JEFFSelects: Community & Public Health

U.S. Organizations

• American Public Health Association (APHA)
  The APHA is the world’s oldest and largest organization of public health professionals. Its mission is to improve the overall health of the population of the United States through advocacy, training, and government relations. Paid membership is required for access to much of the site.
  
  
• American Red Cross
  The Red Cross provides disaster relief services, community health services and training, blood donation coordination, non-government family services to U.S. military personnel, along with additional public health services to the United States and its territories. The site provides up-to-date news on major daily functions, and also contains detailed information about available services.
  
  
• Association of Public Health Laboratories (APHL)
  The APHL is dedicated to improving laboratory testing quality practice through training and government advocacy. Areas of focus include public health laboratories, environmental health testing laboratories, newborn screening and genetics, and global laboratory testing facility improvement.
  
  
• Association of Schools of Public Health (ASPH)
  The ASPH is the accreditation body for universities with graduate schools and programs in public health.
  
  
• Association of State and Territorial Health Officials (ASTHO)
  ASTHO is an organization comprised of the chief government health officers of every U.S. state and territory, and the District of Columbia. ASTHO focuses on public health improvement through government advocacy. Also included is the StatePublicHealth.org database, a searchable directory of state public official contacts, state public health phone hotlines, and a directory of former state health officials and their areas of expertise.
  
  
• The Century Council
  This site, from a non-profit organization funded by distillers, provides public health, legal, and statistics information on underage drinking and drunk driving. It is designed for researchers, parents, students, law enforcement officers, and retailers. It also provides links for educators to order CD-ROM materials.
  
  
• Civic Practices Network (CPN)
  CPN is a collaborative and nonpartisan project dedicated to the bringing of practical tools for public problem solving into the community and institutional setting across America. Essays and case studies are available for such topics as community, religion, youth education, families, journalism and the environment.
  
  
• National Association of City and County Health Officials (NACCHO)
  NACCHO is an organization of public health agencies, including city, metropolitan, county, district, and tribal agencies. Its activities include educational and research assistance to local agencies, promotion of partnership opportunities among local agencies, and public health advocacy.
  
  
• National Association of Community Health Centers (NACHC)
  NACHC deals with issues regarding community health centers for migrant and homeless populations. It addresses these issues through government and grassroots advocacy initiatives. Federal laws and regulations regarding community health centers can be found on this site.
  
  
• National Association of Local Boards of Health (NALBOH)
  NALBOH works with government agencies and national public health organizations to ensure that local boards of health have a voice in national health policy. Available on the site are professional-level public health training materials, public health assessment tools, and news relevant to local boards of health.
  
  
• Public Health Foundation
  The foundation aids the development of healthy communities through research, training, and technical assistance. It also provides objective information for health improvement planning and assistance in understanding and using data.
  
  
• Sound Partners for Community Health (Benton Foundation)
  Sound Partners is a competitive national grant program for public radio stations. Its current issues are children's health, end of life discussions, aging and the chronically ill, youth substance abuse and the healthcare safety net. Tips and tools for building partnerships, project management, outreach, setting goals and promotions are given, as well as grant information.
  
  
• United Way of America
  This is the national organization that helps provide guidance for the approximately 1,400 local United Way organizations operating in communities throughout the United States. The United Way of America also works with the federal government to help use national resources at the local level, while also working to encourage philanthropy. Many of the functions of the United Way have an impact local public health. A listing of programs and initiatives, along with a local United Way directory, are available on the site.