Transcript
Speaker: Hello and welcome to Pod for the People.
Speaker: I'm your host, Dr. Tammy Gouveia.
Speaker: Each week I invite everyday Americans, community activists, and status quo disruptors to share stories about the power of connection and finding the courage to heal our political divisions.
Speaker: So here we are about to talk about National Public Health Week here with Chris Chenasouket again, who is the president of the American Public Health Association.
Speaker: And would just love for you to start first by talking about what is the history of National Public Health Week?
Speaker: What are the goals and what are the goals of this year's Public Health Week, which is coming up in a couple of weeks?
Speaker: Thank you so much again.
Speaker: I just really appreciate this opportunity and then how you really make sure that public health is a part of every conversation.
Speaker: Whether it's here or at the state house or across the nation.
Speaker: So yeah, so National Public Health Week is this week.
Speaker: It's usually the first full week of April.
Speaker: And I actually kind of like to think of it as sort of like a big holiday week for me as a public health person, because there's so much that happens all week.
Speaker: And I want to...
Speaker: Full disclosure, I'm going to share that I can't believe it, but I didn't realize that we're going to be celebrating this April 28 years of having National Public Health Week because apparently we have been doing this for 28 years, since 1995.
Speaker: And so APHA hosts National Public Health Week, but really it's not just APHA, the American Public Health Association, having programs all week with regards to public health.
Speaker: But it's also really having it happen in every place and space that you are, where you live locally, in your city, state, town.
Speaker: And so if you go to APHA.org, what's really exciting is you can see not only what's happening at APHA, and a lot of our stuff is online, of course, and that you can participate in, but also you can see all the action that's being taken throughout the nation and just right where you live, too.
Speaker: That's great.
Speaker: And last time we spoke, we talked about what your priorities are as president of the American Public Health Association.
Speaker: And you talked about play and voting and reading.
Speaker: And to what extent will those priorities of yours get threaded into this year's theme for Public Health Week, which is
Speaker: Is the theme celebrating and centering or centering and celebrating cultures and health?
Speaker: Is that the theme of this year?
Speaker: Yes, that is the theme.
Speaker: Thank you so much for remembering and continuing to share and lifting up my priorities, which is to get everyone across the nation into playing for health, reading for health, voting for health, or running for office for health, which you are like the role model and superstar of.
Speaker: I feel like you do all of these things for health because I think if I had a commercial, you'd be like the face of it.
Speaker: Yeah.
Speaker: So I'm excited because this year we not only are we able to infuse a lot of the play, read, and vote for health activities through National Public Health Week, but it's also going to be a part of what we're doing in particular at the annual meeting, our big conference where we have usually almost maybe like 13,000, 14,000 folks converge together in the fall.
Speaker: And this year it'll be in Atlanta and we're going to have lots of play, read, and vote activities.
Speaker: for health activities, but we are going to have just a whole host of activities.
Speaker: You know, I'll be kicking off a forum with different community leaders and advocates.
Speaker: So we'll get to talk about that.
Speaker: We'll have speed mentoring, Twitter chats.
Speaker: And what I'm excited about is not only are there all those things, but we have some things that are also just...
Speaker: really fun.
Speaker: Like we're going to, you know, play together and have a free virtual yoga class, you know, as part of our keep it moving challenge.
Speaker: And I hope lots of people enter our art contest.
Speaker: And in that art contest, you can just show how you are, how your culture is affecting your health.
Speaker: And yes.
Speaker: Oh, thank you so much for talking about our theme, which is centering and celebrating cultures and health.
Speaker: Um,
Speaker: Because we know, you know, I know, hopefully everybody really knows that our cultures and our communities play such a huge role in our health and well-being.
Speaker: And so this year, APHA said we're going to uplift that work and the care that communities and cultures have always done and being a really part of protecting health and the health of those around them.
Speaker: including obviously the protection of our environment and their health.
Speaker: So National Public Health Week is just a great way to celebrate all of this, but it's also our way of introducing public health to the general public so that they can learn like, hey, what's public health?
Speaker: Let's get involved.
Speaker: We can never do too much of that.
Speaker: I love that.
Speaker: And what I love about focusing on both centering and celebrating cultures is also the message that it sends about everybody belongs in our communities.
Speaker: Everybody belongs here, regardless of what zip code you live in, what language you speak as your primary language, what religion you celebrate, your gender identity, your family structure, that everybody really
Speaker: does belong.
Speaker: And I love that APHA is taking this focus, particularly around, you know, inclusion to this next level of belonging and really putting cultural leaders at the center and at the forefront of
Speaker: how locally and geographically and in communities, and when I say community, I don't just mean geographic community.
Speaker: And I think that's something that's important for us to also be reflecting on is that community means just any way that people are connected to each other with a shared identity or a shared geography for sure, but that's not the only kind of community that we're talking about.
Speaker: So just really thrilled that APHA is focusing on this.
Speaker: And really spreading that joy and that love and that connectedness, especially, you know, again, where we are in this rapid change, chaotic change, and to a certain extent, level of major uncertainty and fear and worry.
Speaker: So I love the fact that
Speaker: we're focusing on bringing that joy, particularly as every year with Public Health Week, my understanding is there's the overarching theme and then there is a daily theme that's tied to activities that we want folks to lead at the local level.
Speaker: Can you share with us what those daily themes are and how you all are thinking about or hoping that they'll get infused throughout the nation?
Speaker: Even though this is our overarching theme, each day of the week, we get to drill down and look specifically at a daily theme.
Speaker: So on Monday, April 3rd, it'll be community.
Speaker: Then Tuesday, we'll look specifically more at violence prevention.
Speaker: Then Wednesday, it'll be reproductive and sexual health.
Speaker: Thursday, mental health.
Speaker: Friday, rural health.
Speaker: Saturday, accessibility.
Speaker: And then Sunday, food and nutrition.
Speaker: And I mean, it's just each and every one of those is they need more than a whole day, right?
Speaker: But we're going to introduce folks to that in that day.
Speaker: And then in particular, look at community and culture with regards to that.
Speaker: And what I think is just really important to realize about it is each of those is related to so much of APHA's yearly advocacy priorities.
Speaker: You know, for example, we want to lift up and make reproductive justice real for everyone.
Speaker: You know, we recognize that mental health is critical to folks.
Speaker: We want to have full support of child nutrition and reauthorization of the farm bill.
Speaker: So each and every one of these daily things that we drill down and look into, these themes, really are a huge part of our yearly all-the-time priorities in public health.
Speaker: I love it.
Speaker: And I love that you talked about the Farm Bill, which makes me think of some of the actions that we'll be asking folks to take is to advocate perhaps at the national level for key policies.
Speaker: I imagine there's also a calls for advocacy at either the local level or at the state level that some of the folks who have decided to organize an event or organize some sort of effort.
Speaker: I'm imagining there's education and community
Speaker: you know, community building.
Speaker: Do you have a sense of what some of those activities might look like?
Speaker: Has there already been discussion about some that are rising to the top that you would like to highlight in different parts of the country?
Speaker: Yeah, no, it's great.
Speaker: So first, I feel bad because we have an amazing, small but mighty staff at APHA.
Speaker: And so for each day of these daily themes, there's
Speaker: in obviously evidence-based research that supports why that is, you know, a public health priority for us.
Speaker: But then there are actions that you can take, research to read, places to go, toolkits, shareables on social media.
Speaker: Like there's just a whole thing that you can do, for example, if you want to look at more gun violence prevention.
Speaker: But exactly what you're saying is, you know, let's say we wanted to look at accessibility, which is the daily theme for Saturday.
Speaker: We know that nearly 26% of adults in the U.S. have a disability and disproportionately so it's older adults who often have that and there's many number of reasons, but there's a lot of research out there and we help show it to you on our website about accessibility and how that breaks down when you look at racial and ethnic barriers as well to accessibility.
Speaker: And then
Speaker: We give you because APHA, similar to me, loves to do their three things.
Speaker: And APHA's tagline is for science, for action, for health.
Speaker: So for each of these daily themes, aside from giving you the research on why this is a priority, then they will give you...
Speaker: talk, for example, about actions you can take for each of those.
Speaker: So for example, again, going back at accessibility, they'll talk about how it's important to have services and resources in all different languages in your doctor's offices and in other places, right?
Speaker: So that makes it easy for everyone to get in charge.
Speaker: to get in charge of their own health and to be able to understand what's going on.
Speaker: I mean, is there, I feel like a lot of times medical decisions are so scary to begin with.
Speaker: I, you know, speak English as a first language, so I can't imagine how much more complicated it is if you layer on that.
Speaker: There was just the article in the Globe about how hard it is nationally to get access to a physician or to a health care provider.
Speaker: We're definitely suffering that here in Massachusetts.
Speaker: And then the Globe article did highlight exactly what you just said, how much more difficult it is for folks who are immigrants who don't speak English as their primary language, just how much more challenging that can be.
Speaker: And then if you layer on top of that, if you're trying to find a behavioral health or a mental health provider in addition to
Speaker: Some, you know, a health care provider for, you know, a physical disability or just illness or just a checkup, how challenging it really can be and how it can impact people, other parts of people's lives, like being able to get a job, being able to go to school.
Speaker: So all of these things are just so interconnected, which is the other reason why I love these daily themes and elevating the research about why these are priorities.
Speaker: So I appreciate that.
Speaker: We also give information for each of these daily themes on actions you can take and ways to communicate with your elected officials.
Speaker: And then in particular, things that you can do, as well as like all, you know, activities that have been done in different places and spaces regards to accessibility, for example, or mental health and things like that.
Speaker: And it's just been really important.
Speaker: amazing to see what is really happening because I think what people don't understand is it is happening.
Speaker: And I guess that's part of my other gripe with public health is, you know, when public health works, nobody knows, you know, when
Speaker: When your water is clean and you can drink and eat and shower, nobody knows.
Speaker: You wake up and you brush your teeth, it's all good.
Speaker: No, it's quiet.
Speaker: You know, when things are good, nobody knows.
Speaker: We take public health for granted.
Speaker: Totally.
Speaker: To the point that you just made about clean water running through our taps.
Speaker: That's not the case for many people in this country.
Speaker: That's not, not everybody does have plumbing that works or access to clean water.
Speaker: We know that.
Speaker: We know that's a huge issue.
Speaker: So I'm really appreciating that you highlighted how we,
Speaker: take public health for granted and how it can be just so invisible to us on a daily basis.
Speaker: And that's why we need this week, but we don't even need it just this week.
Speaker: We need this week, this year, every day for people to realize the critical role that public health plays in all
Speaker: truly their health and well-being, and not just them as an individual, but really as a community, as a family, as a nation.
Speaker: And we can't, as public health folks, be silent anymore.
Speaker: So I think it's great that we have this week, but we really need it every day.
Speaker: Yeah.
Speaker: And last time we talked, you also highlighted the fact that we are really lucky here in Massachusetts.
Speaker: We are at the forefront of, you know, so many issues.
Speaker: Reproductive justice is one of them.
Speaker: We tend to be at the forefront of, you know, medical breakthroughs, public health science.
Speaker: We tend to be at the forefront of climate change and, you know, really pushing forward legislation around protecting the environment.
Speaker: And yet we still do have our challenges here in Massachusetts, of course.
Speaker: And when I think about Public Health Week and I think about these themes, I think about the connection between accessibility, rural America or rural Massachusetts and reproductive health care.
Speaker: And the fact is that
Speaker: What I'm hearing and understanding is that because we're allowing hospitals to close maternity wards and obstetrics, that more women are starting to deliver babies in parking lots because they can't get to a hospital fast enough because it's so far away.
Speaker: Or I think about the four nursing homes that are closing in Western Mass, leaving Western Mass residents really in a lurch to try to find care for a loved one because we allowed our state to privatize every single nursing home in our state.
Speaker: And that has been a slow, methodical, strategic process.
Speaker: change that's been happening.
Speaker: And there's concern that it will continue to happen with other health and human services that are provided here in the state.
Speaker: So I'm loving the themes and how when we look at the interconnections from day to day, how we can really start to understand the systems and how they're impacting
Speaker: our lives and the lives of our loved ones right here in Massachusetts.
Speaker: But we also do know that this, this ripples out and is happening all across the country.
Speaker: And sometimes with even more dire consequences and even greater disparities than what we might be experiencing here in the state.
Speaker: Oh my gosh.
Speaker: I, I wish people could see me because I like want to clap and, you know, cheer with everything I say, because it's true.
Speaker: I am thankful that I'm here in Massachusetts.
Speaker: It's not perfect.
Speaker: It's not,
Speaker: We have a lot more to do, so many more things to do, ways to go.
Speaker: But this year as president, I'm literally traveling all across the nation visiting.
Speaker: For example, I just came back a couple weeks ago from Alaska.
Speaker: I was in North Dakota.
Speaker: I think in a couple weeks I'll be going to South Carolina and Texas and
Speaker: Lots of different places.
Speaker: And I am thankful for the progress that we've made in Massachusetts.
Speaker: Is it, are we all set?
Speaker: Are we done?
Speaker: No, no way.
Speaker: No, no, heck no.
Speaker: We've got a lot more to do.
Speaker: And we need to keep doing it because it's important because a lot of times, as you know, as like a superstar legislator, when we can do things and we do it well, we can serve as examples for other places and spaces.
Speaker: They can adopt similar legislation, for example.
Speaker: And we
Speaker: We need to do that because all across the nation, there are threats to health that are happening that are so dire.
Speaker: They almost make me not sleep at night, I feel like.
Speaker: So I can't read the news anymore before I go to bed.
Speaker: So don't do that, everyone.
Speaker: Read for fun, for health.
Speaker: We need you to do better here, wherever we are.
Speaker: Folks listening, if you're in Massachusetts, you still got more work to do.
Speaker: You're not all set, but do it.
Speaker: here, but do it knowing that you're also going to do it and set an example for other places and spaces and then help out, you know, help out where you can.
Speaker: We are one nation.
Speaker: And I mean, I see like there are places in Alaska, for example, when we talk about no access to medication and getting people, I mean, there are places in Alaska where there are no roads and you're going to have to wait for hopefully a nurse will come maybe on an airplane.
Speaker: Yeah.
Speaker: Once in a while to wherever you are to help deliver your care.
Speaker: And so these are things that we, I mean, I see, I hear, I work with these folks all across the nation and we can do better.
Speaker: I mean, this is honestly like we've put a man on the moon.
Speaker: We have all of this amazing technology.
Speaker: We can do better in America.
Speaker: Like there is no reason why children go hungry.
Speaker: People don't have access to care.
Speaker: People are sleeping in cars.
Speaker: Like there are just so many reasons why all of this angers me.
Speaker: We can do better.
Speaker: Yeah.
Speaker: And it comes back to, you know, some tax policies and some of the decisions that we make about our economy and how we structure it.
Speaker: We could totally have a separate podcast episode just focused on that.
Speaker: But I want to pick up this whole focus on we're one nation and we are a nation that comparatively to other high income countries, we rank 34th in life expectancy.
Speaker: We know that life expectancy for African-American men and Latino men is even more dire compared to white and Asian counterparts.
Speaker: There's a pledge, a Generation Public Health pledge.
Speaker: Do you want to talk a little bit about that and some of the actions perhaps that people could be taking to start to collectively address some of the issues that we do have here in the United States?
Speaker: So again, at APHA, we're trying our level best to make this not just a week, not just this moment in time, but we want to be Generation Public Health.
Speaker: We want this to be a social movement.
Speaker: We truly believe that everyone across the nation, no matter your color, skin tone, gender identity, wherever you live, whatever, that everyone has the right to good health.
Speaker: Like we, we want this, we need this.
Speaker: There's no reason why this shouldn't happen.
Speaker: So join us, you know, join us at APHA.org, sign this pledge and help us create change.
Speaker: You know, join our national movement to, to make sure that everyone in the United States, no matter where you are or what you do, has the ability to have better health in our community.
Speaker: And you can join, you sign, it's
Speaker: free.
Speaker: So we can't get better than that, right?
Speaker: And you just sign this pledge and you'll get information and alerts on really important public health issues, tips to share, information that you can bring to your elected officials or things that you can do within your own community to really elevate health and wellness and health equity so that
Speaker: we are all working together because honestly, like, like you said, we rank 34th in the United States for, for life expectancy.
Speaker: Like how, how is that acceptable?
Speaker: And how does that even make sense?
Speaker: Like there are just things about the United States that I just, I can't, I can't fathom, you know, we can, you can transfer money really quickly, you know, using Venmo or Zelle and do all these neat things, but goodness, try to get someone a lifesaving medication.
Speaker: We don't know if we can do that.
Speaker: Or making sure that kids can grow up and play in a place where they're not going to be breathing in polluting bus fumes.
Speaker: We can't need to fix that.
Speaker: Like, why is that okay?
Speaker: Or that, you know, there are so many young people in...
Speaker: communities throughout the country that can't walk down the street safely without fear of gun violence, right?
Speaker: Or domestic partner abuse or maternal mortality, which has gone up.
Speaker: There was just that study released that maternal mortality has increased 38% through COVID.
Speaker: Again, here in the United States, where we claim to have the greatest healthcare and greatest, you know, innovations and some of the most simple, you
Speaker: basic fundamental aspects of health care, we are not delivering on that promise to every single American in the country.
Speaker: Not only are we not delivering
Speaker: It seems like we've gotten complacent and people are just letting members, honestly, this is where the community comes back to, you know, just go to the wayside.
Speaker: And that's where it's unacceptable.
Speaker: That's why it's centering communities because we are one community.
Speaker: We are one family.
Speaker: I often talk about how APHA, the organization, is truly part of my family.
Speaker: I have friends and folks that are members in it who are a part of my family that we will text and tweet and do all these things together and see each other.
Speaker: But we need to really start looking again and realizing that our neighbor is our family.
Speaker: This is our community.
Speaker: And we need to lift and help everyone up.
Speaker: And I know we can.
Speaker: I just think we've lost our way a bit as a nation.
Speaker: Yeah.
Speaker: And I think I'm calm.
Speaker: I know I'm confident that with your vision and your energy and your connections that you have and the ways that you are making these connections between what's happening in Alaska and Idaho and North Dakota and South Dakota and South Carolina and all the all the other places that you're visiting to really have
Speaker: this big view of the United States and finding those ways to make those connections.
Speaker: And I just can't even thank you enough for your three priorities that you've put out there, reading for health, playing for health, and voting for health.
Speaker: I think they are so on the money with where we are right now because when you're playing for health,
Speaker: That's bringing in joy.
Speaker: That's bringing in connection.
Speaker: That's bringing in physical activity.
Speaker: Oftentimes, it's a different way to use our brain.
Speaker: It's ways to be creative.
Speaker: When you're talking about reading for health, it's about expanding our knowledge base, democratizing access to information that can help us make different decisions about maybe, you know, measures that we'll take to protect our health and ways that maybe we'll get involved in
Speaker: with reaching out to our elected official to say, hey, we want you to pass the farm bill.
Speaker: We want you to pass legislation that will make investments in our community health centers or make the investments needed on the ground in our local communities to really foster health.
Speaker: You know, I think a lot about heat islands and the fact that we need to be planting more trees and more greenhouses
Speaker: create more green spaces that supports recreation, but also supports climate change.
Speaker: It reduces how hot a lot of our urban areas are.
Speaker: I grew up in an urban area, so I know how hot our cities really can get when you have those heat islands.
Speaker: So I love, again, you know, the play for health
Speaker: the read for health, and then of course, the vote for health municipal elections are going on in many places throughout Massachusetts.
Speaker: They're coming up this year.
Speaker: So people should be on the lookout for local officials that they can support, particularly if you're hearing folks talk about
Speaker: public health and how they'll advance our health and well-being.
Speaker: I loved having you here to talk about Public Health Week.
Speaker: Is there anything else that we didn't cover that you would like listeners to understand about Public Health Week and about American Public Health Association and how they can get engaged?
Speaker: Well, first, thank you so much.
Speaker: I feel like even though they can't see us because this is a podcast, just doing this with you makes me smile.
Speaker: Like it gives me hope.
Speaker: It makes it feel like this movement is gaining such great traction in public health to know that there are legislators out there who get it, who get that public health and that health is on the ballots.
Speaker: So thank you.
Speaker: Yeah, everyone join us.
Speaker: APHA.org, be a member, give gifts as a membership, and also join your local affiliate.
Speaker: For example, you know, there's the Massachusetts Public Health Association or the Alaska Public Health Association or the Idaho Public Health Association.
Speaker: Do it where you are, do it nationally because we can only get it done if we do it together.
Speaker: And then at the very least, don't forget to get out there, play, read, and vote for health too.
Speaker: Thank you.
Speaker: Thank you for listening to Pod for the People, where we share everyday stories about health, dignity, and opportunity for our collective well-being.
Speaker: You can check us out at TammyGovea.com and subscribe to my newsletter, Doctor's Orders, at TammyGovea.substack.com.
Speaker: I invite you to learn more about how we can work together to build a thriving future for everyone.
