April 6, 2021
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For Public Health Management Corporation
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Public Health Management Corporation celebrates National Public Health Week by looking at key public health issues and how they are being addressed in Philadelphia
PHMC subsidiary, the Pennsylvania Public Health Association co-hosts annual conference April 8-9 focusing on community and public health issues for diverse, underserved populations
PHILADELPHIA – Public Health Management Corporation (PHMC), a nonprofit public health institute that creates and sustains healthier communities, recognizes National Public Health Week 2021, April 5 – 11th. This year’s theme “Building Bridges to Better Health” reinforces that despite physical distance, we must focus on making communities safe and healthy as a public health priority.
National Public Health Week is an annual opportunity to focus on efforts critical to creating the healthiest nation. This year’s focus includes: Rebuilding, Advancing Racial Equity, Strengthening Community, Galvanizing Climate Justice, Constructing COVID-19 Resilience, Uplifting Mental Health and Wellness, and Elevating the Essential and Health Workforce.
“The events of the last year, including the COVID-19 pandemic and a national call for racial equity, have further highlighted the need for equitable, sustainable public health practices that support the health of all communities,” said Richard J. Cohen, President and CEO of PHMC. “National Public Health Week is an opportunity to renew our commitment to serving the most vulnerable in our society through collaborative partnerships, innovative service delivery, and boundary-extending work that improves lives and communities.”
PHMC is proud to advance these key priority areas through our work across hundreds of public health programs, a network of subsidiary organizations, and 70 locations serving nearly 350,000 clients annually.
Most recently, PHMC announced a partnership with Penn Medicine, Trinity Health Mid-Atlantic, Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, and the Independence Blue Cross Foundation to transform the former Mercy Philadelphia Hospital in West Philadelphia into PHMC Public Health Campus on Cedar. The partnership will transition the community hospital to a reimagined public health campus designed to serve the needs of the building’s West and Southwest Philadelphia neighbors. The campus is founded on the guiding principle of providing high-quality, community-informed, patient-centered health care and social services, including primary and behavioral health care, emergency services, acute care services and substance use treatment.
PHMC declared racism as a public health crisis this year, joining the American Public Health Association and its work to address the linkages between public health and institutional, structural and personal racism. PHMC established a dedicated Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Governing Council to address the equity in all aspects of the organization and foster a safe and inclusive environment across the organization.
The PHMC Health Network has provided primary care and telehealth appointments, COVID-19 testing and COVID-19 vaccinations through its five federally qualified health centers throughout the pandemic. Similarly, PHMC front line employees providing direct services to clients quickly pivoted onsite operations to remote programming to ensure uninterrupted care to individuals, families and communities served. Since January 2021, PHMC has distributed approximately 8,000 doses of the COVID-19 vaccine across its health network patients, program clients, community members and employees. The organization is also focused on building vaccine confidence across its employee base, patients and participants – with an emphasis on building trust amongst Black and Brown communities. In addition, PHMC subsidiary National Nurse-Led Care Consortium (NNCC) was recently awarded a $5 million CDC grant to support building COVID-19 vaccine confidence among nurses and the communities they serve.
Coinciding with National Public Health Week, PHMC subsidiary Pennsylvania Public Health Association (PPHA) will host its annual conference virtually on April 8-9th. The conference, “Sustaining Public Health in Pennsylvania through Community-based Initiatives,” will focus on community and public health issues for diverse and underserved populations. Additional details and a link to register can be found here: https://web.cvent.com/event/7a4924ae-f82d-4207-ab90-cbe0154cef13/summary.
For more information about National Public Health Week or for opportunities to participate, please visit http://www.nphw.org.
About PHMC
Public Health Management Corporation (PHMC) is a nonprofit public health institute that builds healthier communities through partnerships with government, foundations, businesses, and community-based organizations. It fulfills its mission to improve the health of the community by providing outreach, health promotion, education, research, planning, technical assistance, and direct services.
PHMC has served the Greater Philadelphia region since 1972 as a facilitator, developer, intermediary, manager, advocate and innovator in the field of public health. With more than 3,500 employees, hundreds of programs and a network of subsidiary organizations, PHMC serves 350,000 clients annually and is one of the largest and most comprehensive public health organizations in the nation.
About PPA
Pennsylvania Public Health Association (PPHA), a subsidiary of PHMC and a state affiliate of the American Public Health Association, is an all membership organization working to promote the health of Pennsylvania residents. PPHA does this through the advancement of sound public health polices and practice.
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