E. Russell Jackson Jr. Oral History Interview

E. Russell Jackson, MPH, MA is a former legislative liaison for the Florida Division of Health and former senior vice president of the Florida Medical Association. In this oral history interview, he discusses the history of public health in Florida and his role as a legislative advocate in the state. Jackson provides his perspective on the politics behind various legislative reorganizations of health care in Florida and describes the abolishment of the state board of health, the formation of the division of health within the Department of Health and Rehabilitative Services, and the eventual demise of the division of health. He recounts the negative consequences of this period of decentralization and fragmentation of public health and the effects of its subordination at the state level. Jackson also talks about his time with the Florida Medical Association, his efforts to keep a separate department of state government for public health, and his role in constructing the William G. “Doc” Myers Public Health Act of 1996