Opinion: Restoring trust in public health: There are no shortcuts
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention took a bold step in mid-August toward rebuilding trust in public health. Rather than relying on rebranding or a slick, feel-good advertising campaign, CDC Director Rochelle Walensky plainly admitted the agency should have done a better job during the pandemic. She publicly committed to overhauling the agency to move faster, communicate more clearly, and, if possible, regain some of the credibility it has lost among many Covid-weary Americans.
Health communications challenges aren’t unique to the CDC. For those working in public health and health care, the pandemic has been a war with many fronts. Besides battling the deadly virus, health professionals and practitioners, public health officials, policymakers, and researchers have had to deal with incomplete and rapidly changing knowledge, along with widespread public distrust, suspicion, and often politicized misinformation. They have had to build trust in their communities while communicating about complex and evolving problems.
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