2020 Forces of Change Report Issued by NACCHO

This week, the National Association of County and City Health Officials (NACCHO) released a report on its 2020 Forces of Change survey, which focused on effects to local health department infrastructure caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. More than half of local health departments reported their leaders and staff were targets of harassment in response to COVID-19 protection measures during the first year of the pandemic. The survey also found strained financial and staffing capacities hindered a robust response to COVID-19, forcing health departments to suspend public health services and exacerbating existing health inequities.

The 2020 Forces of Change report provides one of the only mid-pandemic examinations of circumstances surrounding the local public health response to COVID-19. The full report is available here. An infographic of the report’s findings is available here.