Lab Matters Summer 2017 | Page 14

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Undoubtedly, the biggest common threat to laboratories’ bottom lines is the preliminary federal budget for fiscal year 2018, which calls for slashing $ 54 billion from nondefense discretionary spending.

Proposed public health-related cuts include:

• CDC: $ 1.2 billion reduction, with substantial cuts to programs addressing HIV / AIDS, TB, emergency preparedness, global health, birth defects, and emerging zoonotic and infectious diseases.

• Environmental Protection Agency: Elimination of the Water Security Program and a $ 19 million cut to Preparedness, Response and Recovery.

Hawaii lab director Chris Whelen is interviewed by a local network. Photo courtesy of Hawaii Department of Health State Laboratories

• Food and Drug Administration: $ 71 million reduction, including $ 49 million in external funds for implementation of the Food Safety Modernization Act.

• Health Resources and Services Administration: $ 35 million reduction, including $ 32 million for newborn screening.

• State Department: $ 2 billion cut to global health programs, but a redirection of $ 75 million in Ebola funding for global health activities.

On top of these possible losses, the proposed repeal of the Affordable Care Act would scrap the Prevention and Public Health Fund, which contributes significantly to CDC’ s budget and provides $ 40 million for Epidemiology and Laboratory Capacity grants.

APHL’ s Senior Director of Public Policy Peter Kyriacopoulos said the massive downsizing represented by the president’ s budget— which would reduce CDC funding by 28.3 % in all— is, in fact, so draconian that“ nobody on Capitol Hill appears to be taking this very seriously.”

Yet, he is quick to point out that the lack of seriousness is small comfort:“ My biggest concern is that the huge budget cuts could be used to advance a smaller cut in funding and do so in a way that tries to convince people that it could have been worse.” He said,“ The reality is that public health has never been well funded, and we would have as much difficulty absorbing a 5 % cut as a 17 % cut.”

Regardless of immediate outcomes, however, the current political climate does not auger well for public health.“ This is not the end of these attempts to cut spending,” said Kyriacopoulos.“ We are going to need to pursue this as a marathon, and not a sprint.” In other words, it is time for stakeholders to speak up for public health laboratories.

“ Human-to-human relationships” as important as technical knowledge

Efforts to raise laboratory visibility fall into two categories. So-called 360 degree communications involves, according to one marketing researcher,“ bringing a brand to life, using all possible contact points and... collaborative partnerships.” For the public health laboratory( PHL), that means building a base of understanding and support for the laboratory’ s highstakes mission and scientific work. By definition, this is a perpetual process that encompasses everything from laboratory open houses to lunch outings with the lab’ s designated public information officer.

Proactive 360 degree communications is complemented by a second type of outreach: targeted advocacy to attain specific goals, such as supplemental funding for equipment purchases. This is where a pre-existing groundswell of goodwill toward the laboratory pays off.

[ As discussed in the sidebar, storytelling is a highly effective communications technique that can be incorporated into all outreach efforts.]

Owing to its university affiliation, in-house communications staff and commitment to education and training, Iowa’ s SHL has one of the best PHL outreach programs in the country. Its 360 degree communications include a robust internet presence, representation on the governor’ s STEM advisory council and a monthly, electronic newsletter, Lab Link, that reaches over 800 readers, including regional and national partners.

Last year, the SHL was covered in the local media at least 40 times, including a KCCI Channel 8 story about swimming water quality and a Des Moines Register report on herbicide-laced honey.

Pat Blake, MA, who leads the SHL communications department, said the laboratory’ s most visible product is its annual report, which includes testing statistics. In addition, those statistics are“ plugged into” an Iowa map, showing how many tests have been performed for customers in each of the state’ s 99 counties.

“ As a state agency, we serve every county in Iowa, and we can demonstrate that,” said Blake.

The same information is repackaged into one-page“ impact handouts,” focusing on individual testing programs or individual counties.

Thanks to the laboratory’ s website analytics, staff know that the most highly viewed items posted on the website are test menus and items pertaining to newborn screening,