Beth Dixon, Anna Maria Siega-Riz and Joan Trendell represented the Food and Nutrition Section on the APHA Governing Council during the 2005 Annual Meeting held in Philadelphia. During the sessions, Governing Councilors heard many reports by the leadership and various committees and taskforces of the Association. In addition, new Association policies were adopted and there was an election of president-elect and three Executive Board members.
During the report of the chair of the Executive Committee, three priority areas for the Association were presented for adoption -- Access to Health Care, Eliminating Health Disparities and Public Health Infrastructure. As was discussed during Food and Nutrition Section conference calls earlier in the year, a motion to add Primary Prevention as an Association priority was made by Joan Trendell. Much discussion ensued from Councilors, much of which seemed to focus on what was meant by primary prevention and whether it was already represented in the Public Health Infrastructure priority. In the end, a revised motion adopted requiring the Board to discuss the addition of this priority and to come back to the Governing Council with a report.
There was an extensive report from the chair of the Taskforce on Association Improvement and Reorganization (TFAIR), with a number of motions coming from this taskforce that were adopted, including:
•Continuation of TFAIR with specific tasks identified through 2006.
•Governing Council will have at least two and as many as four meetings each year, with those other than the Annual Meeting being conducted by conference calls.
•A process to strengthen the relationship between APHA and Caucuses.
•Creation of a Forum, which will enable APHA members from across various units to work together on specific public health issues.
•Allowing membership in more that one section or special primary interest group.
•A process for providing assistance with sections with falling membership and the devolution of Sections not meeting membership levels as well as a process for the evolution of SPIGs to sections.
•A charge to TFAIR to discuss Caucus representation on Governing Council.
The theme for the 2007 Annual Meeting, to be held in Washington, D.C., generated much discussion. In the end “Politics, Policy and Public Health” was adopted, despite some concerns about the potential of APHA’s 501c3 status being jeopardized by appearing to be acting in the arena of partisan politics, given the timing and location of this Annual Meeting.
The adoption of policy statements, including several latebreakers, was completed. “Supporting the WHO Global Strategy on Diet, Physical Activity and Health,” a latebreaker in 2004, was passed. In addition, “Reducing Nutrition-Related Disparities through Food Stamp Nutrition Education, Improved Participation in the Food Stamp Program and the 2007 Farm Bill” was passed as a late breaking, interim policy and will require passage in 2006 to make it permanent policy. For more information on APHA policy statements, go to the member section at http://www.apha.org.
Election results were as follows:
President-elect: Deborah Klein Walker
Executive Board: Linda Landesman, Linda Rae Murray, and Ellen Shaffer
Items of new business that were adopted as motions:
•Implementation of the Executive Board-endorsed Call for a Review of APHA’s Principles for Commercial Support or Donations.
•Executive Board analysis of the feasibility and desirability of the creation of an advocacy arm of APHA.
•APHA prepare legally and financially for the possibility of being challenged as being involved in political activities (related to the 2007 Annual Meeting theme that was approved).
•For the future, no vote using the devices shall be legitimate unless the device numbers are displayed so that individuals voting know whether their vote was tabulated (this was in response to some issues with the devices during voting).
As always, serving on Governing Council is an interesting experience!! Thanks to retiring Councilor Anna Maria Siega-Riz for her two years of service in this role for the Food and Nutrition Section. Governing Councilors from the Section for 2006 are Beth Dixon, Katrina Holt and Joan Trendell.