Budget
Action
MPHA is
working on several fronts to advocate for public
health
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MPHA intern, Thea
Ivester, staffs a table at a Coalition for
School-Based Health Centers lobby day at
the
State
House | funding in the Fiscal Year 2008 budget.
We’re engaging the public health community on issues of
common concern, while championing key programs with the
Patrick administration and the legislature.
On
February 5, we delivered letters
signed by 45 state and local
public health leaders to
top legislators and administration officials. The
letters noted that half of the FY07 increase in funding
to the Department of Public Health was from supplemental
appropriations made in FY06. We urged support for
incorporating that supplemental funding into the FY08
budget, in order to avoid damaging program
cuts.
We also
delivered letters to
the entire
legislature making the
case for MPHA’s top five budget priorities. MPHA
is continuing its long-standing leadership in support of
immunizations, school health services, the state
laboratory, and hepatitis C. This year, MPHA has
added a new DPH line item to the list: environmental
health services, which includes a number of vital
programs such as indoor air quality and food
safety.
Please
visit MPHA’s web site to email
your legislators in support of public health spending in the FY08
budget.
For more
information, or to get involved, contact Eric Weltman at
MPHA: 617-524-6696, ext. 111; eweltman@mphaweb.org.
Budget
Briefing
MPHA is hosting a budget briefing and strategy
session for coalition partners and members on Thursday,
February 15, at 10:00 am. The meeting will be held
in the Piemonte Room on the 5th floor of Boston City
Hall.
The
briefing will feature Noah Berger, Executive Director of
the Massachusetts Budget
and Policy
Center, who will
discuss the state's fiscal condition and what it
means for the FY08 budget. We will also share
advocacy plans and strategies for boosting public health
in the FY08 budget.
For more
information, or to RSVP, contact Eric Weltman at MPHA:
617-524-6696, ext. 111; eweltman@mphaweb.org.
Healthy
Start for Safer Alternatives
The
Safer Alternatives bill has gotten off to a very healthy
start. Sponsored by Representative Jay Kaufman and
Senator Steven Tolman, the bill promotes alternatives to
dangerous toxic chemicals contained in many common
household products. It is the legislative priority
for the Alliance for
a Healthy
Tomorrow, a coalition of health, labor,
environmental, and religious organizations, of which
MPHA is an active member.
In
December and January, the coalition mobilized with the
goal of signing up half of the legislature as
co-sponsors of the bill. We went beyond that goal,
enlisting over half: 83 representatives (out of 160),
and 25 senators (out of 40).
AHT is
building on this momentum by organizing a major
State
House event in honor of Mother’s Day. On
Thursday, May 10, from 10:00am to 1:00pm, we will
be sending a message to legislators and the Patrick
administration about the importance of protecting our
families from toxic chemicals.
For more
information, or to get involved, contact Eric Weltman at
MPHA: 617-524-6696, ext. 111; eweltman@mphaweb.org.
School Nutrition Bill Strategy
SessionRepresentative Peter Koutoujian has reintroduced
legislation to prevent childhood obesity by prohibiting
the sale of junk food  and sugar-packed drinks in
Massachusetts public schools. The
bill is a top priority for MPHA.
Please
join us for a meeting to discuss how to raise awareness
about the bill and encourage our elected officials to
take action. The meeting, sponsored by MPHA’s Food
and Nutrition Section, is on Wednesday, March 7, 6:00pm
- 8:00pm pm. It is being held at the MPHA office
in Jamaica Plain (click here for directions).
For
more information, or to RSVP, contact Roberta Friedman
at MPHA: 617-524-6696, ext. 103; rfriedman@mphaweb.org.
Environmental and Occupational Health
Section
In
January, MPHA’s Environmental and Occupational Health
Section held a successful forum on urban environmental
health issues. Thirty people joined us to hear
Penn Loh, of Alternatives
for Community and
Environment, discuss
environmental justice legislation, and Roseann
Bongiovanni, of the Chelsea Green Space Committee, describe efforts to oppose building a power
plant across the street from an elementary
school.
For more
information, or to get involved, contact Eric Weltman at
MPHA: 617-524-6696, ext. 111; eweltman@mphaweb.org.
Public Health Nurses Section
Meeting
MPHA’s Public Health Nurses Section is meeting on
Monday, February 12, 9:00am – 11:00am in the board room
at the American Heart Association, 20 Speen Street,
Framingham. Join us as we strategize on ways to
further MPHA's mission, follow up on last year's
successful meeting with nurse legislators, and look at
possible forums and events the section may hold.
Non-section members are welcome!
For more
information or to get involved, contact Roberta Friedman
at MPHA: 617-524-6696, ext. 103; rfriedman@mphaweb.org.
MetroWest
Organizing
The Childhood Obesity
Prevention Initiative in Framingham continues to move
forward. With support from MPHA, the Health
Advisory Committee, a school-based coalition of parents,
teachers, school health professionals, and community
members, convened a successful meeting in January where
committee members discussed recent improvements in the
Framingham public school lunch program, ways to promote
healthier school wellness standards, and how to better
serve and support students with severe food
allergies.
MPHA is
also collaborating with the Brazilian American
Association and a consortium of churches in the region
to organize the first Brazilian American Health Fair, an
event linking Brazilian Americans living in Framingham
to health care providers and health education services
in the region. The event is on February 14th,
11:00am - 4:00pm at the New Life Presbyterian
Church.
For more
information or to get involved, contact Greer Harewood
at MPHA: 617-524 - 6696 ext. 104; gharewood@mphaweb.org.
Central
Massachusetts Organizing
MPHA is
continuing its efforts on emergency preparedness for
vulnerable populations, while planning additional work
on environmental health and other regional
matters.
In
January, MPHA held a meeting at the Worcester Public
Library to identify action steps stemming from feedback
from last fall’s emergency preparedness forum.
Individuals representing numerous organizations,
including AIDS Project Worcester and the Worcester Senior Center, attended, and signed up for continued
planning.
At the
next regional committee meeting on Friday, March 23,
Cathy O'Connor from the DPH Office of Healthy
Communities will discuss Community Health Network Areas
(CHNAs) in order to facilitate a discussion about
expanding our work throughout the central Massachusetts
region. Also in the works is a strategy session,
sometime in April, to discuss work on the Safer
Alternatives bill.
Western Massachusetts
Organizing
In western Massachusetts, MPHA has been tackling
school nutrition, regionalization of public health, and
the Safer Alternatives bill.
We
continue to work on securing resources to plant an
edible garden at the Sullivan School in Holyoke. Our
activities on the Belchertown Wellness Committee are
progressing, including the drafting of guidelines on
non-edible fundraising activities.
Epi Bodhi,
director of the Amherst Health
Department and regional committee
member, has volunteered to work on the upcoming
regionalization forums in western Massachusetts.
On the environmental front, MPHA helped secure
legislative sponsors for the Safer Alternatives bill,
including Representatives Ben Swan and John
Scibak.
For more
information, or to get involved, contact AJ Juarez at
MPHA: 413-750-2060; ellis6065@charter.net.
Spring
Celebration
Please join us on Thursday, April 26, 2007
at The Boston Park Plaza for Our Health, Our
Future, MPHA's 5th Annual Spring
Celebration!
Sponsorship opportunities are available. For more
information, contact Kara Keenan at MPHA:
617-524-6696, ext. 113; kkeenan@mphaweb.org.
On-Line
Learning
The
Massachusetts Department of Public Health has recently
updated the online course, "Partners in Prevention:
Infectious Disease Surveillance, Reporting and Control
in Massachusetts," and will now be offering it
through the Local Public Health Training Institute of
Massachusetts website. For more information,
visit www.masslocalinstitute.org.
Renew your membership
today!
MPHA has won important
victories in recent months and your voice and your
membership were critical to these victories. We
have an ambitious agenda laid out for the coming months
and we need your continued support. Please
take a moment to renew your membership, online or by mail, today! For more
information, contact Kara Keenan: 617-524-6696 ext.113;
kkeenan@mphaweb.org.
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