Same Storm, Different Boats

Jason Strelitz was Director of Public Health in Newham during the Covid pandemic, and has worked in senior roles acrossLondon local government over the past 12 years. Before this, he worked inacademia, national charities, and with central government, focused on tacklingpoverty and inequalities. He is also Founder/Trustee of a charity workingin northern Malawi with his partner, and lives with her and his twochildren in North London.

The Covid pandemic called on a director of PublicHealth to be, at once, a numbers analyst and a truster of intuition; astrategic planner and a flexible responder to changed circumstances; to have alaser-like focus on the local while being aware of the global; to recognisesocial inequalities as a structural reality while responding to individuals'lived experience; to be the leader of a team and a community organiser; aneffective public communicator and a good listener. Most of all a sympatheticsoul and something of a philosopher. Jason Strelitz is all of these and agifted writer which makes this inside account of the pandemic essentialreading. Professor Sir Michael Marmot CH, Director, UCLInstitute of Health EquityDrawing on his experience of working during the Covid-19 pandemic,Jason Strelitz provides an excellent account of how national public policy canonly work well if it is carefully adapted to the diversity of localcircumstances. As Director of Public Health in Newham, East London, he writesabout how his public health team dealt with the unfolding impact of theCovid-19 pandemic with an innovative and 'can do' approach. He writes with apassion for local communities and for evidence-based policy. His references tothe long-term impact of school closures on children deserve particularattention. Especially for children living in poverty - as more than half ofNewham's children do. His book is full of examples of how nationally determinedpolicy needs to give local actors the space to adapt policy to the realities ofhealth risks and vulnerabilities at the local level. Barry Quirk, Adviser to local Government and the publicsector, former London Chief Executive.In Newham, wefaced a perfect storm, where a new infection collided with social inequalitiesto devastating effect. Same Storm is a compelling account of that impact, ofcommunity focused leadership, and the power of people coming together. DrFarzana Hussain, Newham GP

• Chapter 1: “Everyone Has a Plan Until They’re Punched in the Mouth”Chapter 2: A Director of Public Health 101Chapter 3: Newham, East LondonChapter 4: The ArrivalChapter 5: GoldChapter 6: HelpNewhamChapter 7: Same Storm, Different BoatsChapter 8: Flying BlindChapter 9: Black Lives MatterChapter 10: ChampionsChapter 11: Pubs Before ChildrenChapter 12: Barriers to IsolationChapter 13: Clapping for the NHS: The Rise and Fall of Solidarity in The PandemicChapter 14: The Slow-Motion Car CrashChapter 15: Vaccinating NewhamChapter 16: Malawi and Omicron – A Global Personal PerspectiveChapter 17: PermacrisisChapter 18: Conclusion