American Public Health Association Concludes 133rd Annual Meeting

The American Public Health Association (APHA) concludes its 133rd Annual Meeting in Philadelphia today where over 11,000 public health professionals from around the world came together to discuss the pressing issues in public health for 2005 and the future. Originally scheduled to take place in New Orleans, the meeting was moved to Philadelphia and the impact of the 2005 Gulf Coast hurricanes dominated many of the discussions.

“Whether it’s preparing for and responding to disasters, working to prevent the spread of the flu virus or helping more people live healthier lives, the public health community is dedicated to protecting the health of all Americans,” said Georges C. Benjamin, MD, FACP, executive director of the American Public Health Association. “In Philadelphia, we came together to learn, to plan and to join hands in this effort.”

U.S. Senator John Kerry, Arkansas Governor and National Governors Association Chairman Mike Huckabee and public health officials from the Gulf Coast kicked off the meeting on Sunday, Dec. 11, 2005. Over the next three days there were more than 1,000 scientific presentations (abstracts are available at www.apha.org/meetings). The meeting closes today with comments from John R. Lumpkin, MD, MPH of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and J. Michael McGinnis, MD, MPP of the Institute of Medicine.

Highlights of the meeting included the release by APHA, the United Health Foundation and Partnership for Prevention of a report ranking the healthiness of U.S. states (for more information, visit www.americashealthrankings.org) and the adoption of new policies by APHA’s governing body. In particular, the governing body approved policies related to:

• Influenza Vaccination – developing a comprehensive public health approach to influenza vaccination;

• Hurricanes Katrina and Rita – protecting rescue and recovery workers and ensuring access to care of victims;

• Oral health in Alaska and other underserved communities – supporting programs to expand network of dental care through use of dental health aids and therapists; and

• Pharmacists and Prescription Contraception – ensuring that patients are able to fill contraception prescriptions at pharmacies.

Next year's APHA Annual Meeting will be held Nov. 4-8, 2006, in Boston.

Founded in 1872, the APHA is the oldest, largest and most diverse organization of public health professionals in the world. The association aims to protect all Americans and their communities from preventable, serious health threats and strives to assure community-based health promotion and disease prevention activities and preventive health services are universally accessible in the United States. APHA represents a broad array of health providers, educators, environmentalists, policy-makers and health officials at all levels working both within and outside governmental organizations and educational institutions. More information is available at www.apha.org.