OPHA's APHA/RWJF Public Health Authority Team

McKenzie Cowlbeck

APHA Team Supporting OPHA 

Susan Polan

Angie McGowan

Rya Griffis

Cande Vazquez

Lindsey Wahowiak

Ursula Oguejiofor

National Partners Supporting Public Health Authority

Project Background  As part of a grant between the American Public Health Association and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation to mobilize the public health community to address these challenges to public health authority, APHA will worked in three main areas.

• First, to increase awareness of current and future legislative threats to public health authority in the public health community, including with APHA leadership, state affiliates, sections, caucuses, and partners. In addition to increasing understanding of these issues, APHA collaborated closely with and learn from other partners working on these issues and will share resources and information to help public health professionals take action in their own states and communities.
• Next, APHA will worked closely with a select group of state and regional Affiliates to provide additional resources targeted for collective action by our partners. This ensured that the public health voice and leaders are prominent in state and community level discussions.
• Finally, APHA worked with its project and public health partners to mobilize public and multi- sectoral partners to act to protect public health now and to begin to build support for the resilient, equitable system we need in the future. 

To accomplish this goal, OPHA worked with partners to focus on numerous key states to engage more carefully in this work.

OPHA's Public Health Authority Activities

• Creating awareness of these issues by educating OPHA members and stakeholders about the challenges to public health and its authority to act (e.g., events, webinars, legislative updates, newsletters, conference sessions). 
• Sharing materials with members, public health partners, and broader cross-sectoral partners around challenges to public health authority and the ability to act. 
• Serving as the lead or designated contact for state-based coalitions around public health advocacy efforts in Oklahoma, focusing on these public health and public health authority issues. Provide the public health perspective and help to bring coalitions and other public health and community partners to these efforts.
• Advocating for these issues and public health in your state, including reaching out to elected officials, partners, and public health stakeholders to discuss and at times, lobby for or against legislation.