Policy Statement Gaps for 2013

This list identifies gaps where APHA either does not have relevant policy statements or the existing policy statements are outdated. APHA aims to adopt policy statements with an ever-green approach, avoiding tying proposals to specific legislation or finite timeframes that could quickly outdate a policy statement.

Any APHA member or APHA component considering submitting a policy statement proposal is strongly encouraged to review this list and collaborate with other APHA components in developing proposals, so that new proposed policy statements fill identified gaps.

• Medical marijuana
• Social determinants of health
• Building capacity and strengthening the public health workforce
• HIV/AIDS – specifically domestic issues
• Mental health as a public health issue
• Clean Air Act/ health impact of air pollution
• Public health impact of energy use
• Modifications to Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits
• Quality improvement in public health and use of performance measures
• Integration of public health in private medical care and dental care (ie.- reimbursement, surveillance, e-records, health IT)
• Gerontological Health/Active Aging