The Fauci-Paul battle shows real cracks in public health. One group has answers.

It asks leaders to commit publicly to working together and decide on priorities to tackle together. The toolkit suggests two priorities that have bipartisan support: Strengthening localized data and ensuring reliable access to personal protective equipment (PPE). 

Former Gov. Steve Beshear — Gov. Andy Beshear’s father who served as Kentucky governor from 2007-2015 — told the Kentucky Lantern that the relationships between elected officials and public health experts indeed “suffered some damage coming out of COVID.”  

During this time, there was “some loss of trust and confidence, not only between the two groups, but with the public at large,” Beshear said. 

Members of The National Commission on Local Public Health Leadership “came together, recognizing that fall off in that relationship, and think it’s imperative that we help rebuild and strengthen that relationship between elected officials and public health officials for the future of this country,” said the former governor.  

Beshear’s fellow commission members include former Virginian Republican Congressman Tom Davis, former U.S. Surgeon General Dr. Regina M. Benjamin, former Republican governor of Ohio John Kasich and others. 

“Public health has always been the foundation of the United States’ success since its founding. It has extended life expectancy. It’s improved community health. It’s made everyday life much better for millions of people,” Beshear said. “And for us to remain strong and economically competitive, the relationship between elected officials and public health leaders has to stay strong, and they have to work together to continue to provide that foundation for our country as we move forward.” 

Beshear, whose legacy as governor includes expanding Medicaid, said more collaboration from leaders can also help dispel misinformation and mistrust, such as the rampant misinformation and conspiracy theories that were common during the COVID-19 pandemic. 

“There’s no question that political partisanship has caused a lot of this disconnection on the local level, and it’s come, basically, from the federal level,” Beshear said. “You’re not going to do away with it in today’s world, but I think there are ways you can work through it at the local level and bring elected officials and public health officials together at the local level, and by working together on some common issues that will bring everybody together, it will strengthen that trust, and it will strengthen the public’s confidence and trust that they’re in good hands and that their folks are on the same page and have their best interest at heart.” 

If leaders in every state decided to take a working relationship seriously, the commission believes responses to health emergencies and crises will go smoother. 

The toolkit includes sample conversation starters — and language to avoid — for more collaborative discussions. 

“There’s always going to be ideological differences on some issues, but I think for the most part, we find that people are looking for the same result, they just may differ on how we ought to get there, and so that requires communication,” Beshear said. “That requires sitting down in good faith and talking through things and recognizing the differences, and then coming to some kind of agreement that will get us to where we all want to go. It may not be everything I want, or may not be everything you want. But together, we’re going to end up at the place we need to be.”