Over the past 10 years, significant measures have been taken to build and sustain the public health capability and capacity to plan for and respond to disasters and other emergencies. Federal funding and lessons learned after the events of September 11, 2001 and Hurricane Katrina, have largely been responsible for our accomplishments in domestic preparedness. Initiatives such as the National Health Security Strategy, Presidential Policy Directive 8, and the Presidential Executive Order pertaining to medical countermeasures following a biological attack, represent a call to action for a stronger and more robust approach to ensuring the health and safety of all communities. However, as federal funds gradually diminish and the economic outlook grows bleak—local, state, tribal, and territorial health departments are no longer aimed to do more with less, but in some cases find themselves faced with the decision to eliminate critical preparedness activities—the kind that could eventually mean life or death.

But this situation is not new to the public health community! At other times we have found ourselves faced with what appeared to be insurmountable challenges and we've found a way through them. Our strength has come from our collective voice, perseverance, and commitment to the public health mission and this time will be no different.

NWCPHP faculty member Janet Baseman will present on "Healthcare Providers and Public Health Preparedness in Washington and California: Communication Best Practices and Pharmacies’ role as pandemic and emergency responders" in a workshop session on the first day of the summit.

Because much of a health department’s work involves public funds, land, and services, decision-making in this arena can be politically contentious. Managers are often required to facilitate community advisory meetings and work with boards and commissioners, as well as mitigate personnel issues such as union negotiations and staff disputes. Frontline staff interfaces daily with clients through home visits and clinic services. These efforts to "enforce laws, develop policies, and mobilize community partnerships" are essential public health services and thus require practitioners to hone their dispute resolution skills.

In the February Hot Topics, Jim Reid, MPA, presents a framework for collaborative negotiations and discusses how to reduce conflict and create agreements that meet the mutual needs of all parties. He will offer case examples where these techniques have been used successfully.

These monthly Web-conferencing events, sponsored by the Northwest Center for Public Health Practice, provide an authoritative hour-long forum for discussing topics that are important to the public health practice community and the tribal health units in the six Northwest states: Alaska, Idaho, Montana, Oregon, Washington, and Wyoming.

Howard Frumkin, Dean, School of Public Health, University of Washington

William Daniell, Associate Professor, Environmental and Occupational Health Sciences, University of Washington

In 2000, NWCPHP created the Regional Network Steering Committee (RNSC) with representatives from our partner states: Alaska, Idaho, Montana, Oregon, Washington, and Wyoming. The Committee acts as a sounding board and planning group for our regional training activities and provides a forum for creating a regional strategy for public health workforce development. In October 2003, the Northwest Portland Area Indian Health Board (NPAIHB), which represents all 43 federally recognized tribes in Washington, Oregon, and Idaho, became a formal member of the Committee.

The Committee's membership includes a broad representation of workforce development professionals in order to ensure integration among all workforce development activities performed by both the distance learning coordinator and the preparedness education and training coordinator in each state.

This year, with the recent release of the National Prevention Strategy, we will address the issue of prevention and wellness to ensure that all is being done to improve our nation’s health.

Every year, chronic diseases such as heart disease, cancer and diabetes are responsible for millions of premature deaths. Americans miss 2.5 billion days of work because of these illnesses, and all of that lost productivity adds up to more than $1 trillion. Injuries, unexpected accidents and violence affect people daily in all aspects of life. Unintentional injuries, such as motor vehicle crashes, poisonings, and burns rank among the top 10 causes of death for people aged 44 and younger.

Catching and preventing these illnesses and incidents before they develop is the key to improving our nation’s health. There are so many small steps we can take to begin leading healthier lives; sometimes it just takes a little motivation.

Uniting around this year’s theme of A Healthier America Begins Today: Join the Movement, we can work to encourage more Americans and their communities to take preventive measures to help improve their lives. Little steps can lead to big changes.