communities.

“This work largely goes unnoticed,” Hall said. “Yet it is credited with adding at least 25 years to our life expectancy in the last century.”

CMDHD serves six counties in Michigan: Arenac, Clare, Gladwin, Isabella, Osceola and Roscommon. The department oversees a range of services intended to prevent illness and promote long-term health, such as immunizations, communicable disease investigations, STI testing and treatment, hearing and vision screenings, home visiting nursing programs, family planning services and restaurant inspections.

“Our programs lead to cleaner air, purer water, healthier food and safer housing,” Hall said. “This is just a small sampling of the services public health provides.”

Hall said one of the most significant issues facing public health in 2025 is the declining trust in health authorities and science-based guidance. He pointed to a multi-state measles outbreak as an example of the potential consequences.

Measles Outbreak

As of April 11, Hall said the outbreak had caused 643 confirmed cases of measles, with 61 individuals hospitalized and three deaths reported, including two children in Texas and one adult in New Mexico. According to Hall, the outbreak began in West Texas and has since spread to Oklahoma, Kansas and New Mexico.

“These fatalities mark the first measles-related deaths in the United States since 2015 and the first pediatric measles deaths since 2003,” Hall said.

Health experts attribute the outbreak to low vaccination rates, high levels of vaccine hesitancy, misinformation and public mistrust in health agencies, according to Hall. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports that one dose of the measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) vaccine provides about 93% protection, while two doses provide about 97% protection.

Measles was declared eliminated in the United States in 2000, according to Hall. The virus is highly contagious and spreads through respiratory droplets. Symptoms typically include fever, cough, runny nose and a characteristic red rash.

Severe cases can lead to pneumonia, brain swelling or death, especially among children and immunocompromised individuals according to the CDC.

Hall said local health departments like CMDHD play a key role in promoting vaccination and educating the public on disease prevention.

Funding Cuts

A national reduction of $11.4 billion in federal funding to state and local health departments resulted in a loss of approximately $800,000 for CMDHD, according to Hall.

The funding cut led to the termination of a pilot program intended to improve treatment for latent tuberculosis across 19 rural Michigan counties. CMDHD had launched the program days before the funding was withdrawn, Hall said.

CMDHD is also losing funding for its Health Resource Advocates (HRAs), who served as liaisons to area schools. The HRAs facilitated hygiene education, CPR and first aid training for school staff, distributed hygiene kits and provided other support services, according to Hall.

Beyond funding, Hall said the public health workforce has also experienced staffing challenges following the COVID-19 pandemic. Many longtime employees retired during or after the pandemic, creating what Hall said is a significant loss of institutional knowledge.

Recruiting qualified professionals into the field has proven difficult, in part due to wage disparities between public health departments and the private sector, Hall said. He added that building partnerships with universities such as Central Michigan University is one way CMDHD hopes to encourage more students to consider careers in public health.

“We need more high school and college students to hear what public health is, in hopes that they may be interested in public health as a career,” Hall said. “We need more people motivated by helping others and improving the health of their community.”