All hands on deck for better health

Improving community health requires a comprehensive approach, and all public health workers can be a part of it. An upcoming APHA meeting gives public health professionals a say in the discussion.

Registration is now open for APHA’s Policy Action Institute, offered in partnership with AcademyHealth and the de Beaumont Foundation.

During the Feb. 12 event in Washington, D.C., participants will engage with elected leaders and policy experts about critical public health issues facing the nation — with a special focus on social determinants of health. A roster of speakers will explore issues, such as access to care, transportation, environment, discrimination and income inequality.

The day’s highlights will include discussions with APHA member Abdul El-Sayed, MD, PhD, physician and host of the “America Dissected,” podcast series, and Joia Crear-Perry, MD, FACOG, National Birth Equity Collaborative founder and president.

Keynote speakers include Bechara Choucair, MD, senior vice president and chief community health officer at Kaiser Permanente; former Oklahoma City Mayor Mick Cornett; and APHA member Steven Woolf, MD, PhD, director emeritus of the Virginia Commonwealth University Center on Society and Health.

The Policy Action Institute agenda, with the theme of “All Hands on Deck: Improving Community Health,” is online now.

“We know that health will be greatly impacted by the upcoming election,” said Susan Polan, PhD, APHA’s associate executive director for public affairs and advocacy. “It’s important for people to understand that, wherever they sit, they have a role to play in community health.”

Space is limited for the institute and hotel rooms are filling up fast, so register now! Special savings are available for APHA members.