Floyd County Department of Public Health Nurse Manager Alison Watson (left) administers the Moderna COVID-19 vaccination to Jodi Barton on Monday, January 11, 2021.
THE CHANGING ROLE OF
PUBLIC HEALTH
Public health has long been
considered a behind-thescenes
operation, working
across all areas of American
life to protect communities,
despite little recognition and
diminished funding almost
annually. In many ways, the
coronavirus pandemic
changed that.
Suddenly, public health terms
became common household
phrases: flattening the curve,
physical distancing, contact
tracing, herd immunity, and
even R naughts. One of the
questions is what lasting
effects, if any, will growing
awareness have on the field.
Public health has an invisibility
problem, according to Dr. Gary
Voccio, health director for the
ten-county Georgia Department
of Public Health Northwest
Health District, which is
headquarterd in Rome
and covers Bartow, Catoosa,
Chattooga, Dade, Floyd, Gordon,
Haralson, Paulding, Polk and
Walker counties.
“For too long, public health has
been like the offensive line in
American football: no one pays
attention to the linemen unless
the quarterback is sacked or
something else goes wrong,”
Voccio said. “But public health
has raised its visibility. I think
more people understand the
value of public health and
Dr. Gary E. Voccio, Georgia
Department of Public Health,
Northwest District