MAKE AN IMPACT BY RECRUITING ORAL HEALTH SECTION MEMBERS OR

BY JOINING ANOTHER APHA SECTION

APHA has opened the door for members of the Oral Health Section to add to new members to our Section and to have a voice in other public health sections. Any member may now join up to two extra membership units in addition to her or his Section or Special Interest Group (SPIG).The small fee of $30 per additional unit will be added to your APHA membership dues for this privilege. As a member of another Section you will have the full benefits of that Section such as voting in that group’s elections or participating in leadership roles.

This is the time to take advantage of this opportunity to work with members of Maternal and Child Health, Chronic Disease, Public Health Nursing, International Health and other Sections or SPIGS. I encourage you to invite members of these and other Sections to join us in the Oral Health Section and to consider joining a second Section for which you have a special interest. Also, all members may join APHA’s newly created Forums which address cross-disciplinary public health topics and provide a common space for discussion.  Membership in any of three Forums – which focus on trade and health, family violence prevention and genomics – is free.

You may sign up for the new benefits by accessing your online member records at www.apha.org/about/membership, or during your membership renewal process.

No more talking to the choir…APHA is now a forum for interdisciplinary learning and decision-making.  This is a great opportunity for us to strengthen our Section. The saying goes: “Put your money where your mouth is.” Now is the time to put the mouth into memberships.

I am also recruiting for help on the Oral Health Section Membership Committee.  Please get involved and volunteer so we can better recruit new members both from within and outside of APHA, and retain more of our current members. For more information, contact Oral Health Section Membership Chair, Beth Hines at ehines@cdc.gov.