Big Cities Health Coalition

03/04/2026

A student poisoned by lead paint inside a Milwaukee elementary school triggered a district-wide public health response.

Environmental health inspectors worked weekends. The city lab turned around results within 24 hours. Students were relocated when necessary.

Ultimately, Milwaukee stabilized lead hazards in 99 elementary schools, clearing 2,700 classrooms.

All while the CDC’s childhood lead team had been eliminated during federal staffing cuts — and reinstated weeks later.

Our new blog highlights what City of Milwaukee Health Department's response shows about the importance of strong public health infrastructure.

Get the full story at the link in the comments.

02/12/2026

The following is a joint statement from seven of our member jurisdictions – Los Angeles County, Chicago, Denver, Minneapolis, Santa Clara County (CA), Alameda County (CA), and Long Beach (CA) – who learned this week that many of their multi-year grants that had already been awarded by the CDC have been canceled by Trump administration leadership.
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“We have received formal notification from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) that it is rescinding hundreds of millions of dollars from our departments. We are once again left to wonder why the Administration so frequently targets critically important work that saves lives and protects people’s health. HHS should reverse this decision immediately.

“Canceling this funding makes it harder for our departments to prepare for and respond to natural disasters; prevent and manage disease outbreaks like measles; address HIV and other sexually transmitted infections; and reduce the burden of chronic diseases like diabetes and hypertension. The loss of Public Health Infrastructure Grants, which provide flexible funding directly to local health departments, is especially damaging. Those dollars help us hire staff, upgrade our technology, and respond quickly to local needs. Losing this funding is a major blow.

“All of these rescinded CDC funds were approved by Congress, and reiterated by additional appropriations passed and signed into law just last week, which reflects continued bipartisan support for critical public health programs and the workforce that carries them out. The Administration’s unilateral decision to pull these funds back will make America less healthy, less safe, and less secure.

“We have dedicated our careers to this work because we care deeply about the people and communities we represent. With sufficient funding and support from policymakers at all levels, we can accomplish so much together. We urge the Administration to treat public health as an ally, not an adversary.”
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Get the full statement – including details about how this funding has been protecting and promoting our communities' health – at the link in the comments.

02/12/2026

Nominate a public health hero today!

Know someone who has made a major accomplishment in health? Nominate them for one of our two upcoming awards:
- James and Sarah Fries Prize for Improving Health
- The Elizabeth Fries Health Education Award

The James and Sarah Fries Prize for Improving Health is intended for an individual who has made extraordinary progress in improving health. The $100,000 prize could be awarded to an educator, a scientist, a program inventor, a public figure, a private citizen or any other person who has done the greatest good for the greatest number.

The Elizabeth Fries Health Education Award, a $50,000 award, recognizes a distinguish leader who has made a significant contribution to health education or health promotion through program development or delivery, policy or research.

Intent to Nominate forms are encouraged, by not required, by February 15. Nominations are open until April 4.

Learn more: https://cdcf.link/3Ur5FkG

02/09/2026

Know someone who has made a major accomplishment in health? Nominate them for the CDC Foundation Fries Awards for Health:

🏆 James and Sarah Fries Prize for Improving Health
🏆 Elizabeth Fries Health Education Award

Nominations open until April 4. Learn more:

Nominations for both the James and Sarah Fries Prize for Improving Health and the Elizabeth Fries Health Education Award should be submitted through the online nomination form.

02/02/2026

Young people face unprecedented pressure: social media pressures, climate stress, and the lingering effects of the COVID-19 pandemic. Big city health departments are responding in powerful, innovative ways.

A new BCHC guest post from Boston Public Health Commission highlights innovative adolescent health strategies from cities across the country. The post highlights how cities work with adolescents to support their mental health, prevent STIs, substance use, and violence, and much more.

Read the guest post (and download the full report) at the link in the comments.

01/29/2026

Looking for ways to expand relationships with media at your health department?

Our partners at the Public Health Communications Collaborative have just launched the latest addition to their PHCC Academy: "Media Relations: Capacity Building for Public Health."

This free, two-hour course equips public health communicators with the skills and confidence to work proactively with the media. Topics include crafting clear, compelling messages, navigating the 24/7 news cycle, and preparing subject matter experts for interviews.

Learn more and register at the link in the comments.

01/26/2026

NEW RESOURCE! How we talk about community safety matters. Well-chosen narratives help us keep the focus on what's true and what we need to do to make our communities safe for everyone.

That's why we and our partners at Prevention Institute have just launched an online compendium of resources to help you communicate effectively about this issue. Get easy links to webinars, toolkits, and other materials you can use to ramp up your communication strategy.

Find the link to "Reframing violence and community safety: Resources for narrative change" in the comments!

01/05/2026

“The Big Cities Health Coalition (BCHC) is profoundly concerned by the Department of Health and Human Services’ (HHS) decision to overhaul the recommended childhood vaccination schedule.

“Our members lead the country’s largest, urban local health departments and care deeply about the 61 million Americans they serve. Our members do everything they can to ensure children and families are as healthy and safe as possible. That includes vaccination, which prevents unnecessary disease and death, especially during respiratory virus season.

“This announcement makes their job that much harder. Changing the schedule now, without debate or new scientific evidence, is designed to deepen confusion, erode trust, and further lower vaccination rates. It reinforces a dangerous trend in which political ideology, not science, shapes decisions about which vaccines children should receive.

“We at BCHC and our members have no intention of following that dangerous trend. We will continue to do everything in our power to ensure that those who live in our jurisdictions continue to have access to vaccines that protect their health and save lives.

“Reclassifying long-standing vaccine recommendations without any reputable evidence to justify those changes is political theater, not science. Families have always discussed recommended vaccine schedules with their health care providers or public health experts. This change unnecessarily interferes with those conversations and intentionally breeds ambiguity about when and why vaccines are recommended, which further undermines confidence.

“In just the last three decades, recommended vaccines have saved the lives of more than 1 million children and have protected 500 million more kids from contracting preventable diseases. The families our members serve demand the best information and care that science and public health can provide. Regardless of this dangerous new direction, BCHC members will continue to do right by the communities they are proud to serve.”

12/15/2025

The City of Kansas City, Mo., Health Department is rethinking what violence prevention can look like.

In its first year, the Y Chat text line has helped more than 120 young people, and the program has evolved to address the related needs that youth bring up, such as mental health and housing, not just violence alone.

That kind of growth reflects a deeper understanding of what keeps communities safe: trust, access, and support that responds to real life. It’s a strong example of public health adapting to what communities actually need.

Learn more at the link in the comments.

12/12/2025

New for 2026: registration for NACCHO's 2026 Preparedness Summit is open for both in-person and virtual attendees!

Register by Dec. 31 to take advantage of early-bird rate – link is in the comments.

The summit takes place April 13–16 in Baltimore. See you there!

12/08/2025

We’re proud to announce the launch of CitiesLEAD, a new, national network backed by funding from RWJFoundation, rooted in groundbreaking work by the Boston Public Health Commission, and in partnership with our members and Virginia Commonwealth University's Center on Society and Health.

CitiesLEAD will help cities turn life-expectancy data into real, actionable equity strategies. The project will bring participating cities technical assistance, peer-learning opportunities, and tools to help track and reduce life-expectancy gaps driven by structural inequities.

Since lifespan can vary by decades across ZIP codes, this is more than data; it’s a roadmap for justice, opportunity, and health for everyone.

Get more information at the link in the comments.

12/03/2025

With federal vaccine policy poised to shift in a dangerous direction later this week, our members are speaking out with clear urgency and purpose.

On our media briefing yesterday, the lead health officials from Chicago, Dallas Co., and Mecklenburg Co. (Charlotte, NC, area) underscored that vaccines are a core element of community health and prevention.

They reminded us that policies under consideration by CDC's Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices later this week could weaken protections for newborns and families, undoing decades of progress against preventable diseases.

And more than ever, they stressed, local health departments need stable support to deliver care, build trust, and respond to community needs.

We share their call for evidence-driven policy, transparent communication, and investment in the public health infrastructure that keeps us all safe.

Learn more: https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/health/2025/12/03/rfk-jr-vaccine-panel-hepatitis-b/87572661007/

Chicago Department of Public Health Dallas County Health and Human Services Mecklenburg County Government