As the Legislature begins planning for next year’s budget, public health leaders are calling on the state to “reverse the trend of disinvestment” in programs meant to protect the public from infectious diseases, environmental contaminants, and medical errors.

The Department of Public Health could see a small budget cut as Governor Deval Patrick looks to close a $540 million shortfall this year. Rachel Zimmerman of WBUR’s CommonHealth blog reported last week that the department could lose $2.6 million.