Title: IH SECTION STRATEGIC PLANNING RETREAT GENERATES ENTHUSIASM FOR ADVOCACY
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Section/SPIG: International Health
Issue Date:
The leadership team and a variety of section members (20 in all) attended a full-day planning meeting for the IH Section on Tuesday, June 1, at APHA headquarters in Washington, D.C.
After a warm welcome by APHA Executive Director Georges Benjamin and Section Chair Ray Martin, the meeting was facilitated by Della Dash and Amy Hagopian.
The section's strengths and weaknesses were frankly assessed. While we are the sixth largest section in APHA, our membership has been stalled at about 1,460 members for a dozen years. We have seven members on the APHA Governing Council. Only about 25 percent of the membership votes in leadership elections.
The retreat generated a commitment to leverage our influence within the section to move APHA forward on a number of important IH issues. An important way to guide APHA policy is through the promotion and adoption of resolutions. Diana Silimperi warned us that it has been difficult so far to organize people to craft resolutions. Perhaps with electronic (e-mail) communication and the creation of our Yahoo listserv this will be easier in the future.
Tony (Juan Antonio) Casas was drafted to head a "Policy and Resolutions" Committee, with Diana Silimperi as co-chair. Their job will be to identify policy areas of interest, prioritize them, then draft and circulate resolutions for section Governing Council endorsement. Then our Governing Council representatives can carry them forward for approval by the APHA board. Diana is working on archiving our outdated resolutions.
This committee has a Yahoo group listsere where messages can be posted at: <APHAIHSCPolicyResearchAndMonitoring@yahoogroups.com>. To subscribe, send a blank e-mail to <APHAIHSCPolicyResearchAndMonitoring-subscribe@yahoogroups.com>.
Chuck Woolery was drafted to chair an "Advocacy" Committee, which will use adopted resolutions as the foundation of an active advocacy campaign for the section. To post messages for the advocacy group, go to A<PHAIHSCAdvocacy@yahoogroups.com>, and to subscribe, send a blank e-mail to <APHAIHSCAdvocacy-subscribe@yahoogroups.com>.
The calendar calls for drafting of resolutions in January and February, with printing in September for distribution at the November meeting. Open hearings are held on resolutions at the Annual Meeting, and then the Governing Council votes to adopt or reject resolutions.
In other business, the section leaders recommended a new schedule for Annual Business Meetings at the APHA Annual Meeting. We agreed there should be a Saturday evening meeting (4-8 p.m.) for orientation and planning the week. (See article in this newsletter regarding three regular business meetings.) Traditionally, the section holds a Wednesday lunch meeting. A midyear meeting is held in Washington, D.C., in early June.
Marty Makinen offered to help with the orientation for new council members. We agreed to strengthen the function of better collaborating with other sections. We would like to better collaborate with the Global Health Council.
Amy Hagopian and Della Dash agreed to produce a "User's Manual" for section members (which has now been drafted and sent to the chair for approval and publishing). Evaluations of the meeting were positive.