KHN Midwest correspondent Lauren Weber joined Texas Public Radio’s David Martin Davies on “The Source” call-in show to discuss her recent reporting on how politics is shaping the public health response to the coronavirus pandemic.

Weber has been reporting on the issue in collaboration with the Associated Press for the ongoing “Underfunded and Under Threat” series. She and her colleagues wrote about the threats that local public health officials face amid a backlash about pandemic restrictions. That’s led at least 34 state and local public health leaders to resign, retire or get fired in 17 states since April, the KHN-AP review found. The series also explores how public health has not been a political priority for years, with state public health spending per person falling 16% from 2010 to 2018 nationally when adjusted for inflation.

You can hear the conversation here.

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