Mandy Oaklander | October 25, 2026

The Trump Administration is proposing changes to who gets counted in the census and what demographic information it collects, which could have major consequences for public health, according to Dr. Julie Morita and Dr. Richard Besser, former leaders of local and federal health agencies.

In a new essay for TIME, they write about what’s at stake when people and their communities aren’t accurately represented in the data.

TODAY’S TOPICS

When we risk with an inaccurate census
Finding hearts everywhere
The hidden threat of hepatitis B

SUNDAY READ

The public health consequences of an inaccurate census

By Dr. Julie Morita and Dr. Richard Besser

Paul J. Richards—AFP via Getty Images

In 2015, Chicago’s public health department identified three cases of invasive meningococcal disease, a highly dangerous pathogen that can kill within hours. To determine whether these cases signaled a larger outbreak, the department—which one of us, Dr. Julie Morita, led at the time—needed to know not just total cases, but the total population and demographics of affected areas. The team turned to a pillar of our nation’s public health system: the U.S. Census.

The data showed that men who have sex with men—including gay and bisexual men—among the city’s Black population were disproportionately affected. That finding drove the health department’s response, which included working with community partners to surge thousands of free vaccines into neighborhoods across Chicago. Instead of a larger and far deadlier outbreak, the outbreak ended with 11 cases in Chicago and one death.

Census data informs every aspect of our nation’s public health system. As former leaders of local and federal health agencies, we have seen this firsthand. Unfortunately, the Trump Administration has proposed radical changes to the census that would make our country less healthy, less safe, and less fair.

Read the full essay here.

QUICK CHAT

Love is everywhere

I recently interviewed therapist Cheryl Fisher about the benefits of paying closer attention to the world around us. Toward the end of our conversation, she told me about a colleague who'd developed a rather delightful habit: looking for heart shapes in nature. What started as a personal observation eventually grew into an international project called Heartfinders. And the idea behind it is just as sweet as it sounds. —Angela Haupt

This interview has been condensed and edited for clarity.

TOLGA DOGAN—Getty Images

You told me about someone who started looking for hearts in nature. What's her story?

A colleague of mine, a number of years ago, started noticing how many heart-shaped things there are in nature. She calls her platform Heartfinders. She's amazing—she started noticing these hearts everywhere.

And this turned into something much bigger?

Yes! It's international now. She has people all over the world who take pictures of the hearts they find and share them.

What do you find so interesting about the idea?

It's another way of focusing our attention. When we're deliberately looking for something, we start noticing things we might otherwise walk right past.

And there's a lovely message behind it, too, isn't there?

She loves to say that it reminds us there's love everywhere.

WHAT WE’RE READING

Is it acceptable for financially comfortable people to crowdfund their pet's medical bills? Eleanor Gordon-Smith at the Guardian untangles the complicated question.
A new study estimates that more than 47,000 children in the U.S. are exposed to hepatitis B in their homes, an argument for continuing to vaccinate within 24 hours of birth, writes Liz Szabo for CIDRAP.
Should your spouse let the cat drink water on the kitchen counter? Georgina Lawton at the Guardian presents both sides of a delightfully ridiculous marital disagreement.

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