Public Health in the Public Eye: Experiences of Ohio's Public Health Workforce During COVID-19

The COVID-19 pandemic was uniquely challenging for public health workers charged with enforcing recommendations. In the United States, media reports highlight frequent outbursts and threats from community members and elected officials regarding masking protocols, vaccine mandates, and other public health measures such as isolation/quarantining recommendations. Given this backdrop, the purpose of this study was to better understand the lived experiences of this critical workforce in the context of COVID-19. We conducted in-depth phone interviews with public health workers in Ohio (N = 11). Questions were designed to illicit workers' experiences and sense-making of the pandemic experience. We analyzed results using the techniques o f interpretive phenomenological analysis. Five major themes focused on how workers experienced public perceptions of COVID-19 and the public health response. Three themes highlight the role of media and social media in polarizing public perceptions. These we note as: Dealing with Deadlock, Feeling Misunderstood and Misrepresented, and The Rollercoaster of Public Opinion. Getting on With the Work reveals strategies used to navigate public perceptions and misperceptions. This ranged from aggressive education and information sharing, to setting boundaries around the controversial or disputed aspects of the pandemic. Finally, After the Dust Settles comments on hopes for postpandemic transformations of public health and public perceptions thereof. These results can inform new pathways for public health. Paramount among these are effective strategies that address public knowledge, values, and worldviews. Such messaging must promote nuanced understanding and customized approaches for local realities, rather than relying on rigid dichotomies that further polarization and distrust.