Federal Government Contributions

to Public Health and the Environment

 Over the Past 220 Years: 1798 to 2018 

Gilbert Rochon, III, Ph.D., MPH 

[Abstract Submitted to the American Association of Public Health  (APHA) Annual Meeting - San Diego, CA - Nov. 10-14, 2018]

rochon.gilbert@gmail.com

An array of federal governmental deregulations and budgetary reductions with respect to public health and the environment by the current administration under America’s 45^th President have been characterized as rescinding “Obama-era” reforms and requirements. However, an examination of the history of federal contributions to public health and the environment, beginning with America’s 2^nd President, John Adams, and going forward, revealed that the Trump Administration has systematically diminished or rescinded public health and environmental safeguards enacted under multiple previous Republican, Democrat and Federalist presidents. The impact of such deregulation and budgetary reductions especially impacts vulnerable impoverished populations within the United States and throughout the African Diaspora.

 The intent of chronicling the current federal administration’s public health and environmental policies and actions within their proper historical context is to elucidate the magnitude of the clear and present danger to health equity, to environmental sustainability, to evidence-based research and to resilience to biogenic and anthropogenic disasters now confronting the American public, the African-American community and other vulnerable populations, particularly, as well as the global African Diaspora community. To confront these challenges, recommendations are offered for national and global coalition building, science dissemination, legislative and judicial action and facilitating citizen science. A detailed supplemental summary of Federal Government engagement with Public Health & Environmental Affairs for the period 1798-2018 is provided; however, as deregulation and budget cuts continue, updates are ineluctable.