Vermont public health association

Two collective impact leaders, Zea Malawa of Expecting Justice, and Miya Cain of FSG, discuss using the framework to achieve social change and how to put anti-racism at the center of cross-sector collaborations.

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Collective impact initiatives have contributed to systems changes and improved the lives of many living in our communities. In the next decade, they must focus on equity, shifting imbalances of power, sustainability, and greater collaboration across initiatives to achieve even more lasting social change. 

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In 2011, two of us, John Kania and Mark Kramer, published an article in Stanford Social Innovation Review entitled “Collective Impact.” It quickly became the most downloaded article in the magazine’s history. Read more....

Vermont Business Magazine United Way of Northwest Vermont (UWNWVT), in collaboration with community partners, has launched a new Mental Health Initiative to align existing mental health resources, identify gaps in the system of care, and create a shared agenda as we work together to improve timely access to appropriate mental health services in our communities. Read the full story ....

SOUTH BURLINGTON, Vermont — Kim Blake keeps a folder in her house, swollen with papers. Each document represents yet another try at helping her son Sean recover from a decade of drug addiction.

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Check out these highlights from the February/March issue: Health misinformation a ‘threat to public health’ Health misinformation has long existed, but its harm has become painfully clear during the COVID-19 pandemic. Public health is fighting back. Local resilience programs take on COVID-19, disaster relief Faced with growing weather-related disasters and the lingering pandemic, local leaders in the U.S. are stepping up to form teams to boost resilience, particularly for vulnerable residents. APHA debuts ‘That’s Public Health’ web series A new 20-part web series is earning both praise and views, showing Americans the crucial link between public health and their own health and well-being. US omicron surge underscores benefits of COVID-19 vaccination As COVID-19’s highly contagious omicron strain led to surges in cases, hospitalizations and deaths this year, a clear lesson rang out: vaccination against the disease works. Healthy You: Tips for a healthy gut: How to feed your amazing microbiome Eating healthy foods improves the microbiome in your gut, which improves overall health and well-being. Read Healthy You online, and download and share a PDF in English or Spanish. Newsmakers Check out what’s happening among public health movers and shakers. Resources See what’s new in public health books and other media

Check out these highlights from APHA's September issue of The Nation's Health: 

Stress of pandemic harming mental health of public health workers

Long work hours, strained resources and vaccine misinformation are leaving public health workers feeling burned out and underappreciated.

Role of arts in public health capturing interest

Given the expanding research on the benefits of the arts to improve physical and mental health, more public health professionals are advocating for painting classes, dance classes and other forms of artistic self-expression.

States pursue government-led health insurance programs

More U.S. states are offering state-sponsored health plans, also known as public options, designed to be more affordable than private health insurance and still offer comparable coverage.

Life expectancy for US Hispanics drops drastically during pandemic

Overall, U.S. Hispanics tend to live longer than whites, Blacks and Asians. But many of the factors that increase longevity for Hispanics also make them more vulnerable to COVID-19 infection.

Grouping statistics on Asian American populations masks health disparities

When data from Asian American, Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander groups are lumped together, important health insights are lost, says UCLA’s Ninez Ponce.

Sugary drink taxes improve health, raise funds

Lowering risks for excessive weight gain and related chronic diseases can be as simple as levying a tax, according to the Pan American Health Organization.

Reimagining public places to foster health

During the pandemic in the U.S., urban parks have played an important role in public health. The National Association for Olmsted Parks is celebrating public parks and the opportunities they offer for physical exercise and relaxation.

New book explores the power of policy in public health

“Public Health Under Siege: Improving Policy in Turbulent Times” shares ways policy can be used to achieve improvements in population health.

New podcast: What will the fall flu season bring?

The Nation’s Health talks to Robert Kim-Farley — a UCLA professor and communicable disease expert — about the upcoming U.S. influenza season in the U.S. and the possibility of a flu and COVID-19 "twindemic." Listen now.

Healthy You: Let’s get comfy! Preventing computer pain and strain. Having an ergonomic computer workstation can help you avoid aching joints and back pain. Read Healthy You online, and download and share a PDF in English or Spanish.

Newsmakers

Check out who’s making waves in public health

Resources

See what’s new in public health media

VtPHA Member Patricia Johnson shares her story of how she cares and advocates for marginalized patients.

Read the full story here.

Date: Feb 22 2021

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Media Relations 

Statement from APHA Executive Director Georges C. Benjamin, MD

We are shattered at the staggering new milestone our nation has reached during the COVID-19 pandemic: As of today, 500,000 people in the U.S. have lost their lives from the disease.

One year after the first recorded U.S. death from COVID-19, we grieve with the millions of people whose families and lives have been devastated by this pandemic.

Our sorrow is compounded by this week’s findings from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention showing steep declines in U.S. life expectancy, especially for people of color.

There is hope, however. We as Americans, at the hands of our new leadership, are proving resilient. As we witness a sharp drop in new coronavirus cases — accompanied by findings that there are now more people worldwide vaccinated against the virus than infected with it —there is reason for cautious optimism. We’re now seeing a science-driven course of action, comprising the most collaborative and efficient work our leaders have undertaken since this crisis began.

To change the direction of this pandemic, we must not let our guard down amid these silver linings. As always, wear a mask, practice physical distancing, wash your hands and get your vaccination when it’s available to you. We’re closer to healing and returning to normalcy than we were even a month ago. But to continue the momentum we’ve gained, we will need hope and a commitment from everyone to do their part.”

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The American Public Health Association champions the health of all people and all communities. We are the only organization that combines a nearly 150-year perspective, a broad-based member community and the ability to influence federal policy to improve the public’s health. Learn more at www.apha.org.

This report by the Lancet Commission on Public Policy and Health in the Trump Era assesses the repercussions of President Donald Trump's health-related policies and examines the failures and social schisms that enabled his election. Trump exploited low and middle-income white people's anger over their deteriorating life prospects to mobilise racial animus and xenophobia and enlist their support for policies that benefit high-income people and corporations and threaten health. His signature legislative achievement, a trillion-dollar tax cut for corporations and high-income individuals, opened a budget hole that he used to justify cutting food subsidies and health care. His appeals to racism, nativism, and religious bigotry have emboldened white nationalists and vigilantes, and encouraged police violence and, at the end of his term in office, insurrection. He chose judges for US courts who are dismissive of affirmative action and reproductive, labour, civil, and voting rights; ordered the mass detention of immigrants in hazardous conditions; and promulgated regulations that reduce access to abortion and contraception in the USA and globally. Although his effort to repeal the Affordable Care Act failed, he weakened its coverage and increased the number of uninsured people by 2·3 million, even before the mass dislocation of the COVID-19 pandemic, and has accelerated the privatisation of government health programmes. Trump's hostility to environmental regulations has already worsened pollution—resulting in more than 22 000 extra deaths in 2019 alone—hastened global warming, and despoiled national monuments and lands sacred to Native people. Disdain for science and cuts to global health programmes and public health agencies have impeded the response to the COVID-19 pandemic, causing tens of thousands of unnecessary deaths, and imperil advances against HIV and other diseases. And Trump's bellicose trade, defence, and foreign policies have led to economic disruption and threaten an upswing in armed conflict.

Read the full text here.