3 Public Health Concerns In Florida

What Are Some Top Public Health Concerns In Florida

While Public health concerns have shifted somewhat in the last few years, Covid is still with us and still a concern to take seriously. The pandemic rocked the entire world, but was particularly controversial in Florida, which widely celebrated its defiance of mask and quarantine mandates, despite expert advice to follow CDC regulations. The impact of the pandemic are still being felt in Florida, even as it continues to reach a state of legislative-supported “medical freedom” (more on that later) that gives patients greater autonomy over their own care.

The pandemic isn’t the only health-related issue that Floridians are facing. As the climate changes, insect-born illnesses are also on the rise all over the world. In this article, we explore health concerns that are particularly related to Florida.

Public Health Concerns 1. Covid Is Still Here

People of every political persuasion have strong feelings about Covid-19, even two years removed from the most stringent regulations. That said, you can’t talk about public health in Florida without at least touching on the pandemic. So let’s take a look. In April of 2020, Florida shut down per an executive order signed by Governor Ron Desantis. At this point, the state was pretty much toeing the line in terms of CDC recommendations. However, in June, Desantis took a different approach.

“We’re not shutting down, we’re gonna go forward, we’re gonna continue to protect the most vulnerable….particularly when you have a virus that disproportionately impacts one segment of society, to suppress a lot of working-age people at this point I don’t think would likely be very effective.” From there, Desantis continued to roll out a progressively more libertarian approach to the pandemic, until virtually all regulations had been lifted by September. The impact of these choices remains hotly contested to this day.

Public Health Concerns 2. Medical Freedom

Some people applaud Florida and its commitment to personal liberty. In fact, Florida is one of the fastest-growing states in the country, with many people citing its politics as the reason for their move. Warm weather and the ocean probably don’t hurt either. Regardless of public perception, several troubling statistics emerged in the wake of Florida’s deregulation. Life expectancy decreased from 79 to 77 in the state, attributable largely to Covid related deaths. Florida also had one of the highest rates of the transmission in the country, producing 20% of the nation’s cases by the summer of 2021.

We could go on. And on. And on about the pros and cons of how Florida has approached handling the pandemic, but here’s the bottom line: The sunshine state took a hard-nosed stance against regulations during the height of the pandemic. Some people loved the choice. Others did not. Like every state, Floridians are still living in the wake of how Covid impacted their community.

Why Medical Freedom Are Public Health Concerns

Medical freedom is a concept that gained significant traction in Florida during the pandemic. Basically, the idea is to allow doctors and patients to collaborate closely on reaching bespoke solutions to their healthcare needs. It sounds great on paper. For some people, it probably is. However, context is everything. The “medical freedom,” movement, for many people, is a referendum on regulation in healthcare. In practice, it has meant everything from disallowing mask and vaccine mandates to empowering physicians to use treatment regimens that aren’t research supported.

What is the impact of this legislative movement? Only time will tell. However, many experts worry that making health recommendations so susceptible to personal interpretation may have a serious impact on public health.

Public Health Concerns 3. Insect Born Illness

Ah, something nice and uncontroversial. Mosquitoes. Florida is naturally susceptible to mosquito-born illnesses because its climate provides a comfortable habitat for them to breed and expand. However, as the globe continues to heat up, mosquito-borne illness has been on the rise everywhere. Warmer weather increases the period for mosquito breeding, which in turn advances insect populations and expands the period of time that mosquitos are most likely to feed on humans. As a result, people are at an increasingly high risk of contracting diseases like Zika and West Nile, even in places where these illnesses were once unheard of.

Public Health Concerns Include Heart Disease

While we did venture into controversial territory, it is worth noting that the number one cause of death in Florida is heart disease— a leading cause all over the country. It’s easy to single a state out based on policy but the fact remains that the United States isn’t nearly as isolated as people imagine. What happens in one state tends to impact those surrounding it. Florida does have some unique circumstances surrounding public health, but it remains largely in the same boat as the rest of the country. From Covid to mosquito-born illness, and yes, heart disease, everyone will need to remain vigilant to the latest health concerns to keep themselves safe.