Dear Colleagues,

We welcome now the slow turning of one season into another and the promise of excitement as many of us head to San Diego for the Annual Meeting.  This is my last note to you all as chair.  Much has been accomplished these past two years. 

We have a vision and mission statement, as well as a newly re-vamped member manual.  We have a full slate of Section leadership.  We have a sound fiscal base.  We explored health as a civil right, community health worker issues, and emergency preparedness planning issues.  We collaborated with Caucuses and SPIGs. We proposed Vitamin D policy for APHA. 

But what I prize most of all is that CHPPD is a diverse community where colleagues can have differences, develop new partnerships and discuss new ideas. 

The Section has embarked on a strategic planning process led by the very able Priti Irani.  The Policy and Planning Dialogue and special learning sessions were excellent first efforts.  I challenge the Section’s leadership to continue down this path and consider making this group an official Section unit.  I urge you to go back to the last two annual member surveys to see what areas were of highest interest and take them on somehow.  Let us focus on the cross-cutting issues such as community health assessment and not get lost in specific, narrowly focused interest issues.

To the members and elected or appointed leaders of CHPPD, thank you for your continued support of the Section.  Please ask a friend to come join you in sustained, engaged membership in the most dynamic section in APHA!

Thank you for the privilege of serving you.

Best,

Sue Myers, Chair, sue.myers@healthequityassociates.org