Title: Fund Public Health! APHA Rallies for Public Health Funding
Author:
Section/SPIG: Health Administration
Issue Date:
Ibrahim Awad Ibrahim, MD, MPH, PhD, is an associate professor of epidemiology and biostatistics at the University of Southern Mississippi. He has over 25 years of work experience in public health and cares deeply about population health. You can reach him via e-mail at <iai@usm.edu>.
Tuesday morning, the morning of the rally, I had the schedule of sessions that I planned to attend ready. First thing in the morning at 7:00, I had the HA Section Business Meeting, a session at 8:30, and another at 10:30. During my shower, I contemplated joining the rally. Arguing with myself, I wondered what one more body was going to do for a gathering like this. I also wondered what this rally was really going to achieve, given the Nov. 2 election results.
And the session at 8:30 was professionally important to me.
On second thought, I asked, why not? This rally might give me a chance to visit Capitol Hill on business and actually have a closer look at policy-makers in action. The more I thought about it, the more I liked the idea of joining the rally. Finally, I decided to go to the rally.
On my way out the hotel door I met a young MPH student from Case Western University who was asking about the rally. His wanting information made me feel better about going to the rally. He was not sure where it was going to be. I knew because I mapped it out the previous night when I was thinking about a “just-in-case scenario.” On the bus to the hotel, he told me that he was from China.
We took off to “D” Street and soon were joined by some other people going to the rally. It was extra chilly that morning; my ears were freezing. Jie, that was my friend’s name, regretted that he forgot his hat. At a distance, we noticed a small gathering. Was this it? As we got closer, more people joined us. Tables with state signs were stuffed with literature and packets. From Wyoming up to Mississippi was quite a distance. When I tried to pick up the packet from Mississippi, the attendant told me go to the rally and that I would get a copy when I returned.
Looking around we saw people holding signs with different section and caucuses names. Where was the Health Administration sign? A sense of mission started to hit me. A lot of people were flipping through a pile of signs. I asked the lady who was the closest to the pile if she had seen the Health Administration Section sign? She pulled it out of the pile. Victoriously, I grabbed the sign and went back to where the gathering was.
The sign was taped with a duct tape to a three-foot ruler. As I was holding it up, I realized that my hands were freezing. By now, I was more determined to stick with it. Looking around, I saw an older colleague by himself holding the Statistics Section sign. At least the HA Section had two people representing it, I thought. Jokingly, I asked him, “What happened to the statistics people? Maybe they decided to use a sample instead?” He said, “I hope not because I am not a good statistician myself.”
After awhile many people filled the park. Dr. Benjamin climbed the few steps to the microphone. Dr. Benjamin’s first remark was, “I guess you can tell I am from Chicago by the light jacket I am wearing.” Cheers! “Let’s make the folks know we are here.” More cheers!! “Fund public health! ... Fund public health,” the crowd shouted. I doubted that the congressmen sitting in their warm offices behind closed windows could hear a thing, but we were loud.
Virginia Caine gave a short but spirited speech and ended with the “Fund public health!” slogan. A congressman took to the podium in support of our cause and commended the people who showed up on this chilly Washington morning.
Next, a young man got to the podium to advise those of us who were interested to go pick an information packet to take to our state congressmen. Going back through that cold to the Mississippi table was not my idea of fun. I decided to go back to the warm convention center!
I changed my mind when I saw people going in the direction of the Congress with packets under their arms. Thinking I might be the only person here from Mississippi, my determination to stick to the task increased. Gene Taylor is my congressman. With the packet under my arm, I asked a nearby organizer how to find Taylor’s office. Even after learning it was on the other side of Capitol Hill, I was determined to go there.
After reaching the right building, going through the security check, and up to the second floor, I finally found room 2311. I knocked at the door and went in, to be greeted by a young man who asked if he could help me. After introducing myself and explaining that I was here to meet Congressman Taylor, he invited me to come in and have a seat.
I met the Congressman’s Policy Director, not the Congressman himself. We went into a classically decorated room with leather furniture. I started the conversation, nervously, following the script written by the rally organizers. The Policy Director acknowledged the need to fund public health and went on and on about the flu vaccine crisis and the need for quality control in vaccine production.
After a few minutes I tried to steer the conversation to other public health research and CDC funding. He touched on requests for community education grants that the Congressman’s office receives but felt they produced no tangible results. I try to convince him that there is a science behind health education and like other areas within public health, there are good applications and “not-so-scientific applications”.
He turned the conversation to community heath centers and commented on how they take away business from small local hospitals. He mentioned how specialty care works to attract patients toward the city hospitals. We talked about buying vaccines from Britain versus having them manufactured here under our FDA control. We also talked about environmental pollution and how hard it is to prove it.
We talked and talked for about 90 minutes! When the phone rang I stood up to go. I could not believe that we spent this much time talking about all these issues where we have a lot of common ground. I thanked him for his time, gave him my business card and my pledge to help whenever I could, if they ever need my help, and left.
Going back to the convention center, what seemed like a freezing long walk before now seemed like a very pleasant one; shorter, warmer, nicer! I had missed the two morning sessions.
But it was worth it.