Advocacy

Local health departments are historically overlooked and underfunded.

Our members and staff leverage the power of our collective voice to impact policies and decision-making in the federal government.

Along with partner organizations, we advocate for greater resources and support for the entire field of public health.

Public health suffers because when we make things better, we lose funding, as if you don’t need it again, but the core work needs to be maintained.

BCHC Alum Patty Hayes to Kresge Foundation

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BCHC Staff Outlines Public Health Policy & Funding Priorities for FY24

Download one-pager BCHC Staff Outlines Public Health Policy & Funding Priorities for FY24

FY24 Appropriations Priorities for the CDC

  • Epidemiology and Lab Capacity

    $720 Million

  • Public Health Emergency Preparedness Funding

    $1 Billion

  • Public Health Workforce and Infrastructure

    $1 Billion

  • Opioid Overdose Prevention and Surveillance

    $713 Million

  • Data Modernization Initiative

    $340 Million

  • Community and Youth Violence Prevention/Community Violence Initiative

    $285 Million

Our Policy Impact

Letters to Congress and the Administration

Advocating for the public health workforce and big cities

Policy Letters
Map on computer screen showing Covid-19 data. Photo by Clay Banks on Unsplash

U.S. needs more epidemiologists

Our nation does not have the disease experts it needs

Factsheet: U.S. Cities Need More Disease Experts
Crowd in front of Supreme Court, woman holding sign that says Abortion is Health Care. Photo by Gayatri Malhotra on Unsplash

BCHC responds to Dobbs v. Jackson

We cannot continue to erode reproductive care

BCHC statement on Supreme Court overturning Roe v. Wade