Ohio Public Health Association- The Voice of Public Health From OPHA President, Courtney Hudson, MPH, CPH, OCPS II On May 21, I began my term as President of OPHA at the 4th Annual Celebrate Public Health Awards Dinner and on May 22 I flew to Washington DC to attend the American Public Health Association’s President-Elect meeting. It was a busy and exciting week. It was after attending both of these events that I realized how far OPHA has come in the last seven years since my involvement on OPHA Governing Council began. Having the opportunity to meet with other State Affiliate Presidents only reinforced what I had been thinking; this is going to be an important year for public health. As health care reform goes into effect and budgets continue to be cut, we will be forced to reexamine what public health means and how to best meet the needs of the population. OPHA plays a vital role in Ohio as the voice of public health and is able to speak on important topics. As a member of OPHA, your voice matters. If something is happening and you think OPHA needs to be part of the conversation let your OPHA leaders know. As president of OPHA, representing our membership is one of the responsibilities that I take very seriously. Decisions are made in Columbus and Washington DC that impact the health of the citizens of Ohio. Without hearing from members, the OPHA Governing Council cannot make informed decisions regarding your public health association. Please speak up! I look forward to leading this organization for the next year. I follow in the footsteps of Dr. Randi Love, who did an outstanding job, and I’m prepared to accept the challenge of leading OPHA. I consider it a privilege to work with Governing Council, Lois Hall and Jamie Weaver. Lois supplies a daily dose of passion for public health and keeps us true to our mission and Jamie minds the business of OPHA especially membership. At Governing Council Meetings, new ideas are brought to the table and old ways of thinking are challenged; status quo is not accepted by this group. |