By Alex X. Martinez
NCHPAD Content and Inquiry Manager
NCHPAD Content and Inquiry Manager Alex Martinez recently attended and presented at NACCHO 360 in Detroit, Michigan. He shared his experience, key takeaways, and presentation in the following blog. If you have questions or would like to connect with Alex, please email him at xelamr@uab.edu.
Reflections from NACCHO 360
I had the opportunity to attend NACCHO 360 and share information about NCHPAD’s commitment to promoting equity for people with disabilities in public health systems. NCHPAD’s work is rooted in public health practices and information to help people with disabilities and chronic conditions achieve health benefits through increased participation in health and wellness initiatives.
People with disabilities experience a higher prevalence of health disparities than people without disabilities, so inclusion and accessibility in health and wellness initiatives must be included in learning and networking experiences like this conference. It is important to note that the reported health disparities that people with disabilities experience are not a product of the disability but an issue of lack of inclusion in societal opportunities to participate in health and wellness initiatives. The conference provided a dynamic platform for us to continue delivering the message of the importance of inclusion in public health settings.
What is NACCHO?
In 1965, the National Association of Counties (NACo) and other partners decided to form an association to represent the voice of local public health. As a result, the National Association of County Health Officials was created. The organization continued working in the public health field for a few decades. In 1994, NACHO changed its name to the National Association of County and City Health Officials (NACCHO). Since its inception, NACCHO has been a major influencer in the public health field.
NACCHO and NCHPAD
NACCHO and NCHPAD have a longstanding cooperative relationship. Both centers have shared a vast network of public health stakeholders. This advantageous position allows us to disseminate information and collaborate in initiatives and optimizes our ability to provide resources to individuals who can advocate for inclusion in public health activities. For example, in 2019, NACCHO’s Health and Disability Program released the Mobilizing for Action through Planning and Partnerships (MAPP) Resource Guide for Disability Inclusion. This resource guide shows how the MAPP process is inclusive for people with disabilities. This resource was a collaboration between NCHPAD and NACCHO and serves as an example of how organizations that share common interests can work together to maximize the reach and impact of their efforts in public health.
NACCHO 360
NACCHO 360 2024, an annual hybrid event (both in-person and live-streamed), was held in Detroit this year from July 23-26. As the largest gathering of local health department leaders and public health professionals in the United States, NACCHO 360 provides a unique platform to learn, network, and exchange experiences and best practices among local health departments. This year’s conference, themed “Heard it Through the Grapevine: Public Health Partnerships, Collaboration, and Innovation,” focused on the role of partnerships – both private and public – and collaboration in advancing public health. The event highlighted how innovative and traditional approaches can be used to restructure a system designed to protect the health of communities nationwide. Throughout the conference, participants shared opportunities, challenges, best practices, and success stories, engaged with federal, state, and local partners, and gained valuable insights from public health experts.
NCHPAD at NACCHO 360
In 2022, NCHPAD and Special Olympics International (SOI) formed a collaborative workgroup to reduce tobacco use and enhance inclusive programming. During NACCHO the conference, I had the opportunity to represent the workgroup and share with the audience the goals, action items, barriers, accomplishments, lessons learned, and recommendations to address the issue of tobacco usage and how it affects the health of the disabled population that is served by NCHPAD and SOI.
Through our presentation titled “National Center on Health, Physical Activity and Disability and Special Olympics: Collaborative Efforts to Enhance Inclusive Tobacco Programs for People with Disabilities,” I was able to not only share information but also learn about the needs of individuals in the community working in tobacco cessation programs.
What we Learned
People with disabilities often encounter barriers to health access, facing higher rates of preventable health issues that diminish their overall well-being. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), smoking prevalence is significantly higher among adults with disabilities (19%) than without (11%). E-cigarette use is also elevated (8% vs. 3.9%), and adolescents with disabilities are more likely to smoke [1]. Accessible tobacco prevention programs can enhance the health of individuals with disabilities. It is important to provide inclusive programs aimed at providing equal access to people who might otherwise be excluded or marginalized, including people with physical, intellectual, and developmental disabilities.
Taking action
This group created a Needs Assessment survey for Tobacco Use Prevention and Cessation Resources to disseminate to local and state health departments. This survey intends to identify the current state of tobacco use prevention and cessation resources for adults with disabilities within health departments.
During the Great American Smokeout 2023: an observance created by the American Cancer Association to empower people to start the journey towards a tobacco-free life and cancer reduction of cancer risk the workgroup disseminated a cobranded infographic with information about types of tobacco products, the importance of tobacco avoidance and strategies to avoid tobacco cessation use and exposure.
More recently, NCHPAD and SOI became partners as expert organizations of the National Disability Inclusion Network for Tobacco Control and Cancer Prevention. The National Disability Inclusion Network for Tobacco Control and Cancer Prevention (Disability Inclusion Network) is supported by a five-year Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) cooperative agreement. The agreement brings together a consortium of nine national organizations to prevent commercial tobacco use and cancer in populations with tobacco- and cancer-related health disparities. The purpose of this consortium is to advance the prevention of commercial tobacco use and cancer in people with disabilities, including U.S. Veterans. We hope to continue the work that started last year with the creation of the NCHPAD-SOI workgroup but also to be able to learn and share ideas from everyone participating in the inclusion network. If you would like to stay informed about the National Disability Inclusion Network for Tobacco Control and Cancer Prevention, please click on this link.
Conference takeaways
The conference was packed with extensive programming and sessions covering public health-related topics from Healthy People 2030, the use of community health assessments and implementation plans, inclusion, leadership, health agencies efforts and many more. I was fortunate to attend a few sessions and reflect on what can be done to promote equity in public health for people with disabilities. There was an emerging topic or theme during the sessions that I attended during the conference. Attendees shared the concern that there is a need for access to more specific data that represents people with disabilities and studies on how the intersection of socioeconomic factors affects health and wellness. In my opinion, this issue is already clear to those who are advocates for people with disabilities. However, public health individuals need to understand that access to disability data can help create, innovate, and implement resources and programs that are specific to the needs of people with disabilities. I believe that current health surveillance systems at the national and state levels should consider data collection that represents the uniqueness of each individual.
Thank you to those who planned and worked at the conference and those who attended, presented, and took the time to converse with me. I am also grateful to my colleagues from SOI and NCHPAD for all their dedicated efforts to support this work. I hope to connect with you in future public health conferences.
References
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. “Cigarette Smoking Among Adults With Disabilities | CDC,” November 19, 2020. https://www.cdc.gov/ncbddd/disabilityandhealth/smoking-in-adults.html.