Affiliates in Brief
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* Aaron Warnick

## Affiliates readying to connect at APHA 2021

APHA’s state and regional affiliated public health associations are gearing up for a full slate of events at APHA’s 2021 Annual Meeting and Expo this fall.

Following the meeting’s theme of “Creating the Healthiest Nation: Strengthening Social Connectedness,” members are preparing to reconnect at the annual Council of Affiliates award reception — the social kickoff of the Annual Meeting. Among other awards, the event will honor the 2021 APHA Affiliate of the Year.

Other events on the agenda include Affiliate Day, which will include presentations on public health carried out by Affiliate organizations across the U.S. On Oct. 25, the Colorado Public Health Association will lead a session on “Becoming an Antiracist Organization,” and an Oct. 27 event will showcase ways Affiliates can maximize partnerships to reach their goals.

For more information, visit [bit.ly/2021affiliates](https://bit.ly/2021affiliates).

![Figure1](http://www.thenationshealth.org/http://www.thenationshealth.org/content/nathealth/51/8/11.2/F1.medium.gif)

[Figure1](http://www.thenationshealth.org/content/51/8/11.2/F1)

A Rhode Island Public Health Association brief examines community-oriented policing.

Courtesy AlessandroPhoto, iStockphoto

## Rhode Island seeks more police data

Greater access to data is needed to determine whether local efforts to reform policing are effective in Rhode Island, according to a new policy brief.

Released in June by the Rhode Island Public Health Association, the brief examines community-oriented policing, which centers on building relationships between police and community members to prevent conflict.

In Providence, the police department is embracing community-oriented policing through its Community Relations Bureau. Officials are hosting local events where police and residents can interact in hopes of preventing violent police encounters.

While the work shows promise, public access to the police department’s data is limited. So it is difficult to examine long-term trends and gauge whether the work is paying off, according to the brief.

For more information on “Rhode Island Public Health Advocacy: Police Data and Public Health,” visit [https://ripha.org](https://ripha.org).

## Workgroup adds ‘justice’ to mission

Affiliate leaders have a revamped forum for discussing equity issues.

Approved by APHA’s Council of Affiliates in July, the Equity, Diversity and Inclusion workgroup has reformed to include “justice” in its mission.

“Our meetings are a safe space for our members to have courageous conversations,” workgroup chair Adrianna Boulin, MPH, told *The Nation’s Health*.

In 2020, the group released a toolkit to help APHA-affiliated public health associations promote diversity within their organizations and work. For Boulin, the essence of the group is helping its members share their experiences with equity and justice promotion.

“It’s not only powerful to hear their successes, but to identify challenges and barriers,” she said.

For more information, visit [www.apha.org/apha-communities](https://www.apha.org/apha-communities).

![Figure2](http://www.thenationshealth.org/http://www.thenationshealth.org/content/nathealth/51/8/11.2/F2.medium.gif)

[Figure2](http://www.thenationshealth.org/content/51/8/11.2/F2)

A COVID-19 vaccination clinic is held at a Santa Fe, New Mexico, farmers market in June. The New Mexico Public Health Association is helping promote vaccine equity in the state.

Photo by JannHuizenga, courtesy iStockphoto

## New Mexico working on vaccine equity

The New Mexico Public Health Association is supporting equitable rollout of COVID-19 vaccines in the state, with help from a recent grant, supported by funding from the W.K. Kellogg Foundation.

In July, the association was one of more than two dozen organizations to receive funding from the Con Alma Health Foundation, a New Mexico-based nonprofit that supports health equity. The foundation is distributing $600,000 to support COVID-19 vaccine rollouts, with $25,000 earmarked for the New Mexico Public Health Association.

The APHA Affiliate will use the funding to support public health and health equity work on COVID-19 vaccinations that promotes and leverages coordination, communication and multi-sector collaboration. Work will include promoting a series of conferences that advocate for vaccine equity and developing a searchable database to coordinate efforts that can benefit underserved groups.

As of mid-August, 75% of eligible adults in New Mexico had received at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine and 66% were fully vaccinated. However, rates varied significantly by race and ethnicity: While 62% of American Indians and whites were fully vaccinated, only 45% of Blacks and 49% of Hispanics were.

For more information, visit [https://conalma.org](https://conalma.org).

*   Copyright The Nation’s Health, American Public Health Association