Massachusetts Public Health Association
Action for Equity in Health
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Fall is in the air and with it is the reminder that a new legislative session is right around the corner. MPHA is
working on a refresh of our policy priorities, identifying new priorities, as well as recommitting to ongoing campaigns. Learn more,
here
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MPHA's Annual Conference is just a month away! Join us for a keynote and response panel on environmental justice and the social determinants of health and choose from 6 breakout sessions on variety of timely health equity topics. RSVP and get more info, here.
Lastly, please take action to protect immigrant families. The Trump Administration recently proposed a "public charge" rule, which will force families to choose between their immigration status and their health. Please take a moment to comment on the proposed regulation. Learn more and take action, here.
In partnership,
Carlene Pavlos Executive Director
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Diane Jette |
In Remembrance of a Friend and Colleague
It is with great sadness that we share with you the passing of our friend and former colleague,
Diane Jette, who lost her courageous battle with cancer on September 4th, 2018.
Diane was MPHA's Operations Manager for five years before she left at the end of 2016 to take care of her health. During her time with MPHA, many of our members and partners got to know Diane, whose warmth and humor made her a quick friend to everyone she met. Diane was a deeply loved member of the MPHA community and is missed very much.
If you would like to share memories and express condolences to Diane's family,
click
here.
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Policy Notes
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2019-2020 Legislative Session Prep: MPHA Staff Meet with Community Leaders Across the Commonwealth
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MPHA Policy Council Members Angela Wangari Walter and Cristina Huebner Torres at the October 2018 meeting |
MPHA recognizes that at the root of health inequity is an imbalance of power in who has the ability to shape the decisions that impact health. This is why MPHA makes a priority of partnering with community leaders from across the Commonwealth who have
the ability to shape decisions for their own communities. We work with leaders who bring diverse perspectives and expertise and who represent a broad range of age, ethnic and racial identity, gender, and geography.
As MPHA prepares for the 2019-2020 legislative session, our Policy and Field team have visited with partners across the Commonwealth, from Pittsfield to Barnstable and New Bedford to Lawrence, to learn about the priority issues impacting health in Massachusetts communities. Leaders from community-based organizations as well as
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MPHA Executive Director Carlene Pavlos discusses a landscape analysis with members of MPHA's Policy Council
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statewide organizations help MPHA identify barriers to health equity, especially race- and economic-based barriers, and help determine possible policy solutions.
MPHA staff then compose a landscape analysis
to share with
MPHA's Policy Council
, who provide additional feedback and help determine if there are any gaps. Once the landscape analysis is complete, MPHA staff and Policy Council will use the Health Equity Policy Framework to narrow the list of policy solutions and identify policy priorities for the upcoming legislative session. MPHA's Board will vote on the 2019-2020 policy slate in December, 2018.
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MPHA and Community Catalyst Holding First in Series of Trainings for Community Benefits Advisory Committee Members
MPHA, in collaboration with
Community Catalyst, is holding the first in a series of trainings for Community Benefit Advisory Committee members. Attendees will receive information and strategies to aid them in working with hospitals to better align their Community Benefits spending with community needs.
Date: Monday, October 29th
Time: 8:30am-12pm
Click
here to RSVP. Click
here for more information.
MPHA and Community Catalyst will hold two additional trainings in early 2019 in Central and Northeastern Massachusetts.
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MPHA Field Director Andrea Freeman moderates panel at 2018 WMHEN Summit |
MPHA Field Director and Policy Director Team Up for Breakout Session at Health Equity Summit in Western MA
MPHA Field Director Andrea Freeman and Policy Director Maddie Ribble co-hosted a breakout session at the 2018
Western Massachusetts Health Equity Summit on September 14th. The session,
Democracy is NOT a Spectator Sport: You Can Impact Public Policy!, included a panel on a successful campaign for statewide policy followed by a skill-building workshop on how to
strategically focus advocacy efforts.
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Upcoming Events
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Gina McCarthy, Former U.S. EPA Administrator |
MPHA 2018 Annual Conference --Environmental Justice and Health Justice: Action for Healthy Neighborhoods
Gina McCarthy, Former U.S. EPA Administrator and Professor of Practice at Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, will give the morning keynote address followed by a responsive panel of local experts and activists addressing the social determinants of health and environmental justice in their communities.
The afternoon will include six breakout sessions on a variety of topics impacting health equity.
Date: Thursday, November 15th
Time: 8:30am-3:00pm
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Join us on October 30th for a Massachusetts Food Trust Launch Event and Info Session in Worcester
Date: Tuesday, October 30th
Time: 1-4pm
Click here to RSVP. Click here for more information.
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