Creating the Healthiest Nation ANNUAL REPORT 2018 MESSAGE FROM THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR APHA has a long, proud history of raising “its voice and speaking for health. Dear friends, suicide combine now for the room. As our advocacy efforts third consecutive year to reduce move forward, we’ll continue to I’d like to start this year’s Annual U.S. life expectancy. Regulatory call on you — our members and Report with a full-hearted thank rollbacks undermine long-stand- supporters“ — who over the last you! Thank you for joining us ing health protections. Attacks year sent thousands of letters to in standing up and speaking for on women’s health threaten Capitol Hill in response to APHA health. At APHA, education and access to fundamental health Action Alerts. I know it doesn’t advocacy — frmly rooted in sci- services. Emerging infectious always feel like it, but when you ence — are core components diseases require constant vigi- speak for health, your voice tru- of our work to protect the pub- lance and innovation. Repeated ly does make a difference. lic’s health and advance health attempts to repeal and under- equity. Your help and support While defending public health mine the ACA put lives at risk. have been both essential and at the federal level has certain- Vulnerable populations within inspiring. ly been a high priority for APHA, and along our borders are de- we remain committed to serv- APHA has a long, proud history nied basic human rights. Trolls ing public health practitioners of raising its voice and speaking and bots spread misinformation in their everyday work to protect for health, often against all odds about vaccines and other health us from preventable disease and and in the face of hostile opposi- priorities online. injury and eliminate disparities tion. From taking on the tobacco In response, APHA has shifted in health and life expectancy. industry and battling AIDS to its efforts into overdrive, leaning Despite an array of sometimes helping establish Medicare, Med- into our historical perspective overwhelming obstacles and set- icaid and the Affordable Care backs, public health workers in and wielding our infuence to Act, we’ve assembled a distin- communities in every corner of push back against decisions and guished record of achievement the country are pushing forward developments that infict harm. and public health success. None undeterred. Our mission is to We’ve written letters, joined of these victories were simple or be by your side on that forward lawsuits, met with policymak- easy, but all of them were well journey, offering the support ers, published op-eds, issued worth the fght. and tools you need to improve science-based policy briefs and health and opportunity in your We are in a familiar position marched in the streets — and community. today, though many of the we don’t plan on slowing down. challenges we now face are in- We shall be proactive and de- Over the last year, for exam- creasingly urgent and shocking. mand that people’s health take ple, APHA’s Center for Public Climate change places an unprec- priority over politics and prof- Health Policy published a vari- edented tax on our environment it — or voices of opposition will ety of best practice and guidance and health. Opioid overdose and continue to be the loudest in the reports, including reports on 1 | American Public Health Association implementing climate action welcomed about 1,000 new stu- of public health. Our greatest plans inside health departments, dent members in the last year, accomplishments were often partnering with local transpor- thanks to a new membership quests of hard-fought inches, tation planners on active living program designed to give fu- but we never gave up. APHA guidance, and promoting local ture practitioners an affordable is here to make sure the entire biking and walking projects. Our way to access APHA’s resourc- public health community con- peer-reviewed American Jour- es and the global public health tinues to pull together to create nal of Public Health remains community. Our newspaper, The the healthiest nation, no matter the go-to source for the lat- Nation’s Health, added to its list what the odds. est public health science and of honors this year, receiving research, with millions of on- four more awards for its original In solidarity and good health, line visits and downloads every public health reporting. And last year. We also continue to part- year, more than 12,000 public ner with organizations across health practitioners and sup- sectors to accelerate change on porters from around the world the ground, such as our mem- convened in Atlanta for APHA’s bership in the Lead Service Line 2017 Annual Meeting and Ex- Replacement Collaborative that po, which rallied the thousands is working to replace our aging of attendees around a theme of Georges C. Benjamin, MD water infrastructure. “Creating the Healthiest Nation: Executive Director Climate Changes Health.” Read APHA’s educational offerings more about APHA’s year of ac- continue to grow as well, with complishments in the following new webinars on a number of pages. pressing public health issues, from chronic disease prevention As we head into 2019, take com- to nutrition to gun violence. We fort in the transformative history 2018 Executive Board Pamela M. Aaltonen, PhD, RN Betty B. Daniels, PhD, RN Linda Rae Murray, MD, MPH President-Elect Speaker of the Governing Council Ella Greene-Moton Donna Kay Beal, MPH, MCHES Vice Chair Elena Ong, PHN, MS Georges C. Benjamin, MD M. Aaron Guest, MPH, MSW Thomas C. Quade, MPH, CPH, FRSPH Executive Director Immediate Past President Jeffrey S. Hallam, PhD Ayanna V. Buckner, MD, MPH, FACPM Martha C. Romney, BSN, JD, MPH U. Tara Hayden, MHSA Science Board Chair Action Board Chair Education Board Chair Charlene Carlou, MHS, CHES Joseph Telfair, DrPH, MSW, MPH Benjamin H. Hernandez, MBA Council of Affliates Chair President Treasurer Chris Chanyasulkit, PhD, MPH Ryan C. Tingler, BSPH, MPH Resa M. Jones, PhD, MPH Student Assembly Chair Eldonna Jo Chesnut, BSN, MSN Chair Catherine L. Troisi, PhD, MS William G. Courtney, DVM, MPH, MA Kathy M. Lituri, MPH, RDH Intersectional Council Chair Deanna Wathington, MD, MPH, FAAFP 2 | American Public Health Association Annual Report 2018 | 2 • APHA helps block repeated • APHA calls out the Trump administration’s attempts in the Senate to “disregard” for science and evidence in its repeal the Affordable Care decision to halt a study on the health impacts Act and its Prevention and of mountaintop-removal mining, saying that 2017 Public Health Fund. in the face of a warming planet, “now is not the time to silence science.” JULY JULY AUGUST two dozen comments on pend- ing federal regulations, joined or submitted a dozen amicus briefs and organized hundreds of visits to the halls of Congress. Sadly, with so many threats to SPEAK public health in the last year, we don’t have room to list all of our efforts to #SpeakForHealth FOR in this report. But here’s a sampling: HEALTH • We continued to vigorous- ly oppose efforts to repeal or undermine the Affordable Care Act, most recent- ly weighing in on the Texas lawsuit questioning the law’s constitutionality. In our am- taying true to public health It was another busy year for icus brief, APHA warns that Stradition, we believe it’s our APHA advocacy, as we weighed “without the ACA, the health duty to speak up for the most in on regulatory changes and leg- of millions of Americans vulnerable, speak out for jus- islative proposals, reached out to would be harmed.” lawmakers and policymakers, de- tice in health, and speak for • In better public health news, fended the people’s health in the health for all. Also in true public we helped win a fscal year courts and rallied APHA mem- 2018 funding boost for both health fashion, we know policy bers into action. Between July the Centers for Disease Con- is crucial to eliminating health 2017 and June 2018, more than trol and Prevention and the disparities and achieving equity 22,500 messages were sent Health Resources and Ser- and justice in health. APHA re- to members of Congress in vices Administration, and response to APHA Action Alerts. mains a dedicated advocate for ensure that funding from Also in that year, APHA, as an the ACA’s Prevention and the people’s health and for the organization, sent nearly 100 let- Public Health Fund was public health system that pro- ters to Capitol Hill on key public fully allocated to prevention tects our health. health issues, submitted nearly and public health activities. 3 | American Public Health Association • Sixteen years since Sept. 11, APHA’s American Journal of Public Health, in partnership with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, releases a special supplement on achievements in public health preparedness since the 2001 terrorist attacks and the need for continued support. • APHA speaks out against last-ditch — and ultimately, unsuccessful — attempts to repeal the ACA and slash Medicaid funds, describing the proposal as “tantamount to legisla- tive malpractice.” SEPTEMBER • APHA spoke up throughout more awards to its roster, includ- the year against an onslaught ing two awards for its July 2017 of environmental health special section on injury and vi- attacks. Among our advo- olence prevention, and an award cacy efforts, we won a case of excellence in writing for its against the Environmental original coverage of obesity Protection Agency for failing stigma. The newspaper also pub- to implement ozone stan- lished its frst book, a collection dards after joining fellow of its popular health promotion public health and environ- tipsheet, Healthy You.