With more than 1,500 members, NCPHA ranks among APHA's largest state and regional affiliated organizations.
Photo courtesy NCPHA
“NCPHA demonstrates how an APHA Affiliate can broaden its approach to public health to meet the needs of communities across the state.”
— Michelle Loosli
When Hurricane Helene tore through North Carolina in September 2024, it left more than 100 people dead and caused over $59 billion in damage.
In the storm's aftermath, the North Carolina Public Health Association jumped into action, raising $40,000 to aid affected residents. As storms such as Helene intensify and become more common with human-caused climate change, the APHA-affiliated organization has made the fund a permanent resource to support disaster relief.
The association's commitment to supporting communities in the state — even in the worst of times — was one of the many reasons the North Carolina Public Health Association was chosen as APHA's Outstanding Affiliate of the Year, an honor awarded at APHA's 2025 Annual Meeting and Expo in November. Each year, the Council of Affiliates chooses an Affiliate doing exceptionally outstanding work in local and state public health.
“NCPHA demonstrates how an APHA Affiliate can broaden its approach to public health to meet the needs of communities across the state,” Michelle Loosli, MS, APHA's director of Affiliate affairs told The Nation's Health.
With more than 1,500 members, NCPHA ranks among APHA's largest state and regional affiliated organizations. Its 16 caucuses and sections help keep the association's membership strong and engaged, Patrick Brown, PharmD, NCPHA's executive director, told The Nation's Health.
“We really lean on them and their representation to make sure that we are doing things that members will find valuable,” he said.
This spring, the Affiliate held its first Public Health Day at the North Carolina General Assembly in partnership with the North Carolina Association of Local Health Directors. More than 60 members participated, meeting face-to-face with state senators and representatives.
“We hosted training sessions with our members and participants so that they could prepare and feel confident when speaking to legislators,” Bethany Milford, MPH, strategic initiatives programs manager at the North Carolina Alliance of Public Health Agencies, told The Nation's Health.
The advocacy day focused on advancing two of the association's legislative priorities — raising the state tobacco purchasing age to 21 and increasing funding for communicable disease capacity at the local level.
On top of the association's successful first Public Health Day, NCPHA broke a new record at its 2025 Fall Educational Conference. More than 600 members were in attendance — the largest event to date. The headline event, held in Wilmington, North Carolina, included discussions with leaders from APHA, the Association of State and Territorial Health Officials, and the National Association of County and City Health Officials, as well as Anna Stein, JD, MPH, the first lady of North Carolina.
With sponsorship from the North Carolina Division of Public Health, the event hosted a program that brought in public health communicators from across the state to lead sessions and workshops.
Over the year, NCPHA also helped to build climate resilience in Charlotte, North Carolina, as one of APHA'S six affiliated health associations working with the Smart Surfaces Coalition. With grant funding from APHA, the Affiliate partnered with CleanAIRE NC to explore the effects of extreme heat on Charlotte residents and potential solutions to help them cope.
Through focus groups with community members, faith leaders and health care professionals such as doulas, nurse practitioners and emergency responders, NCPHA found that many people were staying home and missing out on day-to-day activities due to the heat. Residents often struggled to afford high air conditioning costs and electric bills amid higher temperatures.
The work led to a “2025 Heat Mitigation Report,” released in November, with recommendations that can be used to address extreme heat concerns for residents.
For more information, visit https://ncpha.com.
- Copyright The Nation’s Health, American Public Health Association
