(C) South Dakota Searchlight
This story was originally published by South Dakota Searchlight and is unaltered.
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A nation that can’t protect its health can’t protect its future • South Dakota Searchlight [1]

['Jennifer Folliard', 'Brad Johnson', 'Travis Entenman', 'Doris Caldwell', 'More From Author', 'April', '.Wp-Block-Co-Authors-Plus-Coauthors.Is-Layout-Flow', 'Class', 'Wp-Block-Co-Authors-Plus', 'Display Inline']

Date: 2025-04-11

Public health should never be a partisan punching bag. Here in South Dakota, our values — protecting life, ensuring security and investing wisely — aren’t just slogans. They are commitments. They’re the promises we make to our children, to our neighbors and to ourselves. And now, more than ever, we must live up to them.

Every single day, often without recognition, public health professionals across our state and nation are working to keep us safe. They make sure the water flowing from our taps is clean. That the air we breathe is safe. That the food on our tables won’t make our families sick. Their work is quiet, often invisible — but it is absolutely essential.

And yet, this vital system is under attack.

The recent layoffs at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, combined with ongoing threats to eliminate life-saving grants and delay critical services, are more than just bureaucratic reshuffling. It’s dismantling our first line of defense. These aren’t just numbers on a spreadsheet. They’re the people who ensure vaccines reach our communities, prevent disease outbreaks, and help us weather crises with strength and resilience. Here in South Dakota, we will feel the impact. When federal support is gutted, it means fewer resources to prevent disease, less capacity to respond to emergencies and more South Dakotans left behind.

And this is just the beginning. Looming on the horizon are deeper cuts — cuts that would tear at the very fabric of our public health safety net. Congress will decide whether to cut basic needs like health care and food. The ripple effects of those cuts will be felt in rural community grocery stores and across health care systems, two anchors keeping our communities alive and vibrant. These cuts threaten not only individual well-being but the strength of our workforce, the stability of our economy and the security of our communities.

Because here’s the truth: Public health is not just about preventing illness. It’s about building a society where everyone has the opportunity to thrive. When one person is sick, struggling or unable to work, we all feel the ripple effects. Public health is the quiet force that keeps us connected, protected and strong.

And when it’s working well, you barely notice it. That’s the paradox. The fewer headlines we make, the better we’re doing. But that quiet success has come at a cost — we’ve failed to tell our story. We haven’t always shown the true value of our work. That’s on us. And we’re ready to do better.

As someone who has spent nearly two decades in this field, I can no longer stay silent. I’m raising the alarm, but I’m also raising a call to action. We must stand together to protect and strengthen our public health systems — not just for the crises we can see, but for the ones we don’t yet know are coming.

Because a nation that can’t protect its health cannot protect its future. But together, with courage and commitment, we can choose a better path. Let’s build it — together.

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[1] Url: https://southdakotasearchlight.com/2025/04/11/a-nation-that-cant-protect-its-health-cant-protect-its-future/

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