Title: On Finding Passion, Strategy and Good Things at APHA
Author:
Priti Irani, Project Director - Assessment Initiative
New York State Department of Health
Section/SPIG: Community Health Planning and Policy Development
Issue Date:
For the 2006 APHA Annual Meeting, I had been accepted for an oral presentation, a poster session and had written proposed policy. I missed most of the Section business meetings because I was asked to be at the public hearing on a policy I had written. It was “Conduct research to build an evidence-base of effective community health assessment practices” available at http://www.apha.org/advocacy/policy/policysearch/default.htm?id=1330 discussed in the “Environmental and Occupational Health” category. I had never attended the policy hearing. The passion and strategizing at the hearings is evident. The audience was intimate, knowledgeable and interested. The authors summarized their policy papers, feedback they had received from sections, and how they responded. The audience asked questions, and got straight answers.
The moderator, Debbie Hettler, did a good job allocating equal time for discussions of the six policy papers. The discussions were modeled on the “speed dating” model, and I don’t mean this disrespectfully. There was not enough time to for members to understand the issue if they had not studied the paper, or for authors to make any in-depth corrections. The assumption was that members had read the papers before attending the hearings. It whets one’s appetite about the issues discussed. I would attend a hearing again. However, if you want the authors to seriously consider your comments in the revised versions of their papers, they should get the feedback by June/July, soon after the draft policies are posted on the web in March.
Other Good Things:
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Noted with interest how interested and organized other sections are regarding policies. There seems to be a team who reviews the policies and provides feedback to the authors after the first draft and at the public hearings. This is good for the authors, leaves a favorable perspective of the section among the audience, and adds strengths to important policy statements. Our section is hoping to take up this practice of formally reviewing and writing original papers. If you are interested in policy activities, please contact Sue Myers, chair at myers@telerama.com.
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I would like to thank the International Health, Epidemiology, Public Health Education and Health Promotion, Public Health Nursing Sections and the Minnesota Public Health Association for their invaluable feedback on the community health assessment policy paper.
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Simplicity and clarity of the Public Health Education and Health Promotion Exhibit booth that won the ribbon for the best section booth. PHEHP had a trade show style portable exhibit, and used acrylic frames for photographs and posters. It looks professional, and was very effective.
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The volunteers – students, and members - who staffed the CHPPD booth.
by Priti Irani, Newsletter Editor