So too has the nation’s public health workforce, which is almost 20% smaller than it was in 2008, according to health authorities. “It’s no way to respond to an emergency,” said Jeffrey Levi, an public health expert at George Washington University and former head of the nonprofit Trust for America’s Health. But federal health officials and public health experts warn that this strategy risks leaving holes in the nation’s emergency preparedness and undermining global efforts to prevent future epidemics. That is becoming more difficult as resources dwindle, according to public health officials across the country. Closer to home, state and local public health offices are juggling numerous other tasks.

Source: Los Angeles Times May 11, 2016 16:00 UTC