Who the Health Cares?
A Podcast With Host Michael Sparer
Politics, Public Health, and You
America has 3,300 local health departments. Agencies most of us never think about until there's a crisis. They respond to disease outbreaks, inspect restaurants, ensure safe drinking water, and coordinate emergency responses. Yet their work remains invisible, their budgets perpetually squeezed, and their authority increasingly questioned.
"Who the Health Cares?" explores how the United States built this public health system, why it struggles for resources and trust, and what it would take to strengthen it. Host Michael Sparer traces the origins of American public health from 1866 garbage collection and Constitutional debates to today's vaccine controversies, revealing the hidden infrastructure your community's health depends on.
Understanding public health isn't about politics—it's about understanding the systems that protect us all. From keeping food safe to preventing epidemics, these 3,300 departments do work that matters.
Who the health cares? We all should.
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The Host
Michael Sparer, JD, PHD
Director, Center for Public Health Systems
Dr. Sparer is Chair of the Department of Health Policy and Management at Columbia University's Mailman School of Public Health, where he has taught for over 30 years. He directs the Center for Public Health Systems, which examines how America's fragmented public health infrastructure functions and how it can better serve communities.
Who the Health Cares?--Series Trailer
Listen to the trailer now, and subscribe so you don't miss the first episode dropping mid-November. Find us on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you listen.