Former Indiana senator warns U.S. may not be ready for next pandemic
James W. “Jim” Merritt Jr., a former Republican state senator from Indianapolis, says history shows governments often repeat the same mistakes when public health crises strike.
INDIANAPOLIS — A former Indiana lawmaker who spent three decades in the State Senate says the country still has not learned enough from COVID-19 to prepare for the next pandemic.
James W. “Jim” Merritt Jr., a Republican from Indianapolis who served in the Indiana Senate for 30 years, makes that case in his new book, Lessons Learned: Are we ready for the next pandemic? History says no.
The book examines centuries of disease outbreaks and argues that many of the same failures continue to appear when public health systems are tested. Merritt points to delayed action, fragmented leadership, politicized science, weakened preparedness systems and a loss of public trust as recurring problems during major outbreaks.
Scientific achievement alone is not enough, Merritt argues, if governments cannot coordinate, communicate clearly and maintain public confidence during a crisis.
Merritt’s book looks at outbreaks ranging from ancient plagues to the 1918 flu, HIV/AIDS, SARS, H1N1, Ebola and COVID-19. His central argument is that societies often move quickly during the height of a crisis, then allow the lessons to fade once the immediate threat passes.
The issue remains timely in Indiana, where communities are still assessing the long-term effects of COVID-19 and preparing for future public health threats.
Since the pandemic, Indiana has made changes to its public health system. Gov. Eric Holcomb created the Governor’s Public Health Commission in 2021 to review the state’s system and recommend improvements. That work helped lead to Health First Indiana, a 2023 initiative designed to increase funding for local health departments and strengthen core public health services.
Still, Merritt’s book raises a broader question: whether those changes are enough before the next major outbreak arrives.
Merritt has said one of his concerns is the lack of a national, 9/11 Commission-style review of the COVID-19 response. He has also criticized the way pandemic information was communicated to Hoosiers, arguing that state and local officials could have played a larger role in reaching residents across Indiana.
That communication challenge could be especially important in rural communities, where access to health care, broadband, transportation and trusted local information sources can affect how quickly people receive and act on public health guidance.
Merritt retired from the Indiana Senate in 2020. During his time in office, he was one of the longest-serving Republican senators in state history and served for years as caucus chairman.
Lessons Learned: Are we ready for the next pandemic? History says no. was published by AuthorHouse earlier this year.
