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I am very happy to announce our 15th Annual Spring Awards Breakfast award winners. Please join us in honoring these public health champions on Friday, June 2, 2017 from 8:30-10:30 am in the State Room at 60 State Street in Boston. Registration opens today!
Read below for more information on our awardees and the event.
Thank you for all your work to support health equity
in all corners of our state and in the State House. Thanks to you, we had great success with our legislative
co-sponsorship drive. Now we're preparing for our kick-off event for the campaign to continue the Prevention and Wellness Trust Fund. Join us on March 1st to support this important program. You can learn more,
here.
While we are making great strides for health equity in the Commonwealth, we cannot ignore the national landscape. The first three weeks of the new administration have posed serious challenges to public health and the values of equity that inform our work. Please see our
National Focus section below to learn about our new Action Center where you can find actions to take to protect health equity here in Massachusetts and on the federal level.
As an example, you can also read in this section about the interconnectedness of immigrant rights and public health.
With your help we will continue to advance health equity in the Commonwealth and in our Country.
Sincerely,
Rebekah Gewirtz
Executive Director
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MPHA Updates
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MPHA is delighted to announce our 2017 Award Winners!
These five leaders will be honored for their extraordinary work in public health and for their success in addressing and reducing health inequities in Massachusetts. Join us as we honor our heroes on Friday, June 2nd at MPHA's 15th Annual Spring Awards Breakfast.
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Paul Revere Award: MPHA's highest honor and greatest achievment
Debbie Klein Walker, Ed.D
Vice President, Senior Fellow, Public Health and EpidemiologyPractice Lead, U.S. Health at Abt Associates
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emuel Shattuck Award: Significant contribution to the field of public health
Shani Dowd, BA, LHD (hc), LCSW
Director of Health Equity Roundtable at Harvard Pilgrim Health Foundation.
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Alfred Frechette Award:
Public health leader under 40
Jen Slonaker, BA, MSW
Vice President of Education & Training at Planned Parenthood League of Massachusetts.
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Public Health Leadership in Medicine Award
Dr. Matt Sadof, MD
Pediatrician at Baystate Medical Center
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Public Health Leadership in Medicine Award
Dr. Megan Sandel, MD, MPH
Associate Professor of Pediatrics at the Boston University School of Medicine.
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The MPHA Spring Awards Breakfast is the signature networking event of the year for the public health community to come together, salute our partners, celebrate our accomplishments re-invigorate our commitment to promote social justice, and advocate for programs and policies that promote health equity in the Commonwealth.
Join us in celebrating these five visionary individuals while supporting MPHA!
Visit our
events page to learn more about this year's honorees and to purchase tickets. For information on sponsoring this event,
which we encourage you to do today, please contact MPHA Development Director, Akosua Ampofo Siever at
[email protected] or 857-263-7072, x113.
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National Focus
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On January 27, 2017, President Trump issued an Executive Order banning immigration from seven majority Muslim countries. The immigration ban, which is currently stayed,
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Attorney General Maura Healey at Press Conference Announcing Lawsuit Against Immigration Ban |
was issued under the pretense of protecting public safety as was the President's declaration that he would block federal funding to sanctuary cities. We believe that these actions are harmful to public health and may actually prove counterproductive. See our statement in response to the Executive Order and in support of Attorney General Maura Healey's lawsuit here.
Immigrants who live in fear of deportation are not only less likely to report crimes, they are also less likely to seek medical care for themselves or their children. According to a paper in the Harvard Public Health Review "Undocumented Immigrants and the Inclusive Health Policies of Sanctuary Cities," after the enactment of US Secure Communities Act in 2008, which instituted close cooperation between local law enforcement and Immigration and Customs Enforcement to detain and deport immigrants, some undocumented families stopped sending their children to school for fear of deportation. Many no longer contacted local law enforcement if they were a witness to or victim of a violent crime. Others avoided visiting their doctors or seeking care at hospitals - including having their children vaccinated. Read on
Click here to read peer-reviewed study by Karen Hacker, former MPHA board member, "The Impact of Immigration and Customs Enforcement on Immigrant Health: Perceptions of Immigrants in Everett, Massachusetts, USA." |
Announcing MPHA's New Action Center
 From potential repeal of the Affordable Care Act to the potential threat of the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) being cut and moved from an entitlement program to a block grant, public health professionals in Massachusetts are concerned about the effect of federal policy on the health of residents here in Massachusetts. If you want to know what you can do to encourage federal policy that will protect public health, visit MPHA's New Action Center.
If you have an action alert that you'd like to share with other public health advocates, please send it MPHA Communications and Policy Associate Melanie O'Malley at: [email protected].
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Policy Notes
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Legislators Come Out Big in Support of MPHA-Priority Bills
Massachusetts Legislators showed tremendous support for MPHA-priority bills over the last two weeks, providing a particularly strong starting point for public health in the new legislative session. Of 200 total legislators in the Massachusetts House and Senate, a majority co-sponsored MPHA's two priority bills. 112 Senators and Representatives co-sponsored the Prevention Trust Bill and 105 co-sponsored the SNAP Gap Common App bill.
Hundreds of MPHA members and allies rallied support for these bills with calls, emails, and visits to legislators, as well as mobilizing their own networks behind these priorities. Thank you to everyone who participated in these important two weeks of action! Read on |
Join us March 1st for the Prevention and Wellness Trust Fund Campaign Kick-Off!
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Click above to view Invitation |
Join us on March 1, 2017 at the State House for the campaign launch event to continue the important work of the
Prevention and Wellness Trust Fund (PWTF)
, a first-in-the-nation program. PWTF is an investment in prevention that has become a cornerstone of the state's public health strategy helping to support community based partnerships like municipalities, healthcare systems, businesses, regional planning organizations, and schools. These stakeholders in partnerships across the state work together to provide research-based interventions that reduce rates of the most prevalent and preventable health conditions and that advance health equity.
Funding for this important program will expire on June 30, 2017 unless reauthorized.
Join more than 200 municipal, health, and civic leaders in supporting the re-authorization of this innovative program by RSVPing today.
Click here to RSVP.
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Governor Baker's FY18 Budget Proposal: Core Public Health Remains Underfunded
 On Wednesday, January 25, Governor Baker announced his budget proposal for fiscal year 2018. Governor Baker's budget proposal includes a 4.3% increase in funding over FY17 spending. While the proposal includes an overall 2% increase in state spending for the Department of Public Health (DPH), funding for community-based programs had proposed modest cuts.
The Governor also proposed drastic cuts to HIV/AIDS prevention and treatment services, Transitional Aid for Families with Dependent Children (TAFDC), decreased funding for the Bureau of Environmental Health by 5%, and proposed increased funding for the Bureau of Substance Abuse Services over FY17.
We are disappointed to see that core public health infrastructure remains underfunded. Reinvestments in neglected infrastructure are necessary to protect the health of Massachusetts residents, and are underrepresented in this budget proposal. Read on
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15 Additional Communities Receive Complete Streets Funding
 On January 26, 2017, the Baker Administration announced the next 15 municipalities to receive funds from the Complete Streets Funding Program -- a program which supports municipalities to make their local streets and roads more accessible for pedestrians, bicyclists, and public transit users. Dalton, Egremont, Everett, Hinsdale, Lexington, Littleton, Lynn, Natick, Newton, Northampton, Salisbury, Somerville, Taunton, Westford, and Weymouth were awarded a total of $5.5 million, with individual grants ranging from $59,000 to $400,000 each. Read on
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MPHA Staff and Intern Update
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MPHA Thanks Diane Jette for Her Dedication and Spirit
 MPHA is sad to say goodbye to our former Operations Manager, Diane Jette, who many of you have met at MPHA events and meetings. Diane left MPHA in January 2017. During her five years with us, Diane performed the diverse and critical operations functions that keep MPHA running and that allow us to move our agenda forward. Along with her invaluable contribution to MPHA's operations, Diane brought her sense of humor and fun spirit which has always made her a joy to be around. So many people had the benefit of interacting with Diane at the MPHA office and at events throughout the state. We wish Diane well in this next stage of her life and hope that you will join us in thanking her for all that she has done for MPHA.
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MPHA Welcomes Communications Intern
 Eloni Porcher is a 4th year student at Northeastern University, where she is pursuing a Bachelor's of Art in Communication Studies, with minors in Computer Science and African-American Studies. Areas of research include social media recruitment strategies for an HIV/AIDS prevention research study, immigration policy narratives in US media, and gender violence. Eloni is interested in exploring the ways communication can be utilized to improve health systems. She believes her internship with MPHA will help her realize this goal. |
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Camara Jones, Achieving Health Equity: Tools for a National Campaign Against Racism, Free on February 27th
Camara Jones, Immediate Past President of the American Public Health Association (APHA), is speaking at an event on February 27, 2017 about tools for a national campaign against racism. This event is free and open to the public.
Date: Monday, February 27, 2017
Time: 4:30 p.m.
Place: Tishman Commons in the Campus Center, Wellesley College, Wellesley, MA.
Click on the image to the left to view flyer. |
Upcoming Events and New Reports
New Report: Common Health for the Commonwealth 9th Edition. Massachusetts Health Council Report on Preventable Conditions and Social Determinants of Health. Check out the section on Income and Poverty where our executive director, Rebekah Gewirtz, gives the Policy Perspective.
2:22:17: Myra Kraft Open Classroom, Spring 2017: Feeding the City: Farm stands, Co-ops, Food Trucks, Local Foods. More information,
here.
2.28.17: Commonwealth Conversations South Shore Meeting. More information,
here.
3.7.17: Commonwealth Conversations South East Meeting.
More information,
here.
3.7.17: Myra Kraft Open Classroom, Spring 2017: Addressing Food Waste.
More information, here.
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The Massachusetts Public Health Association (MPHA)
is the champion for public health in the Commonwealth. We are the catalyst for change, eliminating health inequities and creating healthy communities for all. For more information, visit us at
mapublichealth.org
or call 857.263.7072.
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