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Speaker: Please welcome Stephen Bradley, president Massachusetts Public Health Association.
Bradley: Good afternoon. My name is Stephen Bradley, and I am proud to serve as the president
of the Massachusetts Public Health Association. I am also vice president of external relations
at Bay State Health, last year recognized as one of the top 15 health systems for the
quality and cost in the United States. On behalf of the Mass Public Health Association’s
board of directors, the Mass Public Health Association staff, and the people of the Commonwealth
of Massachusetts, I welcome you to the great city of Boston. We are thrilled that the American
Public Health Association is here in Massachusetts this year. I’m from western Massachusetts
– from Springfield, Mass. On your way out, why don’t you swing by one of the best cities
in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts?
We are eager to learn from you, our national partners and our colleagues from other state,
to hear about your success and challenges, your victories and your insights. Having this
kind of opportunity to meet and hear from so many of our colleagues is an inspiring
and humbling experience. It inspires us to work harder, tackle even bigger challenges,
and gain new ideas and new wisdom in our efforts to build a healthier and more equitable Commonwealth.
We are eager to share with you all that we are proud of in Massachusetts. Massachusetts,
as you know, is a historic state. Boston is home to the first public health board. Paul
Revere served as its first president in 1799. The Mass Public Health Association is the
oldest state health association in the United States of America, founded in 1879. We are
the first state to achieve near universal health coverage for all of our residents.
Give it up.
We are the first state to establish a dedicated prevention and wellness trust fund through
the efforts that began in the backroom of the Mass Public Health Association in its
public policy committee, which was led by one of the outstanding public policy leaders
in Massachusetts, Mattie Ribble. But perhaps most importantly, the Boston Red Sox are the
first team to win three World Series in this decade.
We invite you to get to know us at the Mass Public Health Association. Please visit our
expo booth over the next few days, and please, please join us Monday evening when we will
be hosting a reception here in room 158 at 6:30 p.m., where we will be celebrating our
victories over the last year, as well as a honoring Mayor Menino and Massachusetts Senate
President Therese Murray for their years of service to the Commonwealth and their tremendous
public health accomplishments. That’s Monday evening at 6:30 here in room 158.
We extend the definition – at Bay State Health, we extend the definition of health
to include economic opportunity, affordable housing, safe neighborhoods, quality education,
food security, arts and culture, and racism- and homophobia-free communities – all elements
needed for individuals, families, and communities to thrive. I point that out
because that’s not your traditional definition of acute care, is it? But it sounds a lot
like the definition of public health to me, which is where we are going with healthcare
reform in Massachusetts – the emphasis on education and wellness.
We should all understand that we – those of us in this room and across the country
– cannot fix our broken cities or our dysfunctional school systems. We cannot successfully reduce
crime or teenage pregnancy or drug and alcohol addiction or heal our sick bodies or tormented
minds and broken hearts unless those of us – white folks like me, who have benefited
from 400 years of racism – accept responsibility for undoing and healing racism personally;
but even more importantly institutionally because it is through our institutions that
we perpetuate racism. If we want to cut the cost of healthcare in this country, all we
need to do is attack the social determinants of health. If in fact 25 percent of the cost
of the healthcare in this country is caused by racism – as I heard when this convention
was held in Philadelphia a number of years ago – that is $800 billion a year that we
can reduce costs by simply by giving people of color the same services, the same access
to care, and addressing the social determinants of health that oppress them.
We should leave this convention understanding that of all the great diseases that we wish
to conquer, there is no disease more insidious to the American population than the disease
of institutional racism. I challenge each of us – our state, public health associations,
our governments at the state and federal level – to make undoing and healing racism the
top priority of public health and healthcare in general. I hope over the next few days
I will have the opportunity to meet many of you and establish new connections and relationships
for the future.
With those comments, I am extraordinarily pleased today to introduce the Massachusetts
secretary of Health and Human Services – John Polanowicz, who serves on the cabinet of our
great and honorable governor, Duval Patrick. John is an experienced healthcare leader and
is using his expertise to help Massachusetts residents increase our already national leading
access to care while also tackling the issues of cost. John’s compassion and thoughtfulness
make him a strong advocate for our veterans, families, and individuals with disabilities
across the Commonwealth. Prior to his appointment as secretary of Health and Human Services,
Secretary Polanowicz served as the president of the prestigious St. Elizabeth’s Medical
Center in Brighton, Mass., overseeing the largest hospital in the steward healthcare
system. He brings expertise working in a cutting-edge community health care system, serving tens
of thousands of patients and their families. He was also instrumental in positioning steward
as an accountable care organization, to increase access, and decrease costs for patients and
small businesses. Ladies and gentlemen, it is my honor, privilege, and pleasure to introduce
my friend Secretary John Polanowicz. Thank you.
Polanowicz: Good afternoon, everyone. I’m so excited to be here. I have to just take
a quick picture first because my daughter is playing rugby at Boston College this afternoon,
and she said the only thing that would get me out of being at the game is if I was speaking
to 10,000 people. So you folks have to back me up.
First off, thanks to Steve for welcoming to the 141st
As you know, it’s a great time to be here – and not just because, you may have heard this already this morning,
the Red Sox are the World Series champions. Healthcare reform and innovation is seen here
at its very best. Our public health department is keeping our Commonwealth healthier than
ever. Of the 15 agencies overseen by the Massachusetts executive office of Health and Human Services
that helps serve and improve the lives of residents every day here in the Commonwealth,
the Massachusetts Department of Public Health is by far the most diverse. We have a very
rich public health history, which dates back to the 1700s, and a legacy of innovation that
stretches today. Steve talked about our history. Less well known is that Paul Revere at the
young age of 62 – so there’s still time – in 1796 became the first president of
the Boston Board of Health, which was the first in our then only 20-year-old nation.
He was a smart man. He understood that freedom of people is only worthwhile if the residents
are healthy enough to enjoy it. For those of you that may have some extra time, you
can learn all about our robust public health history from smallpox to soda at the Mass
Public Health Museum in Tewksbury, which is offering special offers and free admission
to all APHA conference attendees. Public Health Association annual meeting here in Boston.
Thanks again for that kind introduction. We are thrilled to host again the APHA and its
many public healthcare leaders. It’s an honor for me to be here among such a distinguished
and diverse to group of professionals and share some of what we are doing here in the
Commonwealth to enhance the health and wellness of all of our residents.
Now fast forwarding a century or so, we are still leading the way. It was recently announced
that scientists at the DPH’s Hinton State Laboratory Institute have identified a new
strain of influenza, which attributed to the development of the 2013-14 influenza vaccine,
one of four strains included. The Hinton Lab is the first state lab in the nation to successfully
identify a new strain CDC, which name to the strain “influenza B, Massachusetts 2, 2012-like
virus” in recognition of the finding, which I know rolls right off your tongue.
We have efforts in place to increase vaccine availability at chain pharmacies while building
robust partnerships with all of our local public health agencies – all 351 of them
in the cities and towns here across the Commonwealth. Healthcare providers and public health nurses
help us promote vaccinations. DPH has also targeted specific outreach efforts toward
underserved population, using the new Flu Vaccine for Everyone outreach tool to engage
diverse communities to help them learn about the importance of flu
vaccination. As a result, we have the highest rate of influenza vaccinations in the nation
overall, and in the nation leading in nearly all age breakdowns. Vaccinations are up in
every age group, and racial and ethnic disparities are down.
Less known is our public health – we’re tracking and preparing for the health effects
associated with climate change. In the past year we’ve seen a pattern of the Eastern
equine encephalitis and West Nile virus change significantly. This summer brought both Tripoli
and West Nile virus to areas that have historically had no presence of the virus, where there
was only one only isolated areas of significant risk. We also saw the climates change this
summer on shellfish as a result of historically warmer air and water temperatures. Human cases
of [vibrio] bacteria quadrupled, and for the first time in our history we were forced to
shut down some of our most well-known oyster beds on the South Shore and at Martha’s
Vineyard. Luckily for all of you, the beds are back open, and oysters are safe to consume.
So during your stay, feel three to enjoy some of the Commonwealth’s edible treasures,
and certainly help us support our local businesses.
Our Commonwealth’s latest public health achievement is the first of its kind prevention
and wellness trust fund. Last July, the Patrick administration worked in partnership with
the Massachusetts state legislature to establish a nearly $60 million grant program to reduce
healthcare costs by preventing specific chronic conditions in local communities, focusing
on tobacco use, pediatric asthma, hypertension, and falls prevention in older adults – will
fund a community-based partnerships of clinical teams, community health centers, and municipalities
that have come together to provide evidence-based intervention. The goal is to reduce rates
of these prevalent and preventable health conditions, increase healthy behaviors, increase
the adoption of workplace wellness and health management programs, and address those health
disparities that Steve mentioned. We are also working closely with our business
community, with our wellness tax credit incentive that gives small businesses of 200 or fewer
workers up to 25 percent of the cost of implementing a certified wellness program for their employees
that promote healthy lifestyle changes, such as weight loss and smoking cessation. In doing
so, we believe we are reducing chronically preventable diseases while ultimately saving
money on medical costs. In this Commonwealth you simply cannot live, work, or play without
seeing signs of us promoting public health. Even our own Boston Red Sox often stepped
up to the plate for public health and partners with us over the years to raise awareness
of the significant health risks of smoking and the benefits of having healthcare coverage.
Our Commonwealth’s public health success is due in large part to our success in implementing
healthcare reform; our dynamic team at DPH led by Cheryl Bartlett, who I asked to become
our state first registered nurse DPH commissioner; our partnerships with providers; and our progress
in removing barriers to wellness; and increasing preventative services.
Here in Massachusetts, we are creating and improving these programs because we believe,
as I’m sure each and every one of you do, that it is our generational responsibility
to leave our Commonwealth healthier, clearer, and more accessible for everybody in the future.
Thank you again for allowing us to host this incredible conference. The extraordinary array
of poster session, panel sessions, and keynotes available to you will cover innovations, cutting-edge
approaches, and new ways to view all of the issues facing us together. Thank you, and
have a tremendous conference.