The Virginia Public Health Association is thrilled to announce the launch of its Mentorship Program. 

Virginia Public Health Association’s Mentorship Program is an opportunity for VPHA members to connect and grow professionally through skill attainment, knowledge building, and networking while enhancing the overall public health workforce in Virginia.

Mentors and mentees will be matched on common interests. Mentor and mentee pairs are expected to connect once a month. Additional webinars and activities focused on networking and professional development will be offered during the program for all members of the cohort to network with each other. The estimated time requirement for both mentors and mentees is 1-2 hours per month.

Applications are now open for mentors and mentees to enroll in our inaugural cohort.

Requirements for mentees: Mentees are required to be pursuing a degree in the field of public health or a related field or have entered the field of public health in the past two years. Mentees must also be a current VPHA member or plan to become a member by the start of the program in January 2023.

Requirements for mentors: No previous mentorship experience is required.  Mentors must be a current VPHA member or plan to be a member of VPHA by the start of the program in January 2023. Mentors must also have at least 5 years of experience in the field of public health.

To apply follow the links below. Applications are due by December 12, 2022.

Application for Mentor

Application for Mentee

Contact Nicole Holt for more information 
mentorship@virginiapublichealth.org

The Virginia Public Health Association (VPHA) is seeking candidates to serve on its Board of Directors with the aim of building a robust Board that grows the association's impact and represents Virginia's racial, ethnic, geographic, and professional diversity. We are especially in need of individuals with event planning, grant writing, legal, and human resources expertise. We are also in need of an individual with finance and accounting expertise willing to serve as the Association's Treasurer.

VPHA is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization dedicated to improving the health of all Virginians. Founded in 1950, VPHA's mission is to strengthen public health practice, foster health equity, and promote sound public health policy. It is a proud affiliate of the American Public Health Association.

If you are interested in serving on the Board, please complete this application. The deadline to apply is Friday, October 21, 2022. New Board of Director terms will begin on January 1, 2023. Please don't hesitate to contact Ben Barber at
president-elect@virginiapublichealth.org should you have any questions.

Virginia's new biennial budget went into effect on July 1, 2022. The budget includes significant public health investments, which is something to celebrate. However, these investments are largely funded by one-time federal COVID-19 relief dollars. Virginia policymakers must sustain these investments with state dollars.

Our issue brief, "Key Public Health Takeaways from Virginia's New Budget," analyzes the Virginia Department of Health's portion of the Fiscal Year 2023 - 2024 budget. Future issue briefs will analyze other agencies whose work influences Virginia's public health.

Read the brief here.

APHA recently hosted their Policy Action Institute. On June 14, over 700 public health professionals, students and advocacy experts gathered in Washington, D.C. and online to hear from influential leaders, discuss the latest topics in Public Health and learn from one another during designated networking and interaction times. If you would like to view any of the recordings from the event you can purchase them on APHA's website. 

The Supreme Court's decision to overturn Roe v. Wade threatens the health of countless women. VPHA believes access to health care is a human right, and we will continue to work every day to protect and improve the health of all Virginians.

In light of Wednesday's Washington Post article regarding the Virginia Department of Health, we write to reaffirm that racism and gun violence are public health crises. Gun violence is a scourge that kills over 1,000 Virginians every year. Racism continues to harm people of color and exacerbates unjustified health disparities beginning before birth and lasting throughout life.

We proudly stand with our partners who, along with VPHA, successfully advocated for the Virginia General Assembly to declare racism a public health crisis. We also stand with gun violence victims, their families, and all those advocating for policies to end the violence that plagues our Commonwealth and nation.

We applaud the heroic work Virginia's public health professionals do every day to keep Virginians safe and healthy. We will continue to work with them to address these public health crises and to make Virginia the healthiest state in the nation.

Sincerely,

Kim Baskette, PhD, CHES
President, VPHA

Ben Barber, MPP
President-Elect, VPHA

Qualified public health professionals should be empowered to lead public health districts.

That has been VPHA's message, and it will soon be a reality. Last Friday, Governor Youngkin signed SB 192 into law, allowing qualified public health professionals without a medical degree to serve as directors of Virginia's local health districts. 

Our work does not end here. VPHA will monitor the law's implementation and will continue to advocate for qualified public health professionals to fill these critical positions. In the meantime, this is a tremendous victory for Virginia's public health professionals and for all Virginians.

Virginia has the potential to be the healthiest state in the nation, but it has a long way to go. Despite its wealth, Virginia’s life expectancy is lower than most wealthy countries and many wealthy states. Health outcomes also vary drastically throughout the Commonwealth.

Recent health policy debates have focused on access to clinical care. Access to quality, affordable health care is necessary but insufficient. It is social, economic, and environmental factors that have the largest effect on wellbeing. Shifting the debate upstream to focus on Virginia’s public health system is essential for addressing these factors.

­­In its inaugural report, “Virginia’s Public Health Landscape: A Call to Action,” the Virginia Public Health Association (VPHA) reviews Virginia’s public health landscape and issues a call to action. The report reviews the history of Virginia’s public health system, identifies current issues, and looks forward to the future. Its conclusion is simple: strengthening Virginia’s public health system is necessary to improve health and erase health disparities.

Read the report here.

The Virginia Public Health Association is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization dedicated to improving the health of all Virginians. Founded in 1950, VPHA’s mission is to strengthen public health practice and promote sound public health policy. It is a proud affiliate of the American Public Health Association.

In observation of National Public Health Week (NPHW) 2022, VPHA presents Public Health Workforce: Essential for the Health of all Virginias, a webinar.  On April 5th join us to hear from leading experts across the state discuss  the public health workforce's role in advancing health equity and improving health outcomes for all Virginians. The webinar is set to take place from 12-1:30 p.m. You can view our flyer here and register for the event here. You do not have to be a VPHA member to attend.  We hope to see you there. 

Richmond, VA
Join the mission-driven team at Virginia Health Catalyst as the Community Engagement Manager, leading initiatives that promote the health and well-being of Virginians who face inequities due to systemic racism, discrimination, and other structural barriers. Apply your experience in community-based roles to build and maintain community partnerships through a new community advisory council, and lead grassroots advocacy efforts that support Catalyst’s priorities. Learn more, and apply today: https://vahealthcatalyst.org/job-openings/community-engagement-manager/