Help us celebrate public health at our annual Spring Awards Breakfast!

We hope you will join us on Friday, June 6, at the Artists for Humanity Epicenter for an uplifting morning of celebration, networking, and resistance.  

We are honoring four dedicated public health heroes, and seats are filling up fast! So don’t miss the chance to get your ticket to this year’s breakfast. We’re extending the early bird deadline to Friday April 25th at 5pm.  

• Early Bird Tickets = $250 for members; $300 for nonmembers 
• Standard Tickets (after April 25) = $300 for members; $350 for nonmembers 
• Sponsorships range from $1,500 to $30,000,
• You can also purchase an ad in our digital program book! 

State Budget in Motion 

On Wednesday, April 16, the House Ways & Means (HWM) Committee released its FY26 budget proposal, including $9.2M to fully fund local public health agencies, workforce, and programs. This funding is especially critical now as federal funding cuts, mass firings, and sweeping executive orders have decimated the federal public health infrastructure and targeted BIPOC communities, trans people, immigrants and refugees, and low-income people. MPHA continues to prioritize our work in solidarity with these communities. MPHA staff is reviewing the HWM budget and connecting with allies regarding their priorities. 

Watch for more details and an action alert next week. We need everyone to raise their voice to sustain key programs

Supporting Children and Families Experiencing Homelessness  

As part of the FY26 state budget process, MPHA coordinated with partners at the April 8th Joint Ways and Means hearing to highlight what is at stake this year. Among our frontline allies were representatives from the Massachusetts Large Cities Health Coalition (MLCHC). In solidarity with Emergency Assistance (EA) family shelter advocates, they spoke to the need for investments in homelessness prevention programs like Resident Assistance for Families in Transition (RAFT), the Massachusetts Rental Voucher Program (MRVP), and HomeBase as well as continued funding for EA shelter to address the mounting housing and homelessness crisis. 

Bill Murphy, Director of Public Health, City of Framingham, and MLCHC Vice-Chair, made plain that while plans are needed to address these issues, “there is no plan without resources.” 

Local Public Health Lit Drop at the State House 

As part of National Public Health Week, MPHA staff members joined MPHA Board member Craig Andrade, members of the Coalition for Local Public Health Mike Hugo and Simone Carter, as well as Hopkinton Board of Health Director Shaun McAuliffe at the State House on April 10. The purpose was to deliver flyers — including region specific materials tailored to legislators —advocating for local public health. In addition to distributing materials to legislative mailboxes, we had valuable conversations with legislators and staff about the local public health budget and the continued need for sustainable funding. 

Navigating Policy Surrounding Overdose Prevention Centers 

Oami Amarasingham, MPHA Deputy Director, moderated a panel discussion on overdose prevention at “Together for Hope 2025: Shaping the Future of Addiction Care.” Hundreds of experts, advocates, and people with lived experience attended the jam-packed two-day conference hosted by the Boston Medical Center’s Grayken Center for Addiction. Joining Oami were Claire Hoffman from the Metropolitan Area Planning Council, Pedro Alvarez from Tapestry Health, and Ashley Perry, co-director of Rhode Island’s newly established overdose prevention center.   

“Despite the shifting political and funding landscape surrounding overdose prevention and harm reduction programs, public health practitioners are building support for overdose prevention centers as an effective approach to prevent lethal overdoses and to connect people with the services, treatment, and support they need,” said Oami.  

Coalitions Take Center Stage 

Alexis Walls, MPHA Campaign Director, was the featured keynote speaker at the Coalition for Healthy Greater Worcester Annual Meeting in March. The Coalition for Healthy Greater Worcester “brings people and organizations together around health issues that affect quality of life in the region.” MPHA works closely with the Coalition on housing, regional transportation, and other issues. 

Alexis shared how MPHA utilizes a coalition framework to guide our priority setting and solidarity work, to uplift voices and experiences of those most impacted, and to center community driven change. “In working together in coalition, we review the losses, just as we celebrate the wins,” she said. “It’s in coalition that we find our purpose and our strength.” 

Local Public Health Challenges and Successes 

Oami also spoke on a panel hosted by the Public Health Museum on April 11. Thanks to Boston School of Public Health Professor Harold Cox, MA Association of Health Boards Executive Director Cheryl Sbarra, Central Region Local Public Health Nurse Consultant for UMass Amherst Tamara Bedard, MA Environmental Health Executive Board member Kerry Dunnell, and MA Health Officer Association President Timothy McDonald for a lively and timely conversation on how local board of health and health agencies are facing current challenges and staying true to their missions 

Collecting stories about the importance of the federal workforce  

ICYMI: Our national advocacy partner, the American Public Health Association, is collecting stories to highlight the important role the federal workforce brings to protecting the public’s health. If you or someone you know is a federal employee who was recently fired through the “reduction in force” or reassigned under the guise of Health and Human Services reorganization, please take a moment to fill out this form. These stories can help show how valuable the work that federal employees do is and the value they bring to protecting the public’s health.