Uncertainties Raise Concerns on 2006 State Budget A $900 million structural deficit in the Massachusetts state budget and looming uncertainties over
Medicaid and education funding make it likely that advocates face another uphill battle over the state public health budget this year. Governor Romney is expected to release his House 1 budget proposals for Fiscal Year 2006 on January 26. The governor put health care access at the center of his policy agenda in his January 13 State of the State address, but his refusal to consider broad-based tax increases raises questions about whether the governor can achieve his stated goal of making Massachusetts "the first state in the nation where every one of its citizens has health care coverage." Read on...
Influenza Vaccine: Crisis and Response
by Donna Lazorik, Public Health Nursing Section Chair and
Adult Immunization Coordinator for the Massachusetts Department of Public Health
Influenza is widely recognized as a serious disease, responsible for an estimated 36,000 deaths nationally and 800 deaths in Massachusetts every year. Influenza vaccine is the most effective means we have for preventing influenza. The announcement this October that problems in a production plant in Great Britain would result in a shortage of influenza vaccine in the United States highlighted the vulnerability of our nation's vaccine supply.
Full article.
 MPHA Helps Launch Anti-Toxic Campaign
MPHA and its partners in the Alliance for a Healthy Tomorrow (AHT) held a State House press conference on December 20 to launch a campaign to require the use of safer substitutes for toxic chemicals currently found in a wide array of household products. The AHT coalition called on
Governor Romney to issue an executive order that would require the state to use existing legal authority to protect public health and strengthen the Massachusetts economy. MPHA helped draft the executive order, which includes specific directives to the Department of Public Health (DPH) and the Department of Environmental Affairs. DPH would be required to take action on PVC products used by children, cosmetics and personal care products, and pesticides used in an around the home. Full article.
MPHA leads fight to ban junk food in schools
The childhood overweight epidemic is growing relentlessly, with approximately 10 percent of 2-to-5-year-olds and 16 percent of 6-to-19 year-old children in the country overweight or obese. The sources of the epidemic are many and demand varied solutions, but one whose importance is increasingly being recognized is to rid public schools of the high-fat, high-calorie snacks and empty-calorie soft drinks
that tempt Massachusetts children throughout the day and contribute to their unhealthy weight gain. Overweight and obesity put children at increased risk for chronic diseases such as Type 2 diabetes, hypertension, asthma, heart disease, certain cancers, sleep apnea, gallbladder disease, and ultimately for premature death. Full article.
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MPHA to honor Prothrow-Stith with Revere Award, Hager with Frechette AwardOn May 4th, 2005, the Massachusetts Public Health Association (MPHA) will be honoring public health leaders Deborah Prothrow-Stith, MD, MPH, and Christie Hager, JD, MPH at its annual celebration and awards dinner, "Breaking Ground: Our Health, Our Future." MPHA will be presenting Dr. Prothrow-Stith with the Paul Revere Award -- MPHA's highest honor, named for the nation's first health officer -- for her noteworthy contributions to public health. Christie Hager will receive the Frechette Award, given annually by MPHA to a young professional of high accomplishment and promise in public health. We hope you will join us in thanking them for making Massachusetts a safer and healthier state. Full article. Download event flier (pdf).
National Report Ranks Massachusetts Among Least Prepared StatesTrust for America's Health (TFAH), a national public health advocacy organization based in Washington, D.C., ranked Massachusetts with Alaska as the two states least prepared for
a public health emergency. In a report released last December 14, "Ready Or Not: Protecting the Public's Health in the Age of Bioterrorism," TFAH found that Massachusetts met only three of ten standards established by TFAH to measure the strength of state public health infrastructures. The report attracted widespread media attention, including coverage on national television networks and major daily newspapers. Read on...
Childhood Healthy Weight and Other Advocacy in Central Mass
The curtain has closed on the joint effort of
Foodplay Productions and MPHA to provide FOODPLAY and This Is Your Life free of charge to central MA schools. Not because the shows were unsuccessful, but because the two-year grant used to fund the performances ended on December 31st. Read on...
Exciting Developments for MPHA in Western Mass
The MPHA regional committee has begun to discuss local public health concerns that are unique to our region. Our committee is currently focusing on developing a regional legislative agenda, and has formed a committee to examine the needs of our urban, suburban, and rural communities. As part of these efforts, the committee is working towards continuing the dialogue begun by Commissioner Ferguson's office during the Public Health in the 21st Century regional community forums. Full article.
"SURVEY SAYS"
The Epidemiology and Laboratory Section Members Speak Out
In early 2004, members of the Epidemiology and Laboratory Section of MPHA were asked about their membership in MPHA. Co-chairs Pat Kludt and Al DeMaria, interested in knowing more about members' expectations about MPHA in general and the Epidemiology and Laboratory Section in particular, developed and sent out a survey. Full article.
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