We are almost halfway through 2008, and our Environment Section is on track toward offering an excellent program at the October APHA Annual Meeting. Kudos to Barbara Glenn, Kacee Deener and Bill Daniell who dedicated many hours (and communications) toward orchestrating the upcoming, compelling Environment Section Program – check further down in the newsletter for more information.

At our April Environment Section Mid-year Meetings, we learned about the incredible success of the 2008 National Public Health Week  - due to the good folks at APHA Headquarters and to our own John Balbus, Jonathan Patz and all others who participate on the Section’s Climate Change Committee.  And the work is just starting to heat up (OK, it is both a bad pun & true...)!

The Healthy Food Systems Committee (Roni Neff, Jill Litt & David Wallingwa) is working diligently with the Food and Nutrition Section and will educate us more about the intricacies of healthy food & related topics, including but are not limited to: local food, transportation, obesity & active living, use of pesticides & hormones.

Sacoby Wilson wilsons2@gwm.sc.edu & Liam O’Fallon are working toward gaining grant funding to boost student and community participation in Section activities by funding their attendance at the Annual Meeting.  As Sacoby mentions in a recent e-mail, “This will also be a good opportunity for student members or young professionals to get grant-writing experience.”  He asks for three to five member volunteers to join him in the grant writing process.  The first step is for one or two volunteers to draft that letter (letter for proposal/LRP) and submit it to NIEHS (c/o Liam O'Fallon) by July 1.  If interested, check this ink: http://www.niehs.nih.gov/funding/grants/mechanisms/r13u13.cfm

Thanks also to Peter Ashley and others who are participating on the Built Environment Committee and to Pat Bohan & Sarah Kotchian for their Workforce Development work via the Environmental Public Health Performance Standards - check out more at: http://www.cdc.gov/nceh/ehs/envphps/ 

Elections are soon.  You will find candidates for the Section Council and the Governing Council.  Looking to the next year, you may want to explore serving on one of these and ask, what are the responsibilities of each Council?  The Section Council members participate in Section activities such as weighing in on current issues, advising action steps re: emerging topics and leading Section committees.  Governing Councilors review policy/position papers, listen to Section member opinions & carry forward our Section’s views when voting on the APHA positions & policies during Governing Council meetings.  During these meetings, representatives of Sections, SPIGs and Forums and Affiliates (state public health organizations) vote on the policies for which the Association will advocate with national and state policy-makers. Also, next year, those members interested in serving as chair-elect and secretary will have opportunities to run for those open offices.

You are the critical glue for the Section, to repeat a past message. As is evidenced by all the good work done to date, each member’s contribution goes a long way to support and maintain our Section’s presence and strength in the APHA family.  So – thanks to those who contribute via serving as officers, volunteering as committee chairs & members, submitting abstracts & draft policy position papers, gaining funds for students to attend and in all other ways, too.  Each one counts.

To close, I ask that you please contact me to share your views, suggestions for improvements and other comments regarding the work of the Section and our participation in APHA.

Best,

Rebecca Head

rebecca_head@monroemi.org