COLORADO PUBLIC HEALTH ASSOCIATION

IN 2023, THE COLORADO PUBLIC HEALTH ASSOCIATION (CPHA) CONTINUED ITS COMMITMENT TO ANTI-RACISM AND UPDATED ITS STRATEGIC PLAN, REFINING OUR THREE PRIMARY GOALS:STRENGTHEN CPHA INFRASTRUCTURE & CAPACITYADVANCE THE COLORADO PUBLIC HEALTH WORKFORCECHAMPION HEALTH EQUITY & RACIAL JUSTICE IN PUBLIC HEALTH IN COLORADOTHROUGHOUT RECENT YEARS, CPHA HAS EMBARKED ON A TRANSFORMATIVE JOURNEY, EMBRACING CHALLENGES AS OPPORTUNITIES FOR GROWTH, INTENTIONALITY, AND INCLUSIVITY. ALIGNED WITH OUR MEMBERS AND GOVERNING BODY, CPHA HAS SHOWN RESILIENCE AND PURPOSE, ESPECIALLY IN NAVIGATING THE UNIQUE CIRCUMSTANCES OF THE PAST YEAR. INDEED, 2023 MARKED A PERIOD OF STRENGTH AND PROGRESS, EVIDENCED BY IMPROVED FINANCIAL STABILITY AND ENHANCED ONLINE ADMINISTRATIVE CAPABILITIES. WHAT TRULY CHARACTERIZED 2023 FOR CPHA WAS A PIVOTAL MOMENT IN OUR ONGOING TRANSFORMATION INTO A SELF-SUSTAINING, EQUITY-CENTERED, AND ANTI-RACIST ORGANIZATION (ARO), ACCOMPLISHED THROUGH DEVELOPING A NEW GOVERNANCE STRUCTURE AND ALIGNING ALL ACTIVITIES TOWARDS NEW GOALS. CPHAS OFFERINGS ARE HIGHLY VALUED AND UTILIZED BY BOTH MEMBERS AND NON-MEMBERS.IN ALIGNMENT WITH ADVANCING THE COLORADO PUBLIC HEALTH WORKFORCE, CPHA HOSTED A SOLD-OUT 3-DAY CONFERENCE THEMED PUBLIC HEALTH: COMMUNITY, CONNECTION, AND ACTION, FEATURING OVER 110 SESSIONS AND 250 SPEAKERS. ADDITIONALLY, CPHA CONVENED THE CULTURE OF DATA CONFERENCE, A UNIQUE ONLINE FORUM WHERE COMMUNITY GROUPS, ACADEMIA, STATE/LOCAL GOVERNMENT, HEALTHCARE ENTITIES AND NONPROFIT ORGANIZATIONS ACROSS THE STATE GATHERED AND EXCHANGED IDEAS ABOUT HOW TO BETTER USE DATA TO ACHIEVE HEALTH EQUITY. CPHA ALSO HELD PUBLIC HEALTH DAY AT THE CAPITOL DURING NATIONAL PUBLIC HEALTH WEEK, WHERE MEMBERS LEARNED ABOUT POLICY DEVELOPMENT AND MET WITH LEGISLATORS. OTHER ORGANIZATION ACTIVITIES FOCUSED ON STRENGTHENING OUR WORKFORCE AND ADVOCATING FOR CHANGE. THE PUBLIC HEALTH POLICY COMMITTEE, REPRESENTING VARIOUS SECTORS OF PUBLIC HEALTH PRACTICE, MET REGULARLY THROUGHOUT 2023 TO ENSURE TIMELY ENGAGEMENT ON PRIORITY POLICIES DURING THE LEGISLATIVE SESSION. THE PUBLIC HEALTH NURSING SECTION FOCUSED ON DISTRIBUTING, PROMOTING, AND RECOGNIZING THE PROFESSIONAL ROLES IN PUBLIC HEALTH TOOLKIT, AIMED AT ENHANCING THE UNDERSTANDING OF PUBLIC HEALTH NURSING ROLES AND RESPONSIBILITIES THROUGH A LEGAL LENS. THIS RESULTED IN THE UPDATING AND MODERNIZATION OF TWO PUBLIC HEALTH NURSE COMPETENCIES THROUGH COLLABORATION WITH 20 LOCAL AND STATE PUBLIC HEALTH NURSES. ANOTHER HIGHLIGHT OF CPHAS WORK IS OUR EMERGING LEADERS FOCUS. HERE, CPHA ENGAGES STUDENTS AND EARLY CAREER PROFESSIONALS ACROSS COLORADO IN THE FIELD OF PUBLIC HEALTH. THE EMERGING LEADERS COMMITTEE WAS NOTABLY ACTIVE, LAUNCHING THE 2ND EDITION OF THE RISE MAGAZINE. THE EMERGING LEADERS IS A GREAT STEPPING STONE INTO THE FIELD OF PUBLIC HEALTH AS IT OFFERS MEMBERS OPPORTUNITIES TO NETWORK, BUILD LEADERSHIP SKILLS, AND FOLLOW THEIR PASSIONS IN SUPPORTING HEALTHY COMMUNITIES TO THRIVE ACROSS OUR STATE. THROUGH OUR STRATEGIC GOALS FOCUSED ON STRENGTHENING INFRASTRUCTURE, ADVANCING THE PUBLIC HEALTH WORKFORCE, AND CHAMPIONING HEALTH EQUITY AND RACIAL JUSTICE, CPHA HAS MADE SIGNIFICANT STRIDES IN 2023. AS WE MOVE FORWARD, WE REMAIN COMMITTED TO FOSTERING A COLLABORATIVE PUBLIC HEALTH MOVEMENT, ROOTED IN EQUITY, JUSTICE, AND COMMUNITY EMPOWERMENT. BY BUILDING UPON OUR SUCCESSES, ENGAGING NEW VOICES, AND EMBRACING CREATIVITY, WE ARE POISED TO DRIVE EVEN GREATER IMPACT IN THE YEARS TO COME.