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New Jersey Public Health Association
Spring 2015 Issue
Editor’s Note
By Nadine Etienne, MPH
Happy Spring and Good Health! One of the health observances for April is Minority Health
Month which acknowledges that there is still an overwhelming health disparity between racial
groups. The African American, Hispanic and other minority communities experience health
disparities due to personal beliefs against seeking health care options, language barriers and
inadequate access to health programs. The minority population is associated with lower socioeconomic status and urban communities. These neighborhoods lack access to fresh produce and
often promote affordable, but unhealthy foods. Health Literacy is also another barrier within the
minority population in which communication with health providers often brings challenges when
assistance is sought. The CDC in collaboration with the Department of Health & Human Services
outlined six recommendations for health equity based on the 1985 Heckler Report. One of the
recommendations states, ‘The Department should ensure that its materials, programs, and
technical assistance for patient education are responsive to minority population needs, especially
those provided in specific health care service settings such as medical, community-based, school
and worksite locations’ (CDC, March 2015). The break of warm weather is a perfect opportunity
to target health promotion to these populations and there has been a shift in incorporating
outreach strategies such as hiring members of the communities and providing health materials in
various languages. Enjoy the upcoming warm weather!
Reference:
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, March 2015. April is National Minority Health
Month! [web article]. Retrieved from: http://www.cdc.gov/minorityhealth/observances/MH.html
New Jersey Public Health Association
Spring Monthly Health Observances
APRIL
Month-long observances
Alcohol Awareness Month
Autism Awareness Month
Facial Protection Month
Foot Health Awareness Month
Humor Month
March for Babies
Minority Health Month
Occupational Therapy Month
Sexually Transmitted Infections Awareness Month
Sports Eye Safety Month
Women’s Eye Health and Safety Month
Week-long observances
5–11 Public Health Week
12–18 Healthcare Volunteer Week
19–25 Neurodiagnostic Week
Recognition days | events
7 Health Day
9 Alcohol Screening Day
11 Walk for Epilepsy
15 Healthcare Decisions Day
16 Voice Day
17 Hemophilia Day
17–19 Youth Service Day
29 Noise Awareness Day
MAY
Month-long observances
Arthritis Awareness Month
Arthritis Walk
Better Hearing and Speech Month
Better Sleep Month
Bike Month
Critical Care Awareness and Recognition Month
Employee Health and Fitness Month
Healthy Vision Month
Hepatitis Awareness Month
High Blood Pressure Education Month
Huntington’s Disease Awareness Month
Liver Awareness Month
Lupus Awareness Month
MAY (continued)
Melanoma / Skin Cancer Detection and Prevention
Mental Health Month
Motorcycle Safety and Awareness Month
Neurofibromatosis Awareness Month
Older Americans Month
Osteoporosis Month
Stroke Awareness Month
Teen Pregnancy Prevention Month
Trauma Awareness Month
Ultraviolet Awareness Month
Week-long observances
1–18 Run A Mile Days
4–10 Anxiety and Depression Awareness
10–16 Food Allergy Awareness Week
10–16 Women’s Health Week
11–17 Stuttering Awareness Week
31–6/6 Community Health Improvement Week
Recognition days | events
4 Melanoma Monday
7 Children’s Mental Health Awareness
12 Fibromyalgia Awareness Day
12 ME / CFS Awareness Day
20 Autoimmune Arthritis Day
25 Missing Children’s Day
27 Senior Health and Fitness Day
JUNE
Month-long observances
Aphasia Awareness Month
Cataract Awareness Month
Hernia Awareness Month
Men’s Health Month
Migraine and Headache Awareness Month
Scleroderma Awareness Month
Week-long observances
1–7 Sun Safety Week
15–19 Healthcare Risk Management Week
15–21 Men’s Health Week
Recognition days | events
7 Cancer Survivors Day
New Jersey Public Health Association
E-cigarettes: A Public Health Challenge
By Mary E. O’Dowd, MPH, Commissioner
New Jersey Department of Health
As health advocates, we have seen tremendous progress in reducing smoking in our
state and nation. However, e-cigarettes pose a new public health challenge. Ecigarettes have been promoted as a substitute to traditional cigarettes for smokers
looking to quit. While many believe that e-cigarettes are a safer alternative than
conventional smoking, this has not been scientifically proven.
Of particular concern is that nationally the use of e-cigarettes is increasing among our youth. The same
generation who would have most benefited from the success in reducing traditional smoking in our society are the targets for this new nicotine product.
More than a quarter of a million youth who had never smoked a cigarette used e-cigarettes in 2013,
according to a CDC study published in the journal Nicotine and Tobacco Research. This number reflects
a three-fold increase, from about 79,000 in 2011, to more than 263,000 in 2013. E-cigarettes are also
more often marketed towards and appealing to children and adolescents. The same CDC study, which
surveys middle and high school students, shows that youth who had never smoked conventional
cigarettes but who used e-cigarettes were almost twice as likely to have intentions to smoke conventional
cigarettes as those who had never used e-cigarettes. Among non-smoking youth who had ever used
e-cigarettes, 43.9 percent said they have intentions to smoke conventional cigarettes within the next year,
compared with 21.5 percent of those who had never used e-cigarettes. Flavoring of e-cigarettes may
increase the appeal to youth. Enticing flavors of electronic cigarettes include cherry, chocolate, gummy
bear and bubble gum.
In New Jersey, 6.1 percent of high school students reported being current users of e-cigarettes in 2012.
Nationally, that number is larger with 10 percent of high school students reporting using e-cigarettes.
As we see more young adults using e-cigarettes, the impact of this unregulated product on the health of
our youth is concerning. The FDA conducted a lab analysis of e-cigarette samples and found that at least
half of the brands contain carcinogens and toxic chemicals. In addition to chemicals, e-cigarettes deliver
nicotine, a highly addictive chemical, increasing the likelihood of lifelong use of tobacco products.
The rise in e-cigarette use can hurt more than just the user. In 2014, Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention (CDC) released a study noting a steady and rapid increase in the number of calls to poison
controls centers nationwide about e-cigarettes and ingestions of liquid nicotine. The analysis compared
total monthly poison center calls involving e-cigarettes and conventional cigarettes, and found the
proportion of e-cigarette calls jumped from 0.3 percent in September 2010 to 41.7 percent in February
2014. More than half the calls were about children less than 5 years of age, the most vulnerable to the
toxic effects of nicotine.
New Jersey Public Health Association
E-cigarettes: A Public Health Challenge
(continued)
In New Jersey calls to the New Jersey Poison Information and Education System (NJPIES)
have also risen with nine calls in 2011 to 45 calls related to e-cigarettes or liquid nicotine.
New Jersey is working to limit the impact e-cigarettes have on our youth. The Department
through newspaper articles, letters to caregivers, and alerts is highlighting the potentially
deadly toxic properties of nicotine, an active ingredient used at varying levels in e-cigarette
liquids, which are unregulated products sold over the counter in convenience stores.
The Department is asking local health departments to help distribute a warning advisory
online and in the course of their routine inspections of restaurants, bars and other retail food
establishments. The goal of the Department’s liquid nicotine poison prevention efforts is to
protect the lives of children and prevent tragic and avoidable harm.
New Jersey has led the nation as the first state to include e-cigarettes as a tobacco product in
its Smoke Free Air Act, which was amended in 2010 to ban the use of e-cigarettes in public
places and workplaces and ban e-cigarette sales to people 19 years and younger.
The FDA has announced plans to regulate e-cigarettes but that will take time and our children
cannot wait. The Department urges the state’s healthcare providers to talk to patients about
e-cigarettes. Parents and guardians need to be aware that these products are being marketed to
their children. Working together, we can prevent New Jersey’s youth from entering into a life
-long nicotine addiction.
New Jersey Public Health Association
Coaching Communities to Build a Culture of Health
By Toni Lewis, MPH, HO, Community Coach,
County Health Rankings and Roadmaps a Program of the
Robert Wood Johnson Foundation
The Roadmaps to Health Coaching Program provides local leaders with
direct support from community coaches to strengthen their capacity to advance efforts to build a
Culture of Health in their communities. This Coaching Program is part of County Health Rankings
& Roadmaps, a collaboration between the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and the University of
Wisconsin Population Health Institute. The Rankings are a revealing snapshot of how place matters
to health. The Roadmaps to Health Action Center, an online platform with access to coaches, provides practical help for communities working collectively to improve their health. Coaches
bring expertise from a variety of disciplines to support leaders’ use of Action Center tools and to
offer guidance on advancing health. The Roadmaps to Health Coaching Program offers community
leaders the opportunity to:
Strengthen and/or rejuvenate multi-sector partnerships so they are better poised to advance work
that builds a Culture of Health; Enhance community capacity in at least one area in the Poised for
Progress tool (a self-assessment of the critical skills necessary to create health in communities);
Build direction, alignment, and commitment to implement and sustain specific strategies to enhance
health outcomes; and Connect with other community leaders or national experts who are building
a Culture of Health.
Take Action Cycle
Coaches customize their guidance for each
community based on their assets and goals,
meeting communities wherever they are in
the Take Action Cycle. By strengthening
community leaders’ skills and capacity to work
together, strategize, and implement actions to
improve health, communities are better poised
to advance health now and in the future. To
contact a community coach and learn more
about how this resource may help your community, please complete the simple form found
at www.countyhealthrankings.org/contact
New Jersey Public Health Association
When Public Health Goes to Court
By Gwyneth M. Eliasson, JD, MPH
On February 5, 2015, the Network for Public Health Law (NPHL) and the Centers for
Disease Control and Prevention’s Public Health Law Program (PHLP) presented the first
Webinar of the three-part series on “Public Health and the Judiciary.” The
first session started with an overview of the federal and state court systems (including administrative courts), then offered a judge’s perspective on infectious disease quarantine requests, followed by the complexities of tribal jurisdiction in domestic violence crimes, and
concluded with an introduction to court watch programs. Suggested online resources included PHLP’s “Public Health Law 101,” a nine-topic foundational course available at http://
www.cdc.gov/phlp/publications/phl_101.html
On March 5, 2015, the second Webinar presented the arguments for – and against – using
courts to create public policy, acknowledging limitations in courts’ role; reviewed litigation
on compulsory vaccines, tobacco-related injuries, and the Affordable Care Act; discussed
the expanding scope of public health law; and ended with an overview of civil and criminal
public health cases. Recommended online resources included PHLP’s “Public Health Law
Bench Books” for 18 states (e.g., Pennsylvania), downloadable at http://www.cdc.gov/phlp/
publications/type/benchbooks.html
On April 2, 2015, the final Webinar focused on the court system’s role in public health
emergencies. Featured topics included an overview of courts’ emergency powers, judges’
approaches to quarantine and isolation hearings, and issuing orders in public health
emergencies.
To download the slides and/or view the recording of the February 5th Webinar:
www.networkforphl.org/webinars/2015/02/05/533/when_public_health_goes_to_court_judi
cial_structure_and_functions
To download the slides and/or listen to and watch the playback of the March 5th Webinar:
www.networkforphl.org/webinars/2015/02/26/547/when_public_health_goes_to_court_curr
ent_public_health_court_cases
New Jersey Public Health Association
Career Corner: Highlighting Resources for Job Seekers
Gwyneth M. Eliasson, JD, MPH
Idealist Careers’ Feb. 12th Webinar on writing a LinkedIn profile http://
idealistcareers.org/not-sure-what-to-do-with-your-linkedin-profile-start-here/
From PBS’ Next Avenue: “The 24 Best Resume Keywords for Your Job Search”
www.nextavenue.org/article/2015-02/24-best-resume-keywords-your-job-search
Idealist Careers on “3 steps to creating a successful job search strategy”
http://idealistcareers.org/3-steps-to-creating-a-job-search-strategy-that-will-leadto-success/
New Jersey Public Health Association
#MoreThan4 - Pediatric Cancer Funding
Takes to Social Media
By Shweta Gohil, MPH(c), Rutgers School of Public Health
Every September, Childhood Cancer Awareness Month raises awareness of a
diagnosis affecting 13,500 children per year, a leading cause of pediatric death
from disease. Annually, however, the National Cancer Institute (NCI) spends
less than 4% of its budget on childhood cancer research.
Perhaps social media will be the next tool in the fight against pediatric cancer. During the week
of March 16th, the NCI Selfie Campaign for Kids with Cancer launched. This Selfie Campaign
continued the war against cancer pioneered by Mary Lasker, through the American Cancer Society, and Dr. Sidney Farber, founder of the Cancer Center that eventually became the DanaFarber Cancer Institute. Ms. Lasker realized that the war against cancer required both scientific
research at hospitals (done by Dr. Farber and others across the country) and personal touches
uniting the general public. The Selfie Campaign encouraged those fighting pediatric cancer,
those who have lost someone, survivors, and all other supporters to post a selfie featuring the
sign: “NCI 4% Not Enough For Childhood Cancer #MoreThan4”. The Campaign trended on
Facebook with selfies of toddlers in treatment and grieving siblings as well as selfies from organizations that raise funds for cancer research. This advocacy campaign might have social media success similar to last year’s “Ice Bucket Challenge,” which raised $115 million for ALS
research.
In 1971, President Richard Nixon declared a war against cancer and signed the National Cancer
Act, strengthening the NCI. Hopefully, this Selfie Campaign for Kids with Cancer will be more
than another awareness initiative – but instead, the impetus for a permanent shift in NCI policy
and allocation of cancer research funding.
References:
1) ALS Association: http://www.alsa.org/fight-als/ice-bucket-challenge.html
2) Medscape slideshow on war on cancer (log in required): http://www.medscape.com/features/
slideshow/war-on-cancer
3) Coalition Against Childhood Cancer (CAC2): http://cac2.org/
4) NCI Selfie Campaign for Kids with Cancer Facebook page:
https://www.facebook.com/events/1376034469386150/
5) National Library of Medicine Profile in Science: The Mary Lasker Papers - Cancer Wars:
http://profiles.nlm.nih.gov/ps/retrieve/Narrative/TL/p-nid/201
6) The Emperor of All Maladies: A Biography of Cancer by Siddhartha Mukherjee (2010)
New Jersey Public Health Association
STD’s is still a public health threat
By Nadine Etienne, MPH
Although it seems as though the topic of STD’s has been almost silenced, the number of
new infections is still high in NJ. During the height of HIV’s media attention, condom use was
stressed and the implementation of 2008 legislation to test pregnant women for HIV, decreased
perinatal transmission of the disease. However one of the major STD’s, Gonorrhea, has
increased in the last 6 years. The number of reported cases by County, Gender and Age for
Gonorrhea in 2007 was 3,014 (State of NJ Department of Health, 2007). In 2013 the same
statistical population has risen to more than double to 7,016 (State of NJ Department of Health,
2013). Essex County has remained the municipality with the highest
number of cases. For last year’s stats, Essex County women, aged
15-19, held the highest number in infections of 292, while the highest
number of infected Essex County males was 218 in the 20-24 age
group. Based on these numbers it is safe to assume that teenage girls
are having sexual relations with older men.
April is Sexually Transmitted Infections Awareness Month and May is Teen Pregnancy
Prevention Month. With the high number of Gonorrheal Infections reported, condom use is not
being practiced by teen girls and the potential for pregnancy is a heightened risk. NJ PREP is a
program that aids in STD and pregnancy prevention. Partnership for Maternal & Child Health
states, ‘NJ PREP helps communities with ongoing health education efforts by enabling teens to
make safer and healthier decisions about their futures, (Partnership for Maternal & Child Health
of Northern New Jersey, 2015). A large amount of health disparities exist in Essex County and
providing prevention programs that targets the specific population of teenagers can decrease the
future statistics of Gonorrhea for young ladies.
References:
Department of Health, State of New Jersey, 2007. Sexually Transmitted Disease program:
Reported Cases in New Jersey for 2007 Broken Down By County, Gender, and Age Group.
Retrieved from: http://www.state.nj.us/health/std/stdstats/stdstats2007/gonorrhea_cases2007.pdf
Department of Health, State of New Jersey, 2013. Sexually Transmitted Disease program:
Reported Cases in New Jersey for 2013 Broken Down By County, Gender, and Age Group.
Retrieved from:
http://www.nj.gov/health/std/stdstats/stdstats2013/gonorrhea_county_gender_agegroup.pdf
Partnership for Maternal & Child Health of Northern New Jersey, 2015. NJ PREP. Retrieved
from: http://partnershipmch.org/programs/njprep/
New Jersey Public Health Association
Do you have news and views to share? You are invited to submit articles for our
Summer 2015 quarterly newsletter by June 19th!
As a public health professional much of your career will be reporting and writing about a
variety of health topics, whether it is an abstract, peer
reviewed article, OpEd article for a local newspaper,
media release, policy brief, or other health communication materials. The NJPHA newsletter offers you an
opportunity to begin honing your skills and writing
about public health topics.
We welcome submissions on ANY topic related to
public health. Perhaps
you would consider submitting an article about any of the following:
•An internship or practicum experience
•Work with a public health program or research project
•Public health events or news at your school
•Thoughts on a policy with public health implications
•Commentary on a public health issue
•Public health career advice
•Local, state, or national public health events, projects or advocacy efforts
•Any other news of public health importance and/or importance to public health
professionals
Please include the following with your submission:
• Name
• Academic institution (institution name, department, degree program)
• Title of article
• A head shot or picture of yourself or others engaging in public health work
Also, please follow these guidelines:
• 12-point, Times New Roman font
• No more than 300 words
• Single spaced
• List of references (if applicable)
Please email your article and any questions to
Gwyneth, [email protected] or Nadine, [email protected]