APHA In Brief

COVID-19 guidance available in Spanish

Evidence-based Spanish-language information on COVID-19 is now easily accessible, thanks to a new APHA resource.

Launched in July, COVIDGuia.org shares credible, science-based information on the disease. Covering everything from mental health to business reopenings, the resource hub is aimed at keeping Spanish-speaking people safe during the pandemic.

“The reality is that there are really few resources on COVID-19 in Spanish,” Paulina Sosa, chair of the Latinx COVID-19 Task Force, told The Nation’s Health. “By gathering them all in one place, we have created a valuable resource for the Latinx community that is right at their fingertips.”

COVIDguia.org is a companion to APHA’s COVIDGuidance.org, which serves as an information hub for evidence-based recommendations on COVID-19 for both public health practitioners and the general public.

The Latinx COVID-19 Task Force worked with APHA to create the Spanish-language version. One of the founding concerns of the task force, which was launched in June, is the need for appropriate COVID-19 resources for U.S. Spanish-speaking people.

To access and bookmark the resource, visit www.covidguia.org.

Members want more group interaction

APHA members place a high value on the member groups they are part of and want more ways to interact with them throughout the year, a recent survey finds.

APHA’s Member Unit Effectiveness and Engagement Project, which is working to examine and strengthen the Association’s member groups, recently surveyed APHA’s membership about its needs.

With nearly 2,500 responses, the survey provided data on what APHA members want from their member groups.

“We have learned a lot through this process,” Alan Baker, MA, chair of the project’s advisory committee, told The Nation’s Health. “Our membership is passionate, and they have in no uncertain terms said they would like to be more involved.”

Members will be able to discuss the survey at a listening session at APHA’s 2020 Annual Meeting and Expo, to be held online Oct. 24-28.

For more information, visit bit.ly/APHA-MUEEP.

APHA paper honored with journalism award

The Nation’s Health was recognized with a national award for its outstanding public heath journalism.

In July, The Nation’s Health earned a 2020 Apex Grand Award for a news story in its August 2019 issue. The article, by Kim Krisberg, highlighted disparities in maternal deaths among Black women and shared ways that programs and advocates are working to address them.

More than 1,100 entries were submitted in the competition. Only 100 Grand Awards were named by Communications Concepts, which runs the Apex Awards for Publication Excellence competition.

Read the article on maternal health on The Nation’s Health website at bit.ly/nhmaternaldeaths.

Racial equity T-shirt now available

APHA members can show their support for racial equity with a new Association T-shirt.

The T-shirt is a tie-in to APHA’s successful Advancing Racial Equity webinar series. People who donate to APHA can receive a T-shirt featuring the webinar’s colorful design.

Launched in June, the webinars feature conversations that take a deep dive into the historic and present-day impact of racism on health and explore actionable steps to reduce racial inequality. Thousands of people watched the first sessions, which were provided for free. APHA produced the series thanks to Association supporters, said Tia Taylor Williams, MPH, director of APHA’s Center for Public Health Policy and Center for School, Health and Education.

The limited-edition T-shirt, available while supplies last, is being offered to supporters who make a donation of $20.30 or more to APHA. The pricing was chosen to coincide with APHA’s goal of transforming the U.S. into the world’s healthiest nation by 2030.

To support the APHA Racial Equity Fund and receive a T-shirt, visit bit.ly/equitytshirt. For more on the webinar series, visit www.apha.org/racial-equity.