Proposed Investments Will Transform Broken System
BOSTON, MA – Today, the Massachusetts Public Health Association (MPHA) issued the following statement in response to the release of the Senate Ways and Means Committee’s ARPA bill, which allocates $250M over five years towards improving the state’s local public health system.
“The public health investments in this bill will truly be transformational,” said Maddie Ribble, Director of Public Policy at the Massachusetts Public Health Association. “After decades of debate, this funding will finally set Massachusetts on a path to fix our broken local public health system and ensure that every resident – regardless of income, race or zip code – has access to real local health protections. We are extremely grateful for the commitment and decisive leadership of Senate President Karen Spilka, Chair Michael Rodrigues, and Vice Chair Cindy Friedman, as well as for the tireless advocacy of Senator Jo Comerford.”
Together with the SAPHE 2.0 legislation, this investment will implement the 2019 unanimous recommendations of the Special Commission on Local and Regional Public Health, which established a blueprint for transforming our current system.
“Today’s action follows upon crucial House investments led by Speaker Ron Mariano, Chair Aaron Michlewitz, and Chair Marjorie Decker and years of advocacy by Chair Denise Garlick and Representative Hannah Kane,” said Ribble. “This is a truly a bipartisan, bi-cameral effort that will foster sustainable changes for decades to come.”
BOSTON, MA – Today, the Massachusetts Public Health Association (MPHA) issued the following statement, in response to the release of the House Ways and Means Committee’s ARPA bill, which allocates $150M over three years towards improving the state’s local public health system.
“We thank Speaker Ron Mariano and Chair Aaron Michlewitz, as well as Chair Marjorie Decker, for taking this crucial step towards fixing our state’s broken local public health system,” said Maddie Ribble, Director of Public Policy at the Massachusetts Public Health Association. “This funding is essential to beginning the transformation of our system over the next three years. Together with the SAPHE 2.0 legislation, this funding represents a major step towards ensuring that every Massachusetts resident – regardless of their income, race or zip code – has access to equitable, effective, and efficient local health protections. This major progress would not have been possible without the commitment and vision of Chair Denise Garlick and Representative Hannah Kane, and we thank them for their tireless advocacy over many years.”
MPHA is part of a coalition of public health experts, local and state officials, and academic leaders that have been calling for an infusion of federal funding to transform Massachusetts’ dangerously inadequate local public health system. The group has asked the Legislature to invest American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funds coming to Massachusetts from the federal government towards building a local public health system that is equitable, efficient and effective.
BOSTON, MA – Today, a coalition of public health, municipal, regional, state and academic leaders held a press conference on the State House steps, calling for an infusion of federal funding to transform Massachusetts’ dangerously inadequate local public health system. The group is calling on the Legislature to invest 5% of the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funds coming to Massachusetts from the federal government – roughly $251 million over 5 years – towards building a local public health system that is equitable, efficient and effective. The funding would be used to:
Following the press conference, members of the coalition testified at the virtual hearing held by the Legislature’s Joint Committee on Ways and Means and the House Committee on Federal Stimulus and Census Oversight, which was focused on possible uses of the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) Funding in the areas of Health Care, Mental Health, Public Health and Human Services.
Baker administration has failed to comply with budget line item mandating establishment of benchmarks by July 30, 2021
BOSTON – The Vaccine Equity Now! Coalition is today applauding the Baker administration for reinstating their reporting of demographic data on COVID-19 hospitalizations. The move comes after the coalition sent a letter to the Department of Public Health urging immediate action to address the lapse in reporting and comply with Line Item 4000-0009 from the FY22 budget requiring the Executive Office of Health and Human Services to establish COVID-19 goals and benchmarks by July 30, 2021 in order to achieve equitable vaccine distribution in disproportionately impacted communities.
Although the Baker administration has resumed reporting demographic data on COVID-19 hospitalizations, it has still not set the benchmarks that the Vaccine Equity Now! Coalition has been calling for since February and that the FY22 budget mandated. The Line Item language specifically required the administration to consider demographic data on COVID-19 hospitalizations when establishing these benchmarks.
“The Vaccine Equity Now! Coalition is pleased that the Baker administration has finally listened to the calls of Black, Latinx, AAPI and immigrant leaders by resuming reporting of demographic data on COVID-19 hospitalizations,” said Vaccine Equity Now! Coalition Co-Chairs Dr. Atyia Martin of the Resilient 21 Coalition and Next Leadership Development, Myran Parker-Brass of the Massachusetts Immigrant and Refugee Advocacy Coalition, and Carlene Pavlos of the Massachusetts Public Health Association. “This data is essential for measuring COVID-19’s disparate impact on BIPOC communities and devising an equitable public health response, especially as the Delta variant continues to increase cases, and there never should have been a lapse in the first place.
Coalition fears administration will not fulfill budget mandate to establish vaccine benchmarks that consider hospitalization rates
BOSTON – The Vaccine Equity Now! Coalition today sent a letter to the Massachusetts Department of Public Health requesting that the administration take immediate action to address a lapse in reporting of demographic data on COVID-19 hospitalization rates in Massachusetts. The coalition of racial justice, immigrant justice, civil rights and public health organizations is calling for a comprehensive, public explanation for why the State stopped reporting this data and information about their strategy to provide accurate, quality data and quickly reinstate this reporting. Congresswoman Ayanna Pressley, State Senators Sonia Chang-Diaz and Becca Rausch, State Representative Mindy Domb and Somerville Mayor Joseph A. Curtatone are also supporting the Coalition’s call.
“Demographic data on COVID-19 hospitalization rates is essential for measuring the disparate impact the pandemic has had on BIPOC and immigrant communities and for crafting a targeted vaccination strategy that centers equity. We know that Black and Latinx residents in Massachusetts have continued to be disproportionately impacted by COVID-19 while also having lower vaccination rates than white residents,” said Vaccine Equity Now! Coalition Co-Chairs Dr. Atyia Martin of the Resilient 21 Coalition and Next Leadership Development, Myran Parker-Brass of the Massachusetts Immigrant and Refugee Advocacy Coalition, and Carlene Pavlos of the Massachusetts Public Health Association. “Especially as the more contagious Delta variant is rising in prominence and pushing case numbers up again, it is alarming that the Baker administration has suddenly stopped reporting this data and not provided a thorough, public explanation for the decision or outlined a strategy to begin reporting the data again. In order to adequately address inequities, we need to be able to measure them.”
Boston, MA – The Vaccine Equity Now! Coalition is today responding to the news that Massachusetts is about to reach Governor Baker’s goal of fully vaccinating 4.1 million people. Coalition Co-Chairs Dr. Atyia Martin of the Resilient 21 Coalition, Myran Parker-Brass of the Massachusetts Immigrant and Refugee Advocacy Coalition, and Carlene Pavlos of the Massachusetts Public Health Association issued the following statement:
“Massachusetts has made great progress on vaccinating a large percentage of the Commonwealth’s overall population, but a high quantity of shots administered does not ensure equity. Our work is far from over. Especially as new variants emerge and become dominant in the United States, it is essential that we act with urgency to ensure residents of Massachusetts’ hardest hit communities receive the funding, resources, education and access to the vaccine that they need.
“Massachusetts’ vaccination program has been deeply inequitable from day one. As of June 17, 56.5% of white residents were fully vaccinated compared to 40 percent of Black residents and 38 percent of Latinx residents. This is despite the fact that Black and Latinx residents have been disproportionately impacted by high COVID-19 hospitalization rates. Many of the 20 hardest hit communities continue to have vaccination rates that lag behind the rest of the state. The state must not pretend that these disparities don’t exist.
“While the Baker administration celebrates reaching its 4.1 million goal, we urge the Governor to double down on efforts to close these racial disparities that have persisted since the beginning of the vaccination program. One step that the administration can take immediately is to identify benchmarks to measure its progress on vaccine equity, which our coalition of racial justice, immigrant justice, public health and civil rights organizations has been demanding for four months now. To truly have a nation-leading vaccination program, we need to ensure that all of our communities are protected.”
Boston, MA – In response to today’s announcement from Governor Baker about the allocation of $2.8 billion in federal funds, Carlene Pavlos, Executive Director of the Massachusetts Public Health Association released the following statement:
“Governor Baker’s proposal today to allocate $2.8 billion in federal resources would provide support to many worthwhile public investments with public health benefit. However, the fact that the Governor has failed to make a single dime of investment in our state’s local public health system is both shortsighted and dangerous.
During the pandemic, we have seen just how inadequate, inefficient, and fundamentally inequitable our local public health system is. Despite the dedication of our state’s local health staff and volunteers, the Commonwealth’s decentralized approach to delivering public health services leads to extreme variability across municipalities and thereby puts every resident at risk. After witnessing so much needless suffering and death over the last months, the availability of billions of dollars in federal funding provides us with an unprecedented opportunity and the responsibility to transform this system once and for all.
As detailed last week by the Coalition for Local Public Health, by investing a modest portion of American Rescue Plan Act fund, Massachusetts can seize this once-in-a-generation opportunity to finally ensure that all residents benefit from an effective and equitable local public health system.
The Governor has ignored this opportunity, to the detriment of the residents of Massachusetts. Now, it is incumbent on the legislature to act and ensure that no resident lacks public health protections because of their race, income, or zip code. “
After Nearly 18,000 COVID Deaths, Leaders Demand “No More Band-Aids”
Boston, MA – Today, public health leaders, elected officials, and local public health professionals gathered on the State House steps to call for the transformation of the Commonwealth’s inefficient and inequitable local public health system. The Coalition for Local Public Health and the Massachusetts Public Health Association announced their proposal to allocate $250.9M in federal dollars from the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 over the next five years to build local public health capacity, upgrade data systems, and support workforce development.
“We have known for decades that the local public health system in Massachusetts was inadequate,” said Cheryl Sbarra, Executive Director of the Massachusetts Association of Health Boards. “We will not accept any more Band-Aids on a broken system. What we need now is transformational investment.”
“Thanks to the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021, we have a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to create a 21st century local public health system,” said State Senator Jason Lewis. “It’s essential that we take the lessons learned from the devastation of COVID and use these funds to create a stronger, more equitable system for the future.”
After Nearly 18,000 COVID Deaths, Leaders to Demand “No More Band-Aids”
WHEN: Wednesday, June 9, 2021, 11:00 AM (Speaking program will begin at 11:15 AM)
WHERE: Steps of the Massachusetts State House
WHAT: This Wednesday, June 9, 2021, public health leaders, elected officials, and local public health professionals will gather on the State House steps for an in-person rally, calling for the transformation of the Commonwealth’s inefficient and inequitable local public health system. The Coalition will announce its proposal to allocate a generational investment of federal dollars from the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 to create a 21st-century local public health system for Massachusetts.
WHO: Speakers will include:
• State Representative Denise Garlick
• State Senator Jason Lewis
• Craig Andrade, Assoc. Dean for Practice, BUSPH & Brockton Board of Health Member
• Cheryl Sbarra, Executive Director, Massachusetts Association of Health Boards
• Carlene Pavlos, Executive Director, Massachusetts Public Health Association
• Damōn Chaplin, Director, City of New Bedford, Department of Public Health
• Ruth Mori, President, Massachusetts Association of Public Health Nurses
WHY: Every Massachusetts resident deserves strong public health protections, regardless of race, income or zip code. Our state’s current local public health system, organized through 351 municipal health departments and boards of health, is both inefficient and inequitable. The COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted the critical role of local public health and revealed the inadequacies of the current system. The Coalition for Local Public Health and the Massachusetts Public Health Association are calling for a generational investment of federal funds over five years to build local public health infrastructure, upgrade data systems, and support workforce development.
Boston, MA – Today, the Massachusetts Public Health Association (MPHA) announced that it will present its Community Leadership Award to Martha Vélez of Lawrence for her outstanding service to the community during the COVID-19 pandemic and following the Columbia Gas explosions in 2018. The Community Leadership award is given to an elected or appointed official who has made a major contribution to the health of residents in their community. It will be presented tomorrow at MPHA’s virtual Spring Awards Breakfast.
“Martha Vélez’s career has been dedicated to improving public health in the City of Lawrence,” said MPHA Executive Director Carlene Pavlos. “Her work leading the community through both the COVID-19 pandemic and the Columbia Gas Relief and Recovery Effort has been truly remarkable and provides a wonderful example of public health and community service at its best.”
Martha Vélez is the Director of Human Services for the City of Lawrence, overseeing the Council on Aging, Veterans’ Services Office, Recreation Department, Mayor’s Health Task Force, and the Human Rights Committee.
Massachusetts Public Health Alliance
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