This National Public Health Week, communities are facing unprecedented attacks on evidence-based practices that keep people healthy – from childhood vaccines to fluoride in drinking water.

On Monday, U.S. Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. announced plans to instruct the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to stop recommending community water fluoridation – a safe, evidence-based public health measure that has dramatically reduced cavities, improved oral health, and saved $6.5 billion yearly in treatment costs.

Community Catalyst’s latest blog, When Disinformation Shapes Policy, Communities Pay the Price, unpacks how this move is the latest chapter in a growing trend of policy driven  by fear, not facts.

We’ve seen this before. As a national leader in health justice, Community Catalyst has worked alongside local and national partners to combat vaccine disinformation, advance oral health equity, and center community in public health strategy. From addressing Long COVID to fighting for access to dental care, we know what happens when science is silenced and disinformation drives decisions: communities suffer.

“Secretary Kennedy’s announcement to halt CDC recommendations for community water fluoridation is not just a step backward in public health – it’s a dangerous and reckless move that disregards science, health equity, and the ability of communities to shape policies that impact their health,” said Brandon G. Wilson, Co-Interim President & CEO and Senior Director of Health Innovation, Public Health, and Equity at Community Catalyst. “Let’s be clear – this move is not about protecting our health. It’s about dismantling trust in public health for political gain, and sowing confusion, disinformation, and disinvestment in our communities.”

“At Community Catalyst, we believe the public should be at the center of public health. Now is the time to strengthen— not silence—community voices, trusted science, and the infrastructure that protects our health.”

Read the full blog post here.

We’re proud members of the Campaign for Dental Health, a national coalition led by the American Academy of Pediatrics working to ensure all communities have access to community water fluoridation.

To speak with Brandon or another expert at Community Catalyst, please contact Jack Cardinal at jcardinal@communitycatalyst.org.

Learn more about Community Catalyst’s Community-First Public Health work.

###