Public health convenes in Asheville, NC

NCPHA celebrates 100 years

Last week, the NC Public Health Association (NCPHA) celebrated its 100th year in Asheville, NC. The evening before the meeting, Dave Potenziani, Peggy Glenn and I met with alumni and several of their spouses to get feedback about how the School is doing and what we could do better. We talked about how local health departments (LHDs) are being asked to do more and more-with less and less. Unfunded mandates are a way of life for health departments. A recent National Association of County and City Health Officials (NACCHO) study found that 51% of LHDs were affected by lost hours, layoffs, attrition and mandatory furloughs. This is really unfortunate given the resource-deprived environments in which they already were operating. Over the last 12 months, according to the survey, 55% of LHDs made cuts to important public health programs. The people with whom we met were feeling these cuts, and they look to our School to help. Two messages were clear. These health department directors really value the North Carolina Institute for Public Health (NCIPH) and worry that large, recent cuts indicate a lack of commitment to it. The cuts were mandated by the legislature and do not represent a lack of commitment on our part. The cuts are making things tough, but we will weather them.

These LHD directors also want more of our students to go beyond the counties surrounding the School for their field work. This seems really logical, and we can do better on this. There are some pockets within the state that face health problems similar to those seen in the developing world – both diseases and lack of access to health care. Some students interested in global health may be drawn to these challenges.

What’s not to like about being in places like Asheville, Hendersonville and Wilmington and many other, counties around the state. We have some of the strongest health departments and directors anywhere. Our students could learn a lot and do some good.

Anyway, we had some good discussions, and will work harder to extend our reach.

Our School and its students and faculty were well-represented at the North Carolina Public Health Association (NCPHA) Annual meeting.

I really love Asheville. Its old buildings are a little funky and create an interesting, intimate feeling. It’s a walkable city, surrounded by beautiful mountains. It’s a health conscious city as you can tell by all the signs for massage therapists, wellness centers and healthy food. And for those of us who love dogs, it’s a dog-friendly city-which is OK by me! The trip reminded me of how fortunate I am to live in North Carolina and how important it is to go out beyond the Triangle.

I won’t comment about the losing football game. What’s there to say!

Happy Monday! Barbara