skip to main content
skip to newscasts

Thursday, March 28, 2024

Public News Service Logo
facebook instagram linkedin reddit youtube twitter
view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

Pulling back the curtains on wage-theft enforcement in MN; Trump's latest attack is on RFK, Jr; NM LGBTQ+ equality group endorses 2024 'Rock Star' candidates; Michigan's youth justice reforms: Expanded diversion, no fees.

view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg says rebuilding Baltimore's Key Bridge will be challenging and expensive. An Alabama Democrat flips a state legislature seat and former Connecticut senator Joe Lieberman dies at 82.

view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

Historic wildfires could create housing and health issues for rural Texans, a Kentucky program helps prison parolees start a new life, and descendants of Nicodemus, Kansas celebrate the Black settlers who journeyed across the 1870s plains seeking self-governance.

Wisconsin is Third Lowest Nationally in Public Health Spending

play audio
Play

Wednesday, June 29, 2016   

MADISON, Wis. -- The nation's public health system has been chronically underfunded for decades, according to reports issued by a number of institutions including the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Jon Peacock, research director of the Wisconsin Budget Project, said the Badger State has the third lowest per capita spending for public health. At $15.10 per person, it's 55 percent below the median level for all states. Peacock said that translates to a big public problem.

"The underfunding of public health systems across the nation, and in Wisconsin in particular, really puts a strain on the ability of state and local public health officials to respond to threats such as the opioid epidemic and lead poisoning," he said.

One need only look at problems such as the international concern over the Zika virus and the water problems of Flint, Mich., to understand that spending too little on public health will cost far more down the road, Peacock said.

Only Nevada and Indiana spend less on public health than does Wisconsin, but Peacock said even a dismal ranking such as Wisconsin's doesn't give the full impact of the problem, because other states haven't set the bar very high. However, he said, the answer is not just to throw money at it.

"Two other states spend less than we do on public health doesn't mean we should just willy-nilly spend more," he said, "but I think it's a red flag that state and local officials need to take a close look at our preparedness to deal with a growing list of public health threats."

Peacock said state lawmakers need to take a hard look at the capacity of Wisconsin's public health system to respond to threats such as water contamination, West Nile Virus, septic waste contamination and Lyme disease to make sure tight-fisted spending doesn't cost the state far more in the long run.

The report is online at healthyamericans.org.


get more stories like this via email

more stories
Many factors affect a customer's bill amount, including energy usage, weather, and the number of days in a billing period, according to Arizona Public Service. (Jason Yoder/Adobe Stock)

Social Issues

play sound

Earlier this month, a new Arizona Public Service rate hike went into effect and one senior advocacy group said those on a fixed income may struggle …


Social Issues

play sound

Michigan recently implemented a significant juvenile justice reform package following recommendations from a task force made up of prosecutors…

Social Issues

play sound

A mix of policy updates and staffing boosts has helped to put wage theft enforcement on the radar in Minnesota, and officials leading the efforts are …


More than six in 10 Americans favor keeping the abortion pill mifepristone available in the U.S. as a prescription drug, while over a third are opposed, according to a Gallup poll. (Adobe Stock)

Social Issues

play sound

New research shows more than six in 10 abortions in the U.S. last year were medically induced, and U.S. Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto - D-NV - is …

Social Issues

play sound

Colorado is working to boost the state's agricultural communities by getting more fresh, nutritious foods into school cafeterias - and a new online …

Social media platform X temporarily shutdown searches of "Taylor Swift" following the release of explicit deepfake images in early 2024. (Mdv Edwards/Adobe Stock)

Social Issues

play sound

Missouri lawmakers are concerned with protecting people from the potential risks of the increasing accessibility of AI-generated images and videos…

Social Issues

play sound

A 2023 study from the University of Nebraska Medical Center concluded the number of Nebraskans with a mental health or substance abuse disorder has pr…

Environment

play sound

A farm group is helping Iowa agriculture producers find ways to reduce the amount of nitrogen they use on their crops. Excess nitrates can wind up …

 

Phone: 303.448.9105 Toll Free: 888.891.9416 Fax: 208.247.1830 Your trusted member- and audience-supported news source since 1996 Copyright © 2021