Kelley Dennings, on behalf of the American Public Health Association's Sexual and Reproductive Health Section, volunteered to write a blog post after the fall of Roe v. Wade this past June. Read article below.

All Hands On Deck: Working Across Disciplines to Support Abortion

By Kelley Dennings, Center for Biological Diversity, on behalf of APHA, Sexual and Reproductive Health Section

The Sexual and Reproductive Health (SRH) section of APHA is horrified but not surprised by the recent SCOTUS decision to overturn Roe v. Wade. State lawmakers have been limiting access to abortion for years.

As APHA Executive Director Dr. Georges Benjamin stated in a release following the decision, APHA recognizes abortion as a right and a fundamental component of healthcare. As public health professionals we need to work to mitigate the harms that come with the fall of Roe v. Wade, just as we act in response to other public health crises.

According to a new article in Advancing New Standards in Reproductive Health written by SRH section members, there are three things public health departments can do to help mitigate these harms:

1. In states where abortion is illegal, public health professionals should use local data to estimate how many pregnant people will be forced to continue a pregnancy. They should also increase public health capacity to care for the pregnant people, children, and families in the areas of highest need.
2. Public health professionals should provide resources on where and how to obtain an abortion for those requesting it; anticipate more self-managed abortions; and work to ensure these abortions are not criminalized in our areas.
3. In states where abortion remains legal, public health professionals should support and strengthen the existing abortion care delivery system and facilitate access to abortion. APHA has also called on state and local governments to allow health departments to continue engaging in activities related to abortion.

Additionally, legal experts note that cities in states that make abortion illegal can provide abortion care prosecution protection or possibly even provide abortion care directly. They recommend progressive local prosecutors use their discretion to decline bringing legal proceedings against medical staff, public health professionals or patients in these cases.

Also, staff working for government-owned hospitals or clinics should talk with their legal and administrative departments about how to document miscarriages, ectopic pregnancies, and other conditions that are likely to be scrutinized. The Big Cities Health Coalition recently released a statement pledging to combat all attempted criminalization of medical professionals who provide these services and pledged to work together to combat misinformation.

As the activist and poet Audre Lorde said, “There is no such thing as a single-issue struggle because we do not live single-issue lives.” We know from the social determinants of health that health equity is affected by healthcare access as well as education, economic stability, our environment, and our social and community ties. Research shows that denying people abortion has adverse impacts on the health and well-being of pregnant people, children and families.

Our section works to learn from and lift the values of the abortion justice framework in ensuring abortion access for all. We strive to reframe abortion within the public health context. Please visit the Reproductive and Sexual Health section of the APHA website for social media shareables, news releases, and these recent policy statements adopted by APHA on abortion:

• Improving the Role of Health Departments in Activities Related to Abortion
• Recommendations for Pregnancy Counseling and Abortion Referrals
• Restricted Access to Abortion Violates Human Rights, Precludes Reproductive Justice, and Demands Public Health Intervention
• Renouncing the Adoption or Misapplication of Laws to recognize Fetuses as Independent of Pregnant Women
• Decriminalization of and Support for Self-Managed Abortion

As the APHA statement from Dr. Benjamin noted, “States must take action to make the procedure legal for patients who seek it and abortion providers who offer the essential health care service. Further, states should fund and equip their public health departments to help people obtain comprehensive reproductive health services consistent with public health values and frameworks.”

One way to support states in this endeavor is to recommend that President Biden’s Department of Health and Human Services declare this time a public health emergency. This would ensure abortion clinics seeing a higher demand would receive support, federal funding could pay for travel expenses to receive an abortion out-of-state, registered nurses could perform abortions, doctors could practice outside their geographical jurisdiction, and patients could participate in other states' Medicaid programs.

We call on all public health professionals to review the policy statements above and reach out to our task force chairs with any questions. Join us today in defense of bodily autonomy.

The Minnesota Health Equity Networks connect, strengthen, and amplify health equity efforts and community issues using a regional and relational approach. The Networks are a cooperative and evolving community of support for local public health, Tribal public health, and community organizations to address longstanding and emerging health equity issues.

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You’re invited to a Toxic Tour of North Minneapolis with Community Members for Environmental Justice and Health Professionals for a Healthy Climate!

As a low-income community of color, North Minneapolis has been identified as an area of environmental justice concern, due to poor air quality and numerous industrial sources of pollution that threaten the health of the community. This will be an opportunity for you to connect with North Minneapolis community members on the health, environmental and climate concerns they face every day. 

The tour will be on Saturday, August 20, 2022, 10:00 am – 1:00 pm at Breaking Bread, 1210 Broadway Ave., Minneapolis. This event is free, but space is limited so sign up today! 

Community Health Authentic Talk (CHAT) sessions are virtual sessions that provide a space for community members to have a conversation with academic researchers to share their experiences with tobacco and smoking cessation.

The goal is to understand community members' experiences with smoking and barriers to enrolling in smoking cessation programs.  Community members will be compensated with a $50 gift card for their time.  

Please email Jason Yang (yang8125@umn.edu) for questions and concerns regarding CHAT sessions. 

The Local Public Health Association of Minnesota (LPHA) is currently seeking proposals for presentations/workshops at our fall conference which fit our theme of “Healthy Leaders, Healthy Community”. 

Highlights are:

A new bill passed during the 2021 Minnesota legislative session expands medical assistance to cover “enhanced asthma care services.” Services include home visits and allergen-reducing products. Children who have poorly controlled asthma, as defined in the statute, and who are enrolled in medical assistance or Minnesota Health Care Programs are eligible for these benefits.

Home visits will only be covered if provided by “a registered environmental health specialist or lead risk assessor currently credentialed by the Department of Health or a healthy homes specialist credentialed by the Building Performance Institute.” Products will be covered if “identified as needed and recommended” by the professionals authorized to perform the home visits or by health care professionals providing asthma care for the child. 

The new provisions, in MN Stat. section 256B.0625, subd. 67, are now in effect.

Overdoses are the #1 cause of accidental deaths in America. According to the CDC, there were over 107,000 fatal overdoses in the U.S. in 2021. This epidemic has only gotten worse during the COVID-19 pandemic. In addition to overdose-related deaths, more than 175,000 deaths in the U.S. can be attributed to the use of alcohol and other drugs. This makes substance use the third largest cause of death in the nation.

Leveraging our expertise in public health outreach and culturally competent care, WellShare is providing immediate community-based mental health intervention to address trauma recovery, substance abuse, and the increasing frequency and severity of mental health distress.

Your engagement and support has a direct impact on our urgent programming needs. Join us in our response to the urgent needs of the people we serve.

Register Now!

Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, legislators in every state have introduced bills that would limit public health authority to respond to the current pandemic or future public health emergencies. Many of these bills have been enacted into law. This legislation could have harmful impacts on public health by restricting the ability of a governor, or state or local health official, to respond to a health emergency in a swift and flexible way. 

By attending this webinar, you will:

• Learn about collaborative efforts to track state bills that address public health authority, including those that would limit the authority of a governor, state health official, or local health official; shift authority from state or local executives; address pandemic-related public health measures such as mask mandates, vaccine mandates, or testing requirements; or preempt localities from imposing public health measures
• Hear about current trends in legislation impacting public health 
• Be directed to resources that highlight the legal landscape on these topics 

Register Now! 

Public health work often involves dealing with complicated ethical questions. Approaching ethical issues requires intentional strategies and a dedication to upholding ethical practice.

This live webinar discusses approaches to identifying and addressing ethical issues in public health practice, and the role of an ethics committee in this process.

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There is a critical need to support the health and mental wellbeing of the public health workforce during a pandemic and national vaccination campaign to prevent high turnover, chronic absenteeism and low productivity and morale. Addressing the identified and significant mental health challenges public health workers experience remains crucial to grow the public health infrastructure and workforce. 

Join the Region V Public Health Training Center and the National Council for Mental Wellbeing as we introduce a graphic essay that outlines data recorded from the Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report (MMWR) and Public Health Workforce Interests and Needs Survey (WINS), on the mental wellbeing and challenges faced by the public health workforce as well as stories and recommendations from colleagues in the field. We will also hear from Joan King, RN, MSN, Senior Consultant at the National Council for Mental Wellbeing, who will share practices and resources related to self-care and staff wellness. 

Register Now!