What’s Next for Pandemic Preparedness?

Analysis: What if the next pandemic isn’t a warning shot, but a global catastrophe with a death rate ten times that of COVID-19—and the same broken systems are still in charge? This is the question we should be asking as the actions of two Presidents during the transition of power have unfolded.

In the last hours of his administration President Biden pardoned Dr. Anthony Fauci, retired head of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases and the face of the pandemic for many Americans. And one of President Trump’s first executive orders was to withdraw the United States from the World Health Organization or WHO. Both speak to our preparedness for the next pandemic, and whether it is a laboratory enhanced pathogen.

Mental Health Association Oklahoma (MHAOK) is nearing its 30th annual Zarrow Mental Health Symposium, a three-day virtual educational opportunity focused on new mental health across a lifetime.

Zarrow Mental Health Symposium, which begins Wednesday, September 25th features four keynote speakers, including Dr. BJ Miller, the triple amputee whose Ted Talk “What Really Matters at the End of Life” garnered more than 15 million views.

This year’s symposium, titled “Life Stages: Mental Health Across a Lifetime” will focus on mental health on all life stages from birth through death. Renown mental health professionals will offer their expertise on how everything from genetics and family history to environment and lived experience can impact our mental health. Educational sessions will offer evidence-based insight on how individuals, families, caregivers, organizations and communities can meet the needs of individuals impacted by mental illness across the lifespan, as well as valuable information on upstream prevention.