Report
to the Membership
Download
this report as a Word file
July
2006
Dear Colleagues:
As
your President, I am delighted to report that
our organization has been very active
over
the past months in a wide variety of arenas,
a partial listing and description of which
follows. Our efforts could be multiplied
with more help from our membership, so
please view
these tales of accomplishments not only as
informational reports but also as invitations
for you to get more involved. If you see
an area in which you are interested,
contact the
person signing the article or whose name
is mentioned. If you are passionate about
an issue
and it DOESN’T appear in these pages,
tell us about it—we can always create
another Task Force to look at it—and
you might even chair it!
We
look forward to expanding our efforts to serve
you, our members, in meeting your
academic and
professional needs. All Governing Council
meetings are open to members and we encourage
you to
lend your voice and energy to create and
sustain a
bigger and ever better CPHA-N.
Robert
Benjamin, MD, MPH
New
California State Department of Public Health
(SB162-Ortiz)
The
last issue of Public Health Watch described
in some detail the efforts
to create a
new Department of Public Health. We
have continued
these efforts
through coordination of direct actions
by CPHA-N and our partners in SCPHA,
the California
Center
for Public Health Advocacy, along with
the California Medicine and Public
Health Leadership
Forum,
to support and amend SB162. Members
have participated in meetings with DHS Director
Shewry and key
legislative staff. Marty Martinez,
our
Legislative Committee Chair has submitted
the following
synopsis of the evolution of the new
department and its
current status.
Earlier
this year, California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger
called for
the reorganization of the California
Department
of Health
Services
and the creation of a new Department
of Public Health. The new Department
would
be responsible
for programs addressing chronic disease,
communicable disease, emergency preparedness
and food, water,
and drug safety. It would be led
by the state public health officer. Other
health
services
would remain in a reorganized Department
of Health Services.
The
new department must be created through legislative
action. Senator
Deborah Ortiz,
the Democratic
chair of the Senate Health Committee,
has a bill, SB 162, calling for
the creation of the
new department,
and she and the Governor have been
working together to iron out details.
As of this
writing, the
bill has passed out of the Senate
and has
cleared the Assembly Health Committee.
The
Governor is selling his support of the new
department as a means
of increasing
emergency
preparedness, citing New Orleans
as an example of an unprepared
locality. But
there are
other benefits to a separate
Department of Public
Health,
including an increased focus
on prevention and the elimination
of the root causes
of racial and ethnic health disparities,
as
well as addressing
the built environment and the
multiplicity of
causes of obesity and diabetes.
CPHA-N
and its counterpart, the Southern California
Public
Health Association,
sent a joint letter
supporting the creation of
a separate Department of Public
Health. We
strongly believe a
separate department will allow
the State to focus
more intently on improving
our communities’ health.
However, we also believe the
Governor’s
proposal, and the current bill,
should be modified. For instance, we
have
stated our belief that
it is important for there to
be a Board of Public Health to provide
both expert
guidance to the
new Department, as well as
more direct linkages to impacted communities.
Most
importantly, and the greatest potential stumbling
block,
is that the Governor
has insisted that the reorganization
of these
two departments
be budget-neutral, meaning
that no additional public
monies would
go
into the new Departments.
This, we believe, is not
acceptable. The Department of Health
Services,
as it is
currently configured
is under-funded and there
will be transitional costs associated
with
the reorganization
that require funding. Creating
a new Department without
providing
sufficient
funding to
enable it to
carry out its mission is
dooming it to failure. However, we
believe that it
is important
to
have a new Department of
Public Health,
and support
its creation now while we
work to secure an additional infusion
of
funds next
year. If
approved by the
Legislature, the reorganization
would take effect on July
1,
2007.
United
States Trade Representative
(USTR)
For decades, the United
States Trade Representative
had
been the purview
of large business
interests with little to
no thought given to the
greater public health impact
of decisions
made to market or restrict
trade,
goods and
services.
Through
the efforts of Ellen Shaffer
and your Governing Council,
CPHA-N, along with
several other
organizations, brought
suit against the USTR in
order
that
public health be at the
table and
part of the process
of international trade
decisions.
CPHA-North
is helping to lead an important campaign
to safeguard
and advance the
population’s
health. The United States
is currently negotiating
trade agreements that
can
provide a basis for
altering domestic laws
and policies at the state,
local and federal levels,
as well as those of
our trading partners.
CPHA-N has joined
APHA, the Center for
Policy Analysis on Trade
and Health
(CPATH), and other organizations
concerned with the impacts
of international trade
on the health
of individuals, communities
and populations,
to ensure that our concerns
are taken into account
in developing U.S. trade
policy.
Why is the public health
sector interested in
trade agreements?
One reason is
that recent trade
agreements have expanded
to address fundamental
public health measures
and protections.
Consider:
- California
was enjoined for many years from removing the
carcinogenic MTBE as a gasoline
additive, in part because of a NAFTA trade dispute.
- In
1998, 39 multinational pharmaceutical companies
filed a lawsuit
to prevent the South African government from
purchasing affordable generic
versions of
HIV/AIDS drugs from other countries, and to
enforce the companies’ patents
on those drugs
under a World Trade Organization
agreement,
Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property
Rights (TRIPS).
The suit was
dropped in 2001 only after an outcry from public
health.
- The
U.S.-Australia Free Trade Agreement curtails
the U.S.’ right
to re-import
affordable
prescription
drugs from
abroad.
- Trade
rules have been used to discourage tobacco
control measures such as plain packaging.
Current agreements eliminate tobacco tariffs, both
lowering the price of some brands, and also
changing the marketplace through greater competition
and brand
proliferation,
with more targeted marketing to women and young
people.
A
second more general reason is that recent trade
agreements provide advantages to
corporations
active in the global economy that undermine
key
foundations
of healthy societies, including democracy
and sustainable
economic development.
Public
health advocates wrote to the U.S.
Trade Representative (USTR) in
May, 2005,
seeking
representation
on several of its influential federal Industry
Trade Advisory
Committees (ITACs). CPATH reported that these committees
included
42 representatives
of the pharmaceutical,
tobacco, alcohol, processed food, and health services
industries,
but not one person from public
health. The U.S. Government Accountability Office
also
noted that: “new
stake holders
in the trade
process such
as public
health…have…no
participation
in the formal
committee
system, even
though topics
such
as intellectual
property
are of interest
to them….” (GAO-02-876
International
Trade)
We
told the USTR that
it is important
for
Congress,
the
U.S. Trade
Representative
(USTR)
and the Department
of Commerce
to
receive
information
and guidance
from
the public
health
and health care
communities
on trade
negotiations
which
affect
the public’s health, and
to benefit
from a transparent public debate.
Since then,
there have
been a
number
of victories.
Eric
Lindblom
of
the Campaign
for Tobacco
Free
Kids,
and Shawn
Brown of
the Generic
Pharmaceutical
Association,
were
both appointed
to advisory
committees.
In December,
2005, the
USTR
announced
it would
appoint
public
health
representatives
to two
important
committees
that
deal with
intellectual
property
issues
related
to
pharmaceuticals.
In June,
influential
members
of
Congress
from California,
including
Reps. Henry
Waxman,
Barbara
Lee,
and Pete
Stark
joined
Senator
Ted
Kennedy
and others
to encourage
USTR to
act on
this
intention.
CPHA-N
signed
a support
letter
initiated
by
CPATH to
support
a
successful
Waxman-Lee
amendment
that prohibits
these
two committees
from spending
money until
they are
fairly
balanced.
At
the same
time, CPHA-N
is a
plaintiff in a
lawsuit
seeking
to compel
the USTR
to add
public
health
representatives
to a
number of additional
advisory
committees
that
deal
with health
care
services and other
important
issues.
In
late
June, the public
interest
law firm
Earthjustice
informed
us that
we
lost
a preliminary
decision
in this
case
based
on a technical
consideration.
We are
working
with
our allies
to determine
the
best
course for
prevailing
on achieving
greater
transparency
and
accountability
to public
health
in U.S.
trade
policy.
For
more information
on
trade and health,
and
the
campaign for public
health
representation,
you
are invited
to
visit CPATH’s website:
www.cpath.org,
or to call CPATH Co-Director Ellen Shaffer,
at 415-933-6204.
Continuing
Education
California
Public Health
Association-North’s
2006 Annual Meeting on March 29-30,
Rebuilding California: Designs for
Healthy Living from City
to Farm, succeeded well beyond expectations
to draw from among the best and brightest
across
the State to present on the numerous
facets of the health connection to the “built
environment”.
More than 30 experts and leaders from
multiple disciplines and sectors—public
law, public health, environmental science,
economics, agriculture,
advocacy--presented a fast-paced, well-attended
set of panels covering a number of
new and continuing aspects of California’s
built environment. Especially highlighted
were the myriad connections
between urban and rural community design
and the growing “diseases” of
obesity and physical inactivity, respiratory
illnesses,
and reactions to environmental exposures.
More than 150 attendees packed downtown
Oakland’s
Preservation Park’s meeting quarters
for the 1 1⁄2
-day conference.
Besides
the lively training on land use and
walkability audits,
along with ample continuing education
credits, attendees
enjoyed the networking
time and opportunities to meet CPHA-N
and Governing Council
members. There was such enthusiasm
and interest expressed about the
public health/built environment
nexus that the CPHA-N Governing
Council
will be supporting and promoting
additional conferences,
continuing education, and other program
efforts with this
focus as a priority for its program
agenda for the next couple
of years.
For more information or to provide
suggestions for future
programs in this area, please contact
Jacquolyn Duerr,
MPH, at jduerr@dhs.ca.gov or (916)
449-5707.
In
an effort
to outreach
into the
Central Valley,
and through
collaboration with
the State
Department of
Health’s
Infectious Disease Branch, STD Branch,
Tuberculosis Control
Branch, and
Immunization Branches, UCSF/
Fresno and UC Merced and Alta Bates/Summit
Medical Center, CPHA-N was able to
offer an Infectious
Disease
Update in Fresno, which was enthusiastically
received
by Central Valley health professionals.
We are looking forward to providing
similar presentations in other
parts of northern and central
California in the coming years.
CEUs
were, as
always, offered
by CPHA-N,
but through
partnering with
Alta Bates
Summit Medical
Center, we
were able
to provide
CMEs at
our Infectious
Diseases Update
program. In
collaboration with
our partner
organization, NCSOPHE,
CPHA-N was
able to
offer units
to Health
Educators. Thanks
to Elizabeth
Edwards and
Joyce Lisbin.
Larry
Vitale, Chair
of our
Continuing Education
Committee, has
been instrumental
in setting
up a
CEU program
with Spanish
Language Institute
for training
in medical
Spanish, in
Kukulkan, Mexico.
CPHA-N will
grant CEUs
through the
Institute. CPHA-N
members will
get a
discount on
tuition. See
our website
for more
information. Dental
Continuing Education
As
part of
our mission
of serving
many disciplines
of public
health professionals,
we have
been working
with the
California Dental
Health Foundation
to provide
CEUs for
pediatric nurse
practitioners who
attended the “First Smiles” program.
Additionally, CPHA-N has just
been certified as a Dental CE provider,
for all oral health professionals.
Dr. Howard Pollick is
serving as chair of that subcommittee.
Breaking
Bread Over
the Public’s
Health
The
CPHA-N Occupational/Environmental
Health
Section sponsors
a series
of Brown
Bag Seminars
held on
a periodic
basis at
lunch time
in downtown
Oakland. These
seminars typically
include one
or two
speakers/discussants, with
time
allocated for
questions and
discussion.
These
events seek
to bring
together occupational
and environmental public health
professionals, and
health and
environmental activists
to learn
more about
a topic
and of
potential linkages
between occupational,
public and
environmental health
issues. Since
last fall,
we have
held four
well-attended seminars
covering a
multitude of
issues:
- In
October 2005, we hosted Tom Lent from the
Healthy Building Network who spoke on: Building Green in Health Care: Linkages
between Sustainability
and Occupational and Patient Health.
- In
December 2005, Gretchen Lee from the Breast
Cancer Fund and Davis Baltz of Commonweal
spoke on Biomonitoring: Measuring Chemicals
in the
Body to Better Protect the Public’s
Health: The Potential and the
Pitfalls.
- So
far in 2006, Bill Sheehan, Director of the
Product Policy Institute spoke about: The California Hazardous Product Ban:
A perfect storm for advancing
producer responsibility, and Sue Chang of
Green Action and Pat Sutton, Occupational
Health Branch,
CDHS spoke on Medical Waste Disposal Practices:
Protecting workers and communities
better.
- In
May, the topic was Nail Salon Workers’ Health:
From Chemical Exposures to Changes in Policy:
Making a Difference in
the Shop, where
we heard
from Thu Quash, of the Northern California Cancer
Center and Julia Lieu,
with Asian Health Services.
Many
thanks to
our Association
members: David
Harrington, Ann
Blake and
Toni Stein
for organizing
these interesting
sessions. More
sessions are
planned. If
you would
like to
be notified
about them
and/or have
a topic
suggestion
contact:
David
Harrington at
dharring@dhs.ca.gov. News from the American Public Health Association
Giorgio
Piccagli, our President elect, has
been aptly serving as our Affiliate
Representative
to APHA and has been involved in several
exciting projects.
Annual
Meeting. This year’s Annual
Meeting, the 134th, will take place
in Boston, Nov 4-8.
The theme is Public Health and Human Rights.
On Saturday and Sunday, there will be Continuing
Education Institutes on a variety of topics
including: “Integrating
Informatics Principles in Public Health”, “Working
with Communities to Analyze Data,” “Measuring
Nutrition Environments in Communities,” and “Strengthening
PH Infrastructure“ among others. To
obtain more information and/or to register
on line,
go to http://www.apha.org/meetings/.
Focus
on the States. For the last several
years, APHA has increasingly
focused on the
state
associations (“the affiliates”).
This focus has culminated in a $5.9 million
grant to help strengthen
the infrastructure of APHA’s state
and regional affiliated public health associations.
CPHA-N was instrumental in strengthening
the
grant application to Kellogg. Details http://apha.org/news/press/2006/0706_apha_receivesgrant.htm.
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