December 19, 2024
In mid-November Governor Healey signed into law a $4 billion economic development bill that includes language to further bolster the state’s public health infrastructure. Advocates refer to the legislation as Statewide Accelerated Public Health for Every Community Act (SAPHE 2.0).
Massachusetts is unique due to its localized public health system. Municipalities operate and fund their own local boards of health, in contrast to other states that have county or regional systems. The challenges of this approach were documented in a 2019 report from the Special Commission on Local and Regional Public Health. The report included recommendations to unify and elevate the performance standards of local public health officials, the foundations for which were established in the State Action for Public Health Excellence program of 2020 (SAPHE 1.0).
SAPHE 2.0 builds upon the funding streams and workforce development initiatives that were established in SAPHE 1.0. Specifically, SAPHE 2.0 will establish uniform performance standards and encourage collaboration across municipalities to improve the effectiveness and quality of services made available to residents. The legislation will also develop a unified system for data collection and reporting and promote adequate resources for boards of health to carry out their work.