Thank you Dr. Thomas Maynard Harris!

Health Officer

Floyd County Health Department

"Dr. Harris joined the Army Reserves in 1983. He has been deployed to Saudi Arabia, Egypt, El Salvador and Ecuador as well as being called up for medical back up during the 1996 Olympics in Atlanta. He was deployed to Afghanistan for Enduring Freedom and was a Medical Task Force Commander at Camp Bondsteel in Kosovo for Peacekeeping Mission. After 22 years of medical service in the US Army on 5 Continents as an ER doctor, flight surgeon and Task Force Commander, he decided to be the Health Officer in Floyd County while working full time at our local hospital as an ER doctor.

He has worked endless hours during the COVID-19 pandemic with the schools, media, COVID-19 vaccine line, and testing site. Floyd County Health Department was one of the first local health departments in Indiana to start testing for COVID-19 due to his leadership. Dr. Harris has extensive training in Biological and Chemical warfare, Hazmat response, and disaster and rescue medicine and has made sure all his employees at the health department have had training so they will be safe. His life has been about serving his country and his community and always looking out for others' safety and wellbeing. Dr. Harris is a devoted husband and father of three sons. He is being submitted for this award because of his passion for serving others and keeping his community safe."

Submitted by Charlotte Bass

You can nominate a Public Health Hero too!

We're accepting nominations to feature Indiana's public health heroes each month, including the governmental and non-governmental workforce, professionals in community-based organizations, clinical care partners, academic faculty and staff, and students. Use this form to nominate a peer, colleague, or even yourself!

The Indiana Public Health Association is seeking new board members! As we continue to focus on advocating for health equity and supporting the public health workforce in 2022, IPHA board members have a unique opportunity to contribute to the future of public health for all Hoosiers. Board members are vital in organizational planning and decision making and participate in monthly board meetings and at least one committee. Because of the variety of activities IPHA supports, there are plenty of opportunities to participate on committees and special projects that fit with candidates’ interests and skills. Apply today or share the application with a connection you think would be a great fit! Apply at https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/IPHAPotentialBoardMembers.

Welcome to our newest IPHA members who joined us in January!

• Brenda Biggs
• Wase Abdul
• Dana Carter
• Khala Hochstedler
• Katherine Hernandez
• Jessica McDuff

• Kiana Brothers
• John Pierce
• Brien Nash
• Robin Vida
• Melody Jordahl-Iafrato

Are you a university student in Indiana? Do you have an interest in public health?

We want YOU to join the inaugural IPHA Student Advisory Group! As a member of this group, you will improve student engagement opportunities by serving as a key liaison between public health students statewide and IPHA leadership.

To join, apply here: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/22IPHASAGAPP

Applications due by February 18, 2022.

February is Black History Month: a time to reflect on and honor the history and culture of African Americans while planning for the future of health equity. Here are some action steps to take this month (and year-round) to commit to increasing health equity for the Black community:

• Learn about health equity with resources and reports from APHA
• Join the 2022 Indiana Minority Health Coalition Virtual Action Day (and check out their podcast!)
• Use this APHA toolkit to conduct an Equity, Diversity, & Inclusion assessment of your own organization to champion equity from within
• Explore resources and updates from the National Collaborative for Health Equity
• Participate in the All of Us Research program, which aims to diversify health data
• Check out Human Impact Partner's federal public health equity advocacy work
• Register for the National Council for Mental Wellbeing and Region V Public Health Training Center's Racial Equity Workshop Series. Up to 30 public health professionals can participate in this no-cost series (March 2, May 4, and June 1, all 12-2 p.m. ET). Email SeidaleS@TheNationalCouncil.org to register before February 18!
• Join us for monthly Health Equity Action Team meetings. Register here.

As the nation faces historic shortages in blood supply, milk banking is seeing the same phenomenon. Milk banking is often not as publicly recognized as blood banking, but it is vital to caring for NICU patients and critically ill infants. You can read this blog post to learn more about milk banking and how to become a donor. You can support The Milk Bank by sharing this information and helping potential donors learn about the urgent need and opportunity!

Our intern Sara Suisman, an MPH student at the IUPUI Richard M. Fairbanks School of Public Health, was nominated for the Intern of the Year IMPACT Award celebrating internship excellence! You can read her nomination under "Intern of the Year" here.

Upcoming IPHA Meetings:

IPHA Policy & Advocacy Meeting

TODAY, Wednesday, February 16, 2-4:00 p.m.

Click here to register.

Governor's Public Health Commission Meeting

Thursday, February 17, 1:00 p.m.

Click here for the livestream link.

Health Equity Action Team Meeting

Thursday, February 24, 1:30-3:00 p.m.

Click here to register.

Other Public Health Events & Resources:

Jobs/Volunteer Opportunities:

• The 2022 VolunTEEN Eskenazi Summer Program is for high schoolers interested in healthcare careers. Learn more here.

• The Indiana Rural Health Association is hiring! View their open Data Coordinator and Program Coordinator roles here.

• The Indiana Community Health Workers Association is hiring ten District Health Equity Community Health Workers. Learn more and apply here.

• The Indiana Department of Health Tobacco Prevention and Cessation team is hiring a Data Analyst. Learn more here.

Events:

• TODAY: Public Health Prepared is offering a free live training series on Effective Communication. The first training, Crisis & Emergency Risk Communication, will be February 16 at 12 p.m. ET. Register here. The second training, Three Ideas to Make Your Messages Stick, will be February 17 at 12 pm. ET. Register here.

Resources:

• The Coalition to End Social Isolation is seeking input from organizations that address or plan to address social isolation, loneliness, or social connection in older adults. Complete the survey here.

• The American Lung Association's 20th Annual "State of Tobacco Control" report is published. Read it here.

• Region 6 & the National Library of Medicine have three new funding opportunities:
• Health Information Outreach Award (Learn more here.)
• Research and Data Outreach Award (Appy here.)
• Student Development Award (Learn more here.)

• The Indiana Department of Health is requesting applications from local and statewide service providers for the Health Issues and Challenges Grant Program. Learn more and apply here. (Applications due March 31)

• The Indiana Youth Institute released the Executive Summary of the 2022 KIDS COUNT Data Book, which shows Indiana as ranked 29th nationally for child well-being. Read the summary here.

• It's APHA's 150th Anniversary this year! View the 2022 event calendar here.

• Public Health and You trainings from Expand: Indiana University's Portal to Professional Education are available online.