253941 Wars in Iraq and Afghanistan: The Adverse Effects on Communities of the Diversion of Human and Financial Resources

Monday, October 31, 2011: 4:30 PM

Victor W. Sidel, MD , Professor of Social Medicine, Albert Einstein Medical College, Montifiore Medical Center, Bronx, New York, NY
Barry S. Levy, MD, MPH , Adjunct Professor of Public Health, Tufts University School of Medicine, Sherborn, MA
The economic costs of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan have been huge. The operational costs of these wars exceed $1 trillion and are likely, including interest on debt, to be well over $3 trillion, exceeding every other war the United States has waged since World War II. This presentation will analyze these expenditures, as well as the human costs of these wars, and how these monies could have been spent for health and other human services in the United States and globally. It will also explore the roles of public health workers in restoring adequate funding for health and human services.

Learning Areas:
Diversity and culture
Ethics, professional and legal requirements
Provision of health care to the public
Public health or related public policy
Public health or related research
Social and behavioral sciences

Learning Objectives:
1. Describe the diversion of human and financial resources that have resulted in the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. 2. Describe the roles of public health workers in addressing this diversion of resources.

Keywords: War, Public Health

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

Qualified on the content I am responsible for because: For more than 50 years, I have written and spoken extensively, performed research, and written book chapters and edited books on the adverse effects of war, including the adverse effects on communities.
Any relevant financial relationships? No

I agree to comply with the American Public Health Association Conflict of Interest and Commercial Support Guidelines, and to disclose to the participants any off-label or experimental uses of a commercial product or service discussed in my presentation.