Title: Walter Tsou Welcomes you to Philadelphia
Author:
Section/SPIG: Community Health Planning and Policy Development
Issue Date:
Welcome to the 133rd Annual Meeting of APHA! I welcome you as the President of APHA, as a member of the Community Health Planning and Policy Development Section, and as the former health commissioner of the Philadelphia Department of Public Health.
The APHA Annual Meeting is THE opportunity for people who care about public health to meet each other. Several sessions will be devoted to lessons from hurricanes Katrina and Rita. Those with training and expertise in health planning and policy development are needed to contribute their skills to the discussion about how we avoid a repeat of national non-preparedness and emergency non-responsiveness and how we protect the public's health now.
For those who are working or volunteering your time in the Gulf Region, I extend my best wishes. For everyone else, this is a great chance to get energized again and learn the latest about public health.
Although we are heartbroken about moving our meeting from New Orleans, Philadelphia is both a wonderful city and my hometown. There are several public health sites, beginning with the story of yellow fever at Independence Hall, health disparities at the National Constitution Center, Legionnaire's disease at the Bellevue (Broad and Walnut Streets) and the fascinating Mutter Museum with their "museum of pathological anatomy" and a collection of obsolete medical instruments located at the College of Physicians of Philadelphia, 19 South 22nd Street between Chestnut and Market. You can find a coupon for $2 off General Admission for a Sunday visit to the museum at http://www.collphyphil.org/muttcopn.htm.
The Convention Center is centrally located in downtown Philadelphia and surrounded by the Reading Terminal Market and Chinatown. There are great places to eat, and room rates are very reasonable. Competition between US Airways and Southwest Airlines has made air travel reasonable.
To the members of the Section who join me in Philly, welcome. Make sure you say "hello."