Affiliates in Brief

Iowa kids' book supports vaccines

The Iowa Public Health Association is helping children — and adults — better understand the importance of vaccines through a new children's book.

A book from the Iowa Public Health Association supports vaccines.

Image courtesy IPHA

In September, the APHA-affiliated organization partnered with Iowa Immunizes to publish “Bye Bye, Big Sick.” Written by Iowa pediatrician and IPHA member Nathan Boonstra, MD, and illustrated by Claire Sedovic, the book is aimed at children ages 5 and younger and addresses common fears about doctor visits and vaccinations. It is also available as a board book for younger kids and in Spanish.

IPHA and Iowa Immunizes members received complimentary copies to support their vaccination promotion work. The Affiliate also partnered with the Iowa Medical Society, a chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics, to distribute the books to pediatricians statewide.

Free downloadable information and activity sheets are available for kids and parents.

For more information, visit https://iowapha.org/big-sick.

Maine hosts joint states collaborative

Public health leaders in Maine are at the forefront of efforts to strengthen the nation's health, working in partnership with APHA's network of affiliated state and regional public health associations across the country.

In September, the Maine Public Health Association launched the Healthy States Collaborative, an initiative dedicated to advancing federal and state policies that protect public health and expand opportunities for well-being.

The collaborative prioritizes sustained investment in chronic disease prevention, strengthening the rural health workforce, supporting local economic growth, ensuring clean air and safe water, and safeguarding the nation's food supply.

The collaborative has partnered with nearly 30 APHA Affiliates nationwide, including Oregon Minnesota, Pennsylvania and North Carolina Public Health Associations.

For more information, visit www.mainepublichealth.org.

Connecticut connects academia, practice

Across universities, public health departments and organizations, institutions often compete rather than collaborate.

Recognizing the divide, the Connecticut Public Health Association has worked to strengthen connections between academia and practice. In 2023, the APHA Affiliate revamped its Academic Advisory Council to foster greater collaboration among institutions.

The council now includes members representing 11 universities across the state. Council members meet monthly to share best practices, identify opportunities for collaboration, and address common challenges in the classroom. Serving as a liaison to the association's board of directors, the council helps guide organizational priorities by elevating academic perspectives.

The work has not only removed silos between institutions, but has also strengthened relationships across universities, according to council chair and APHA member Anuli Njoku, DrPH, MPH.

“We come together and we share ideas, which has been very fruitful,” Njoku, a professor of health equity and promotion at Southern Connecticut State University, told The Nation's Health.

Emerging issues explored by the council include using artificial intelligence in the classroom, sustaining student interest amid challenges to public health, and addressing diversity, equity and inclusion in the wake of funding cuts.

For more information, visit https://cpha.info.

Delaware building community health

The Delaware Academy of Medicine and Public Health and its partners are leading efforts to strengthen the state's workforce capacity.

In 2022, the Public Health Management Corporation and the Sussex County Health Coalition — based in the Philadelphia metropolitan area and southern Delaware, respectively — received funding from the Health Resources and Services Administration's Bureau of Health Workforce to expand the capacity of community health workers across Delaware.

Recognizing an opportunity for collaboration, the APHA Affiliate convened organizations to determine how to best utilize the funds to train the most community health workers without reinventing wheels or working in opposition with each other.

The partnership resulted in the Delaware Community Health Worker Project, combining shared resources to expand training. The corporation contributed its learning management system, offering 75 hours of core competency instruction, while the coalition added 49 hours of virtual health literacy training through the Institute for Healthcare Advancement.

The organizations connected community health workers to the online training and placed them in apprenticeships. Between March 2023 and June 2025, more than 230 Delaware residents completed the training.

“The plan is to continue the program and be a good example of how you can use community health workers to fill holes in health care field gaps,” Kate Smith, MD, MPH, executive director of Delaware Academy of Medicine and Public Health, told The Nation's Health.

For more information, visit https://delamed.org.

Affiliates sharing best practices

APHA's 52 affiliated state and regional public health associations are learning from one another's successes to build their organizational capacity.

APHA's Affiliate-to-Affiliate webinar series helps leaders share proven best practices, practical tools and innovative strategies.

Photo by Iryna Melnyk, courtesy iStockphoto

Launched in October, the Affiliate-to-Affiliate webinar series features leaders from APHA Affiliates who share proven best practices, practical tools and innovative strategies to strengthen performance in key areas.

Affiliate leaders from Illinois, Iowa and Delaware have led webinars on topics ranging from creating funding strategies to building high school engagement and working with local media.

“The webinar series is a great tool for Affiliates to share their success, inspire others and learn how to implement proven strategies within their organizations,” Michelle Loosli, MS, APHA's director of Affiliate affairs, told The Nation's Health.