Section leadership and members have been working hard to reach out to new potential members, and to involve current members in Section activities. The Section developed and distributed recruitment flyers geared to specific groups in the area of occupational health and safety, including occupational health nurses, occupational physicians, industrial hygienists, NIOSH funded Education and Research Centers (ERCs), COSH groups, and union activists. A mailing was also sent to the 1,775 APHA members who were unaffiliated with a section.

Efforts have also been made to reach out to students in occupational health and safety programs. For example, several ERCs offered student memberships in APHA to some of their students.

New members have been joining our section, but many people have been allowing their memberships to lapse. APHA membership overall has declined between 2000-2007. Our section had 683 members as of March 31, 2007, down from 708 members as of July 31, 2006. However, our percentage of the APHA membership remains at 2.61 percent due to a decline in APHA membership during that period.

We still need to do a lot more to retain current members and recruit new members:

1)    All OHS Section Members should make it their goal to reach out and recruit at least one new member before the next APHA meeting in November.

2)    Please print out the OHS Section recruitment flyer (http://depts.washington.edu/oshalert/section_description.htm) and distribute it to your colleagues and students. Links to specific flyers (for occupational physicians, nurses, and union activists) are embedded in the general recruitment flyer (“section description”).

Let them know of the benefits of APHA membership and the valuable role we play in the struggle to improve public health in general and occupational health in particular.

3)    Consider becoming active in your state APHA affiliate as a way of meeting potential new members, and also to let other public activists know about OHS Section activities and candidates for APHA-wide office.

4)    Volunteer to spend a little time helping the Membership Committee in its activities. Any time would be helpful. APHA regularly sends us lists of OHS section members whose membership has expired – and therefore who need a reminder letter or call. They also send us lists of new members, who need to be welcomed into our section, especially by members in their area. Let me know if I can add you to the list of volunteers to whom I regularly distribute such membership lists, and who can reach out to section members in that way.

Paul Landsbergis

paul.landsbergis@mssm.edu

on behalf of the OHS Section Membership Committee:

Roni Neff

Robyn Robbins

Leslie Nickels

Peter Dooley

Celeste Monforton

Latrice Porter-Thomas