Healthline is proud to introduce TRANSFORM: Health Equity, a new project from Healthline that strives to advocate for those whom today’s health system marginalizes.
 
The first step we are taking toward health equity is to highlight the impact of marginalization through personal stories and data. By understanding the struggle of communities that face systemic barriers like sexism, racism, ableism, cissexism, and heterosexism, we can all work toward actionable solutions to ensure nobody is left behind.
 
Next, we hope to turn education into action! Through our tool, anyone can find local volunteer opportunities and take action today to remove health inequities in their community. 

Dear Public Health Champions, 

You are invited to attend the Michigan Public Health Association 2021 Virtual Public Health Summit  “Strengthening Social Connections and Public Health in Michigan” on Wednesday, June 23, 2021,  from 12:00 PM to 3:00 PM EST. Registration is free and here!

The Summit includes the following esteemed public health speakers: 

Paul Kuehnert, DNP, RN, FAAN, President & CEO, Public Health Accreditation Board Joseph West, ScM, ScD, CEO, Florida Institute for Health Innovation 

Lisa Carlson, MPH, MCHES, Immediate Past President, American Public Health Association 

Kent Key, PhD, MPH, Director of Youth Programs, Pediatric Public Health Initiative, Community Engaged Research and Outreach Specialist, Michigan State University College of Human Medicine 

Contact us if you have any questions or concerns. 

Sincerely, 

Apryl Brown 

President-Elect, Michigan Public Health Association 

DECLARINGRACISM APUBLIC HEALTH CRISIS IN VA

April 16th, 2021

12pm-1:30pm

Register here: https://virginiatech.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_Sza2ZuIYSiiDpt5NHl170Q

Key Speakers Include:

Delegate Lashrecse Aird,

VA House of Delegates,63rd District

Part of the 'Racism is a PublicHealth Crisis Webinar' Series

Meningococcal Disease in the US
Epidemiology, Prevention and Immunization Guidelines by the CDC 

Tuesday, April 20, 2021 12:00 pm ET

Register in advance for this webinar:
https://virginiatech.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_ljczrfE6TayruLNH5-86hA

Presenter:  Ferdaus Hassan, Ph.D., Medical Science Liaison (DC/MD/VA) Sanofi Pasteur, U.S. Medical Affairs

Dr. Hassan has extensive professional experience in the areas of vaccine and virus research and has published more than 50 research articles in peer reviewed journals. He is a strong advocate and passionate about vaccines and believes that no one should suffer from vaccine-preventable diseases. 

Presentation Objectives:

1) Discuss epidemiology of bacterial meningitis caused by Neisseria meningitis in the US. 

2) Discuss mode of transmission and risk factors associated with meningococcal infection

3) Discuss Men ACWY and Men B vaccination coverage among adolescents 

4) Discuss CDC/ACIP meningococcal vaccine recommendation

Please join us on Wednesday, March 3, 2021 at 12:00pm EST for a VPHA Virtual Town Hall. We will update members on the association's activities and goals for this year. We also want to hear your feedback on how the association can best serve members and improve public health in Virginia.

Register for the Virtual Town Hall here!

Sincerely,

Ashley Tharpe, MA, MPH, EdD, CHES
President, VPHA
T: (434) 592-6163
aahudson@liberty.edu
www.vapha.org

Are you a policy wonk? Do you love all things policy related? Have we got an opportunity for you!

The Council of Affiliates (CoA) is looking for volunteers to review APHA’s proposed policy statements. The purpose of the review is to consider how useful the proposed policies will be to Affiliates and/or Affiliate members at the state/local level. Other individuals will review the policies through a scientific/subject matter expertise lens.

For those who are interested in reviewing, more details are below:

·        Eligibility: To review, you must be an Affiliate member.

·        Timeline: Policies will be sent to you between February 26-28, 2021 (with a review form). Completed reviews will be due March 19, 2021 so you will have ~3 weeks to review.

·        Number of policies/time commitment: The number of policies you will be asked to review will vary depending on how many proposals APHA receives and how many reviewers the CoA recruits but we will strive to send you a maximum of 3-5 proposals. This task should take less than 5 hours (and likely less time).   

To volunteer, please send you name and email address to Moose Alperin (moose.alperin@emory.edu) by February 19. You will get a confirmation email within 48 hours.

I am pleased to announce that the application deadline has been extended to Friday, October 23, 5:00pm PT, for the National Leadership Academy for the Public’s Health (NLAPH).

Now in its 10^th year, NLAPH helps teams of leaders from diverse sectors including health, housing, education, transportation, and law enforcement to build their capacity to transform their communities, improve health, and advance equity. Agile leadership is more important than ever in these uncertain times. We need leaders who can adapt to real world events, such as COVID-19. And we need leaders who can advance racial justice with thoughtfulness, in partnership with their communities, to create a more equitable future. NLAPH gives participants the skills and training required to be agile leaders who can more effectively respond to today’s needs and meet tomorrow’s challenges.

I encourage communities engaged in cross-sector work to apply to NLAPH today. For details about benefits, eligibility, and requirements, please visit our website.

Sincerely,

Carmen R. Nevarez, MD, MPH, Center Director

Karya Lustig, Deputy Director

Center for Health Leadership and Practice

Public Health Institute

Oakland, CA

info@healthleadership.org

www.healthleadership.org

Read our flyer for more information, and visit our website to apply.

August is Immunization Awareness Month in Virginia!

We need your help to bring attention to Governor Ralph Northam’s recent proclamation naming August Immunization Awareness Month. As you know, immunization rates are down due to the COVID-19 pandemic. However, schools in Virginia are still requiring that students be immunized before the start of the school year, even while remote.

Please click the images below to find easily downloadable messages and images that can be shared on social media to that help raise awareness of immunization requirements and urge your social media followers to ensure they are up to date on the recommended vaccine schedule.

For materials in Spanish please reach out to Rebecca Epstein at repstein@institutephi.org.

Thank you,

Rebecca Epstein

ImmunizeVA Coalition Manager

ImmunizeVA is a project of the Institute for Public Health Innovation in partnership with Virginia Department of Health. 

The Contact Tracer is an entry level public health professional responsible for identifying and contacting individuals who may have come in contact with persons recently diagnosed with an infectious disease associated with an outbreak or pandemic.

The incumbent is responsible for gathering details about each contact of an ill individual (case) identified during the course of a public health case investigation. Information collected for each contact includes, but is not limited to: basic demographics, potential exposures to known case(s), current health status (including an assessment for current symptoms consistent with illness), and screening for membership in a high risk group (e.g., healthcare workers, residents of congregate care settings).

Contact tracers provide education about the disease, deliver guidance on minimizing the risk of potential transmission from the contact to others in the event the contact become ill, and explain the necessity for the contact to quarantine responsibly in order to reduce the risk of transmission of illness to others. The contact tracer also details specific processes for contacts to conduct health monitoring, and refers contacts for testing according to established protocols.  

Contact tracers collaborate with Epidemiologists and Health Educators by providing up to date data from contact tracing calls. The employee follows established policies and procedures for all contact tracing functions and activities.

• An understanding of patient confidentiality, including the ability to conduct interviews without violating confidentiality (e.g., to those who might overhear their conversations).

• Excellent and sensitive interpersonal, cultural sensitivity, and interviewing skills such that they can build and maintain trust with patients and contacts.

• Resourcefulness in locating patients and contacts who may be difficult to reach or reluctant to engage in conversation.

• Understanding of when to refer individuals or situations to medical, social, or supervisory resources.

• Cultural competency appropriate to the local community.

• Understanding of the medical terms and principles of exposure, infection, infectious period, potentially infectious interactions, symptoms of disease, pre-symptomatic and asymptomatic infection.

• Basic skills of crisis counseling, and the ability to confidently refer patients and contacts for further care if needed.

• Knowledge of or coursework in medical terminology.

Apply at: https://www.gatewayhealthpros.com/