written by Lisa Bujno, NHPHA President
Challenging times, trying times, uncertain times, unprecedented times… these words have been heard daily since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic earlier this year. What do these words mean for us as public health professionals? How can we work to protect the public’s health in this new environment?
written by Andrea Guzman, Workforce Development Coordinator
The NHPHA’s own intern, Emily D’Antonio, worked with Executive Director Joan Ascheim on a food insecurity project. Emily was a Nutrition and Wellness major at the University of New Hampshire and has just graduated with the class of 2020!
written by Andrea Guzman, Workforce Development Coordinator
As the annual meeting was cancelled this past April to keep everyone safe, we worked with students and our academic partners to move the student poster session to an online format. NHPHA is grateful to our academic partners for their help in planning this major adjustment and to the judges who volunteered to review and score the posters. We would especially like to thank the students who still submitted 21 posters from 5 schools while adapting to the many changes in their academic and personal lives.
written by Lisa Vasquez, NHPHA Communications Committee Chair
It has been a different school year for children. Many children will remember this year as they were moved from the school buildings and had to learn from home. Summer is almost here, and there is still uncertainty about what September will look like and if children will be returning to school. This summer will also look different for children. As they social distance and as restrictions ease, they might reintegrate into their social groups with some restrictions. There is so much going on in our country at this time that we have to consider our children’s mental health as the priority.
by Andrea Guzman, Workforce Development Coordinator
NHPHA began the month by hosting a successful Career Panel Webinar. This webinar was aimed at students and early career professionals thinking about a career in public health and who want to learn more about career options. Thirty-seven participants joined the webinar from New Hampshire and beyond. Our panelists included Catherine Bardier, Vice President of Wellness and Population Health at New London Hospital; Meghan Farrell, Vice President of Community Engagement at New Futures; David LaFlamme, Maternal and Child Health Epidemiologist for the State of New Hampshire; and Gwen Williams, Health and Licensing Officer for the City of Concord. They spoke with participants about their career trajectories and described a day in the life of their specific public health position. The question-and-answer segment provided participants with additional guidance on the various paths one can take in field of public health in pursuit of their ideal position. The webinar was well received and is recorded and available on our websitebhere.
by Lynne Clement, Communications Specialist, Division of Public Health Services
New Hampshire families are currently experiencing challenges such as financial instability, food insecurity, and the stress of social isolation. The NH Department of Health and Human Services (NH DHHS) is offering many services online to make sure children, families, and vulnerable adults remain healthy, safe, and connected during the COVID-19 emergency.
written by Joan H. Ascheim, MSN, NHPHA Executive Director
I sit writing in my new “office” looking out at the pastoral view that belies the chaos and uncertainty that is COVID-19. I know I speak for the NHPHA board when I extend gratitude and endless thanks to the front-line health care providers who are fighting this battle while lacking the equipment and resources to do so safely. Further, our thanks go out to our New Hampshire public health partners at the New Hampshire Division of Public Health Services (DPHS) and local public health as they work tirelessly to track this virus, follow contacts, face the media, and put in countless hours working to lessen the effects of this pandemic and to plan strategically to address the needs of the people in our state.
written by Lisa Vasquez, NHPHA Communications Committee Chair
During these uncertain times, it’s normal to feel sad, angry, and anxious or even to grieve for things that have to be canceled or postponed. It important to maintain our mental health while we stay at home and manage remote learning, working from home, parenting and maintaining your home. Below are some tips for keeping up our mental health during quarantine.
written by Andrea Guzman, Workforce Development Coordinator
Alicia Manion is a recipient of a Health Equity student stipend from the New England Public Health Training Center made available through the New Hampshire Public Health Association (NHPHA). She is working with the City of Concord on a Childhood Lead Poisoning and Prevention project. Alicia is a public health student at Benedictine University in Illinois, which she is attending online from here in New Hampshire.
by Joan Ascheim, NHPHA Executive Director
NHPHA has been busy testifying and tracking key bills at the state house. Below is an update on our priority bills. The official crossover from one chamber to the other takes place on March 26, 2020. We will continue to follow priority bills and keep you updated.
by Andrea Guzman, Workforce Development Coordinator
The NHPHA Workforce Development Program is excited to announce that our Food Insecurity Webinar will be on March 19, 2020, and our Career Panel Webinar will be on April 1, 2020.
by Andrea Guzman, Workforce Development Coordinator
Ashley Haluch is a recipient of a Health Equity student intern stipend from the New England Public Health Training Center available through the New Hampshire Public Health Association. She is working with the Rindge Food Pantry in Rindge, NH. Ashley is a public health major at Franklin Pierce University whose goals for her future work in public health include an interest in food safety, epidemiology, foodborne illness, and health education. She is also interested in pursuing a sanitarian licensure from the local health department. She presented a poster at the NHPHA’s 2019 annual meeting, a meta-analysis comparing the United States and China on how food safety is addressed and acknowledged, different approaches to the process of food handling, and the economic impact of food handling in both countries.
by Marcella Bobinsky, NHPHA President
As a part of the NHPHA Strategic Plan for 2020–2022, I, along with Michael Reaves and Ashley Wilder, with assistance from Kayla Page of SNHU, am working on the Strategic Imperative to “Create an organizational culture of diversity, equity, and inclusion.” Over the next few months, the NHPHA Board will explore our current relationship with these ideas, audit our current actions as to investments we have made to achieve these goals, and then establish a plan to embed actions into our policy deliberations, our committee responsibilities and our priority setting. If you are interested in joining our discussions and planning sessions, please email me at [email protected].
by Lisa Vasquez, Co-Chair, NHPHA Communications Committee
In the first full week of April, we celebrate National Public Health Week (NPHW)! This year is extra special because it’s the 25th anniversary of NPHW. This 25th anniversary is an opportunity to highlight some of the greatest public health successes and to celebrate what makes public health so vital. It’s also a time to reflect on important lessons learned and missed chances to improve health for all. In New Hampshire, we hope that your agency will join us in celebrating National Public Health Week. Let us know what you are doing this year to celebrate it!
With the 2020 Legislative Session in full swing, we have been very busy across the state and at the State House. This session we are continuing to work alongside advocates, partners, and lawmakers on important legislation to improve the health and wellness of the Granite State. While we are closely following many bills crucial to improving the health of NH, our three 2020 campaign-level initiatives this year are Tobacco 21, Rx Drug Price Relief, and Early Childhood Investments.
All three campaigns have seen progress in January, and we are beyond impressed by all the work put in by community stakeholders and advocates. To start the year, the State Senate voted 16-8 to pass SB 248, a bill that would raise the legal tobacco sales age to 21. This bill will now move to the NH House of Representatives for hearings and a vote. A change to federal law just before the holidays raised the minimum age to 21, however, this bill is necessary to provide the state the clarity and authority it needs to enforce the federal law. For the health and safety of Granite State youth, we must take this opportunity to increases the sales age to 21 to make NH law consistent with federal law and eliminate any public confusion.
written by Andrea Guzman, Workforce Development Coordinator
The NHPHA Workforce Development Program had a great January with our Mentor Program Check-In Event and continuing to plan our Public Health Career Webinar and Food Insecurity Webinar.
written by Joan H. Ascheim, MSN, Executive Director
The 2020 New Hampshire legislative session is upon us, and as usual things ramp up quickly. The New Hampshire Public Health Association will follow and testify on bills that address our three priority areas: Equity and Health Outcomes; Healthy Environments – Natural, Built and Social; and Substance Misuse – Improving Prevention, Treatment and Recovery. Here is a quick preview of some of the bills we are following.
written by Lisa Vasquez, Communications Committee Co-Chair
When I tell people I work in a local health department, they have so many questions and preconceived notions of what I actually do. Many think I am a nurse, for who else works in public health? Others have questions about what does someone in public health actually do. Others wonder why public health is needed if people can just visit their primary care provider. Here are some things you should know about public health. Public health is comprised of many professions, and all are needed and valuable. In New Hampshire, we have the state’s Department of Health and Human Services and their Division of Public Health Services, which acts as the state’s public health department. We also have two local public health departments, one in Manchester and one in Nashua. In areas where there is no local public health department, a system has been devised to be able to offer public health services throughout the state. This is done through public health networks. There are 13 public health networks throughout New Hampshire; visit https://nhphn.org for more information. These networks are tasked with providing public health functions within a geographical area. But what are public health functions and services? Public health is tasked with 10 essential core functions:
The NH Bureau of Drug and Alcohol Services (NH BDAS) has relaunched their public health awareness campaign Binge-Free 603: What’s Your Reason? The goal of this campaign is to lower young adult high-risk alcohol use. The campaign has created a brand that encompasses the values of the peer crowd identified to be most at-risk for binge drinking behavior, country-locals, a group of young adults mostly likely to engage in risky consumption of alcohol. The campaign concepts that depict healthy lifestyles, healthy activities, and personal reasons for avoiding excessive drinking and connects to the values consistent with this peer group. The campaign videos show young adults in NH doing activities such as hiking, ATV use, mountain biking, fishing, kayaking, skiing, or snowboarding, rather than showing people partying.
The following are links to the campaign elements:
