Georgia Public Health Association (GPHA) is celebrating ninety years of existence this year. One of the ways we’re marking this special occasion is with this emerald green anniversary logo.
We’ll also be sharing “GPHA 90 Years of Milestone Moments” each month this year, as we roll out a stimulating narrative that tells the story of us.
Here, we kick off our milestone moments with this first submission written by GPHA member Christy Sims. She talks about what GPHA is and what it offers to its members, because knowing more about the membership makeup, funding source, mission, vision and goals of GPHA will make it easier to fully understand and appreciate this great association.
Ninety Years of GPHA
by Christy Sims
Georgia Public Health Association (GPHA) is celebrating ninety years of existence this year. To help celebrate, GPHA will be sharing milestone moments from our past such as when GPHA held its very first meeting in 1919 in Savannah at the Desoto Hotel. In this first milestone moment, we’ll talk about what GPHA is and what it offers to its members, because knowing more about the membership makeup, funding source, mission, vision and goals of GPHA will make it easier to fully understand and appreciate this great association.
GPHA is the largest group of public health professionals in the southeast and is an affiliate member of the American Public Health Association. A non-profit establishment, GPHA is organized for the purpose of promoting public and personal health of Georgia citizens and it is an association of individuals and organizations working to improve public health. The association hosts an annual meeting and conference yearly. Being a member of GPHA gives you access to a network of more than 1000 other public health professionals and opportunities for continued education, recognition, awards, scholarships and much more.
The vision of GPHA is Healthy Georgians, living in healthy communities.
The mission of GPHA is to advocate for conditions in which all people and communities can be healthy; to promote the scientific foundation of public health practices; and to assure a continuous voice broadly representing public health in Georgia.
The goals of GPHA are to advocate for development of policies that positively impact the health of our communities; to promote excellence in public health practices that are based on national public health standards and science-based evidence; to strengthen, advance and support the activities and infrastructures of the organization; to provide membership benefits, services and opportunities that enhance core competencies and to celebrate achievements.
The funding source for GPHA is through membership fees, donations, exhibit and sponsorship fees.
Membership consists of public health professionals from colleges, public health agencies and organizations that want to promote and advocate for the citizens of Georgia. Currently GPHA membership is over 1000. There are 15 active sections. The governing body of GPHA is the executive board, which consists of president, vice president, president elect, secretary, treasurer, a chairperson from each active section, representatives and committee chairs. The executive services director provides support to the executive board. The executive board follows the bylaws and procedure manual.
The annual meeting and conference hosts workshops that provide continued education for members. Annual section meetings are held to allow each section to discuss its current business, elect officers for the upcoming year, have updates and discuss current issues related to each section. An awards program is also held where each section acknowledges and awards individuals or groups special recognition for achievements and outstanding work done in their area of public health.
GPHA has been active for over ninety years and has met challenges and made milestone moments for public health by promoting the health of communities and citizens of Georgia. Future milestone moments will be forthcoming. Please plan on attending the next annual meeting and conference in Atlanta at Westin Buckhead on May 7-9, 2018 where you’ll enjoy workshops, networking, section meetings and fun.