In addition, public health agencies are being affected as Medicaid beneficiaries previously served in public clinics are shifted into managed care networks. This shift deprives health departments of the Medicaid support for overhead costs that have helped to sustain basic public health services. Therefore, the shift to managed care heralds a changing role for health agencies, especially the opportunity to concentrate on providing a full range of essential public health services. Doing so, however, will require staff training in population-based services as opposed to direct care. It also presents a challenge to health agencies to address the loss of resources that support basic public health services.
Challenges also exist in the area of food and drug safety.
Ensuring the safety of the food supply is one of the government's most enduring and important functions. While the United States has the world's safest food supply, major issues need to be addressed, including emerging pathogens, new and novel food ingredients, hazardous dietary supplements, naturally occurring food-borne toxins, and increasing importation of foods. Sources of contamination are more numerous and more varied than the pathogens themselves, highlighting the importance of adequate research, surveillance, and prevention activities. Currently available diagnostic assays for detection of some pathogens have serious limitations, diminishing the Department's ability to ensure the safety of the food supply. Preserving and improving the nation's public health systems are critical priorities for the Department.