The Final Thoughts


04/04/2025

The Final Thoughts

    I am going to try to answer prompt 2 because it has been something I have been struggling with. I would like to answer prompt 1 but fear I cannot talk to supporters of the Trump Administration because they are brainwashed and would bring up how Obama, Biden, or Hillary Clinton is responsible for the rise in egg, groceries, gas prices, and the plummeting stock market. "Make America Great Again" how about "Make America Trumpless Again"? But when was America ever great? Its history and founding are built on the backs of forced displacement, whitewashing, and human slavery, what is great about that??? The best thing we can do is prevent history from repeating itself but what did we do (?) voted in a felonious, tyrannical pig who cares only for white men and tax cuts for the rich. 


    This semester has been a big test for me because of the re-election of Donald Trump. I have been hoping and praying that we will be fortunate enough as a country to have another president in 4 years and follow the Constitutional term limits, but my hopes and prayers are waning daily. Anyway, I have been tested profoundly in my chosen educational path in public health. My naivety has finally worn off in a harsh "pull the rug out from under you" way. I came to the harsh reality that no one takes public health seriously and that its whole foundation is political. I had a choice to make, stay or go? However, I have been passionate about public health for years. The short term does not look good, but the long term could be better. 


    Now we know there will be tariffs, the Department of Education will be dismantled, environmental policies have been rolled back, women's reproductive health has been restricted, university research funding has stopped, federal jobs have gone through mass layoffs, and the HHS secretary is a known anti-vaxxer and conspiracy theorist. This is bad, but adaption is key. 


    Many non-profits, federally funded organizations, reproductive health services, etc. are at risk which is why public health workers will have to shift where they work and what they work on. I see an increase in hires at private sector organizations (hospitals, big pharma, health insurance, etc.). I also see the need for epidemic and pandemic support in the future due to conspiracy theories surrounding vaccines. Agencies like the CDC, NIH, WHO, etc. will have to hunker down amid layoffs but they will still be needed in the future. That is the thing about public health, it will always be needed even if people do not realize it. 

Source: https://chronicdisease.org/cahc/bhmc/building-healthy-military-communities-toolkit/working-with-public-health/

    This diagram shows the interconnectedness of public health, where one area may falter, another area will rise. This is our future, public health departments, mental health, etc. may take a hit but the military, law enforcement, and fire may improve. It is all about adapting. Move to another focus area of the public health system during this tumultuous administration and fill in the gaps after this administrations time is up. As Dr. Johnson says, "Things do ebb and flow." 

“The public’s health is always going to be here - Dr. Wallis”  

Onward, Molly


Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Bittersweet Resolve

Image
 1/21/2025 Bittersweet Resolve "Feeling sadness but choosing to move forward"      To create a title for this post, I typed in "words for sadness but wanting to fight" into ChatGPT and bittersweet resolve was accurately generated. This is what I am experiencing currently.      This class and my major are feeling obsolete. I learned today that the Trump administration is pulling the US out of the WHO. I am completely and utterly bummed. I wish to be in blissful ignorance and naivety, but I can't. Reality is a splash of icy water. I feel like I have wasted the past 3 years. Public health is essential to protect society from the constant maladies that ravish the Earth. Maternal and child health is so important to educate, advocate and protect mothers and children. I love this class and our discussions. I love my major and want to help populations. But it's being attacked, and I don't know what to do and how to defend it.       I just a...
Read more

The First Day Thoughts

Image
1/8/25  The First Day Thoughts      My first day of class I feel energized. This class makes me feel excited. I want to travel to Gambia and create meals. I want to be creative and have fun.       My base knowledge on maternal and child health is limited but I have always had this sense of female empowerment. I went to an all-girls high school in Louisville where girl power and leadership was the backbone of my education. Thus, I am thoroughly intrigued to learn more about maternal and child health.  Presentation Academy: My own slice of paradise Class of 2022      However, my biggest concern is the looming regress and imprisonment of women's healthcare and medical rights within this new presidential administration. Quite frankly, it scares the hell out of me being a young woman that is about to be thrust into a chaotic political climate, where my rights could be stripped away at any moment.       Which ...
Read more

Resist

Image
 1/27/25    Resist      Right now, I am feeling stressed. Maternal health and women's reproductive health is becoming under government control. Men are making reproductive rights rules and regulations without a single woman in the room. DEI is going away. Men are coming to the forefront in every aspect of society (government, workforce, etc.). Billionaires, fetuses, and white men are more important than anything else in this world.       I have grown up in a feminist driven household. My mom runs the roost. She told me at age 3, that she was the president of the US, and I believed her. Woman and female power are under siege.  We must resist for the next 4 years.  Resistance is key.
Read more