Bloomberg Businessweek The Formula for Better Health: How to Save Millions of Lives
Oct 3, 2025
Tom Frieden, former CDC director and president of Resolve to Save Lives, shares his insights on public health. He discusses the weakened defenses since COVID-19 and his 'see, believe, create' approach to pandemic preparedness. Frieden highlights the crucial distinction between wasteful healthcare spending and underfunded public health. He emphasizes the need to control blood pressure and criticizes rollbacks in tobacco control. Additionally, he explores the potential of obesity drugs and advocates for a modern, adaptable CDC that prioritizes community health.
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Public Health Under Assault
- Public health is under assault and that weakens our defenses against food contamination, toxins, and infectious disease.
- This erosion reduces safety for individuals, communities, and businesses, creating widespread risk.
Apply The See-Believe-Create Formula
- Use the formula: see, believe, create to tackle health problems systematically.
- See threats clearly, believe progress is possible, then build focused programs to create that future.
Healthcare Spending Vs Public Health
- The U.S. spends massively on healthcare but underinvests in public health, causing poor population outcomes.
- Health care spending is wasteful while public health programs that drove real gains are being dismantled.
