Awards, Jennifer Rowland
The 2011 APHA Disability Section Award Winner also is receiving an APHA award that has different eligibility criteria (e.g., could be a student or professional). This makes him eligible for two scholarships to APHA Annual Meetings that could be awarded in consecutive years. Councilor unanimously agreed that both scholarships should be made available to the Student Award Winner.
Governing Council, Suzanne McDermott
Suzanne led the discussion of the following draft questions for the APHA President-elect and Executive Board candidates. Gloria emailed her input on the questions prior to the meeting. (A list of candidates is included as an addendum to the minutes.)
These are the proposed questions by Suzanne and Gloria:
a. Given the difficult economic times the country is experiencing, including significant cuts in many state public health departments, what do you think APHA should do to provide strong leadership for public health?
b. How should APHA address the health disparities experienced not only by race and ethnic minorities but also by people with disabilities?
c. What strategies would you propose…are your ideas for expanding the way the large collection of approved APHA policies are used?
Input from the meeting and emailed suggested changes led to a final set of four questions:
a. Given the difficult economic times the country is experiencing, including significant cuts in many state public health departments, what more do you think APHA should do to provide strong leadership for public health?
b. How should APHA address the health disparities experienced not only by race and ethnic minorities, but also by another minority group, people with disabilities?
c. What strategies or processes would you propose to promote and disseminate the large collection of approved APHA policies and how would you evaluate their use nationally and in the states?
d. What would you do to monitor and evaluate the participation of people with disabilities within APHA conferences and activities?
Suzanne emailed the final questions on behalf of the Disability Section Executive Council to John Wayne, Chair, APHA Nominations Committee, in response to his call for candidate questions. The Nominating Committee will review, select, compile, and forward a limited number of questions to the President-Elect and Executive Board candidates for written response (5 single-space page limit). Suzanne and Gloria also will email these questions to individual candidates for written responses.
Finally, questions also may be posed during two candidate forums scheduled during the Annual APHA Meetings in Washington, D.C.
· Governing Council “Candidates Forum” (Saturday, 10/29/11, 3:00-6:00 pm session)
· ISC/COA “Candidates Forum” (Monday, 10/31/11, 7:00 – 9:30 am).
Suzanne then led discussion of proposed themes for the 2013 annual meeting that the APHA Science Board has proposed (additional information on proposed themes provided by the APHA Governing Council is included as an addendum).
1) Making Science Work for Communities
2) The Science of Health Protection
3) Think Global, Act Local: Best Practices Around the World
There was positive discussion of the second theme as an organizing framework for a range of disability science issues and of the third theme as an organizing framework to advance APHA’s role in support of the U.N. Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD). Some councilors thought that the latter theme and U.N. CRPD were of more interest to the broader Disability Section membership and would facilitate more collaborative activities between the Disability Section and other APHA Sections, Caucuses, and SPIGs. Suzanne and Gloria will send an email to the Governing Council endorsing the third theme on behalf of the Disability Section in the roles as our Governing Council representatives and will propose an additional example of areas which can be addressed in Special Sessions to be included as a sub-bullet under that proposed theme:
· What can APHA do to support the US endorsement of the UN Resolution to Support the Rights of People with Disabilities? The US is not always at the forefront of advocacy for minority groups. The UN resolution has been endorsed by over 100 countries and still the US has not signed on. We hope to discuss the ways countries around the world address issues for people with disabilities.
Other
In the interest of time, Stephen prompted Councilors for other essential reports. Dot reported that every current APHA Disability Section member and every member from the past two years will receive a copy of the new Disability Section brochure. Jim asked Stephen to email a note congratulating and welcoming elected APHA Disability Section Executive Council members. Kiyoshi finalized the program (http://apha.confex.com/apha/139am/webprogram/DISF.html). AUCD is coordinating receipt of applications for the Disability Section Student Travel Scholarships to attend the Annual APHA Meetings in Washington, D.C. (see addendum).
Stephen and Meg will develop draft agenda for October 30th Disability Section Executive Council Meeting, the Annual Disability Section Business Meeting (October 31, 2011), and a draft checklist of conference preparation activities.
Closing
Stephen Gilson closed the meeting at 1:00 PM (EST). The next Disability Section Council meeting will be held October 6, 2011 at 12:00 p.m. (EST). Minutes submitted by Meg Traci.
To: Steve Gilson, Chair, APHA Disability Section
Cc: Pooja Bhandari, APHA
From: Dot Nary, Disability Section Co-representative (with V. Vasudevan) at the Midyear Meeting
Date: 8/1/11
RE: Report on APHA Midyear Meeting; Implementing Health Reform
I have been an advocate of single-payer universal health care for years. The APHA Midyear Meeting did not change my perspective on what is needed to move our nation forward regarding health care reform. However, it greatly expanded my knowledge and understanding of the Affordable Care Act [ACA], raised my awareness of strategies that might be successful in advocating for health care reform, and linked me with others who are passionate about this issue. Participation in the meeting also reminded me of the truth in the idea that people with disabilities are the “litmus test” of whether our health care system will work for anyone. Following are my notes from the speakers/sessions that I attended. Of course, they represent my personal opinions and preferences, and do not necessarily represent those of the Disability Section or its members! Overall, given the health disparities experienced by the population of people with disabilities, we have a LOT of work to do to ensure that the needs of this population are adequately represented in the ACA and ongoing health reform efforts.
**I have electronic files with presentation slides and bios of many speakers that I am happy to share on request. Also there is a fair amount of info on the Midyear Meeting on the APHA website.
Opening Session
Celinda Lake (prominent pollster and political strategist for Democrats and progressives)
Due to a flight delay, I arrived late to glean some nuggets from her presentation
▪ An audience member asked why CL used the word “prevention” rather than “public health.” She responded that “public health” has a “downscale connotation.” How disturbing!
▪ Polls show that the public strongly supports infection and disease control. They assume it is covered in the Affordable Care Act, but it isn’t.
▪ Anglos believe that we have good health choices—minorities believe there are fewer choices. Better to say “we want to make health care choices easier for people.”
▪ Easier to strike a responsive chord by letting people conclude something instead of telling it to them.
Jennifer Granholm (former governor of Michigan and a dynamic speaker!)
▪ She began by providing some dismal figures of how our nation spends much more on a health care system that has poorer outcomes than many other nations.
▪ Perspective of a politician: What’s the difference in price between public and private health care?
▪ She asserted that the US spends more money for poorer outcomes for several reasons. One is competing vested interests. The other is creating a national health care system might mean poor government. That’s why we are willing to support illogical outcomes.
▪ Obama’s intervention in the auto industry in 2008 vastly improved Michigan’s economy—this was government intervention!
▪Making it in America—book by Andrew Librous (sp?) CEO, Dow Chemical—“passivity is no longer an effective economic strategy.’
▪ “The public health community is known for its activism. Let’s do an intervention with goals of maintaining outcomes of the ACA and preventing devastating cuts.
a. Volume—letters to editor, no form letters, name names, attend office hours, street theater
b. personal contact
Breakout Session - Fiscal Implications of Health Care Reform
▪ What are the gaps?
▪ What are the emerging best practices?
▪ What are the risks re: implementation?
▪ How do we address health disparities?
▪ What are communications we can use –effective messages?
Paul Jarret—Spoke on infrastructure cuts
▪ ACA Prevention & Public Health Fund—Title IV, Section 4002
▪ We will lose $$ targeted for public health if we don’t guard it (discretionary funding
always at risk)
▪ Need to maintain public health infrastructure
▪ Section 317—immunization program for children—builds vaccine registries—lost $71
million in base funding
▪ OMB loves competition—put ½ of vaccine $ in competitive grants –some states lose out
▪ WIC cut $523 million this year- CDC’s health emergency preparedness funded 12% below FY 2010
Challenges/Opportunities:
▪ Partnership for patients
▪ National health Care quality strategy
▪ Accountable care organizations
▪ National plan for action to end health disparities
Michael Botticelli—see his presentation on flash drive
Paul Kuehnert—See info on ADA at NACCHO website
Friday Morning General Session
Seeking Common Ground: Various Approaches to Improving Population Health
Susan Dentzer (NPR) moderated. Panelists included a long-time single payer advocate, a public health professor from Harvard, and the director of a health policy group co-founded by Gingrich and Daschle, now run by Gingrich.
▪ Health disparities due to race and ethnicity mentioned, but not disability
▪ “not about what the public thinks, but what people who VOTE think”
▪ 2012 election is critical to ACA being implemented or repealed
Julie Eckstein (Gingrich health policy group)—4 box model
▪ individual health—health literacy, social determinants
▪ community—how to have healthiest community”
▪ effective and efficient health service delivery
▪ financing of health care
Oliver Fein—challenge is to get radical, pass single payer-- 4 components to explain
▪ universal access to care/automatic enrollment (could one enroll during emergency room visit?)
▪ free choice
▪ comprehensive set of benefits
▪ public funding
Breakout Session – Achieving Prevention and Wellness (slides from these 3 speakers provide good background)
Janet Collins
▪ Need to advocate for release of the National Prevention Strategy
▪ 17 federal agencies participated in crafting plan, led by Surgeon General R. Benjamin
▪ 15 non-federal members (who?)
▪ Four strategic directions:
-Healthy and safe community environments
-Clinical and community preventive services
-Empowered people
-Elimination of health disparities (why is disability not mentioned?)
Larry Cohen
▪ See article in Huffington Post published 6/22/11
▪ Join rapid response network
▪ Note synergy between strategies
Judith Monroe
▪ Need fiscal intermediaries—local health depts don’t have resources to apply for grants
▪ How is disability integrated into local health department accreditation processes?
▪ Book by Tom Daschle recommended- Critical: What we can do about the health care crisis
▪ See www.healthcare.gov/nationalpreventioncouncil
Friday PM Plenary
Caya Lewis—director of CMS (Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services, DHHS
▪ 3 part aim—better care for individuals, better health for populations, reduced costs through improvement
1. Welcome to Medicare exam—completely covered
2. Prevention services—e.g. prostate screenings
3. Annual prevention plan visit
Medicaid—CMS website—recent blog re: Medicaid
New office at CMS specifically addressing dual eligible beneficiaries
New Medicare handbook—updated each year
PQRI—Precision Quality Reporting Initiative
Office of Minority Health (is there a corresponding Office of Disability Health??)
Partnerships for patients—medical mistakes in the health care system
Chronic care model at Stanford—check out—go to innovationcenter website
Breakout Session- Legal Challenges to Health Reform
Jane Perkins—4 lawsuits files on the day the ACA was signed into law—3/23/10
25 cases now—Federal District Court
25 more—Federal Court of Appeals
Alleged constitutional violations include:
Commerce clause—regulating inactivity (individual mandate)
10th amendment and spending clause
(see Powerpoint slide file for excellent overview of legal challenges) (also www.healthlaw.org)
--mandatory funding stream for public health prevention in ACA—has been called “slush fund for jungle gyms”
Ending Plenary Session (check out APHA Midyear Meeting blog site)
James Galloway -Assistant USPHS Surgeon General
“Hatred of government is a form of self-hatred.”
--budgetary issues—greatest assault on public health in history
“Somebody has to do it—it’s just amazing it has to be us.” Jerry Garcia
Check regs regarding Community Transformation Act (and goals)
Final speaker was Lawrence Wallack, DrPH, Dean, College of Urban and Public Affairs, Portland State University, College of Urban & Public Affairs. No slides available but he is an EXCELLENT speaker!
The meeting concluded with a luncheon for APHA section repts. We were seated with others from our state/federal region. Our conversation lead to a tentative plan to begin a Disability Section in the Kansas Public Health Association…
The nominees for APHA President-Elect are:
Linda Landesman
Adewale Troutman
The nominees for APHA Executive Board are:
Lisa Carlson
Durrell Fox
Ella Greene-Moton
Stephen Keener
Paul Meissner
Maile Taualii
The Governing Council will elect three Honorary Vice-Presidents to serve a one-year term.
Jose F. Cordero, MD, MPH - United States
Erica Di Ruggiero, BSc, MHSc, RD - Canada
Cuitlahuac Ruiz Matus, MD, MPA - Latin America and the Caribbean
You are encouraged to visit the candidate’s website to learn more about the nominees at
http://www.apha.org/about/gov/candidates/
Proposed Themes for 2013 Annual Meeting
The APHA Science Board would like to make three recommendations for the theme of 2013 meeting:
1) Making Science Work for Communities
Community can be defined locally or globally, and one aspect with which public health practitioners struggle is defining public health services-so that the public understands what is done, what public health has to offer and how useful & protective public health programs are.
To provide more & better information that is palatable, one suggestion is to teach public health workers & researchers how to tell their stories. Through innovative communication mechanisms, we transmit the scientific messages of public health in a memorable manner.
Other tools and methods can be described with subsequent applications and results. These may include research based on community situations & outcomes, community research partnerships and public health governmental system partnerships with other organizations such as primary medical care entities.
The title of this theme may require additional edits to gain more traction and interest. It is focused on how to explain the work of public health in the community.
Examples of session topics:
• How to market public health to the community
• How to combine stories and data to provide an understating of what public health program(s) does/do
• Working with community partners to promote public health
• Using translational research in practice organizations to improve community public health outcomes
• In US – how might public health change with the Affordable Care Act
2) The Science of Health Protection
Every APHA unit has some aspect of its practice that deals with the prevention of disease and/or the protection of good health. The inclusion of science emphasizes that our efforts must be grounded in evidence and guided by evaluation. Under this broad heading, each unit would have great latitude to showcase what strategies are working in its area, as well as where the leading edges are in finding and testing new programs. Valuable dialogue would be encouraged in areas where public health issues cross fields of practice or research.
This theme is versatile in appeal and interpretation. Examples of Special Session topics might include:
• Health protection as health promotion: How do best practices help level the playing field?
• Emerging health/safety threats in the 21st Century.
• Global economic development: health hazard and health opportunity
Any of these sessions might also focus on infectious disease, chronic disease, injury, violence, or any combination.
3) Think Global, Act Local: Best Practices Around the World
It is more important than ever to review, adapt and work with innovative and effective public health efforts from across the globe. Cross-cutting elements that make these programs (research-oriented and applied) successful will be discussed. This allows for a nuanced discussion of which factors make best practices around the globe unique to their situation, and which are the qualities transferable to other disciplines and locales. In that sense, this theme cuts across themes as much or more than it does across geography.
This has actually been a session as part of the International Health section’s program and has been one of the best attended. It also would seem particularly marketable. The meeting would be an opportunity for each Section/SPIG/Caucus to look at existing programs that were adopted/adapted from other settings, as well as nationwide efforts that have been adapted for use in different regions of the country.
Examples of areas which can be addressed in Special Sessions:
• In what ways does our health care system, with its diverse payer sources, support and/or detract from implementing successful policies and programs?
• Are there models of cost-effective strategies being used in other countries that could be successful here?
2011 APHA Disability Section Annual Meeting Conference Scholarships
September 1, 2011
The Disability Section of the American Public Health Association (APHA) in collaboration with the Association of University Centers on Disabilities (AUCD) is excited to announce four new $1000 conference travel scholarship opportunities for graduate students to attend the 2011 APHA Annual Meeting from October 29-November 2, 2011 in Washington, DC. This year's APHA Annual Meeting theme, "Healthy Communities Promote Healthy Minds and Bodies", explores successful community models and practices that can be adopted to reduce health disparities and improve health outcomes for all. The Disability Section will also have a Section meeting and a series of breakout sessions that will address a range of disability and health topics. This is a great opportunity to learn and discuss critical issues in public health and disabilities. Learn more about the 2011 APHA Annual Meeting.
Who is eligible?
All graduate students focusing their studies on disability and health at Universities throughout the US, including AUCD Network Trainees, students involved in the work of National Center on Birth Defects and Developmental Disabilities programs and initiatives, State Disability and Health grantees, LEND, UCEDD and IDDRC students, disability studies students, health professional students, etc.
How do I apply?
All applicants are required to submit a statement of interest, curriculum vitae, and one letter of recommendation via email to Danielle Webber. Applications are due to AUCD by September 12 at 5PM EST. Winners will be notified via email by September 30.
What will be expected of me?
Scholarship recipients will be expected to help out at the Disability Section Booth for at least two blocks of time during the conference, attend the Disability Section Chair's Forum, awards celebration and conference sessions and select one of the following to share their experience with other trainees. You may select from the following activities:
1. Submit a 300 word article for the Disability Section Newsletter and/or AUCD Health and Disability Digest.
2. Compose an e-mail to Disability Section and AUCD trainees on the experience of attending the conference
3. Start discussion board topic on AUCD Trainee Message Board OR initiate discussion thread on AUCD Trainee Group Facebook Page
Questions?
Please direct any questions you may have to: Danielle Webber, AUCD Senior Project Specialist by email or phone at 301-588-8252.