With more than 1,500 members, NCPHA is among APHA’s largest state and regional affiliate organizations.
Photo courtesy of NCPHA
“NCPHA demonstrates how an APHA affiliate can expand its public health approach to meet the needs of communities across the state.”
—Michelle Loosli
When Hurricane Helene devastated North Carolina in September 2024, it left more than 100 dead and caused more than $59 billion in damage.
After the storm, the North Carolina Public Health Association sprang into action and raised $40,000 to help affected residents. As storms like Helene intensify and become more common due to human-caused climate change, the APHA-affiliated organization has made the fund a permanent resource to support disaster relief.
The association’s commitment to supporting the state’s communities, even in the worst of times, was one of the many reasons the North Carolina Public Health Association was chosen as APHA Outstanding Affiliate of the Year, an honor awarded at the 2025 APHA Annual Meeting and Exposition in November. Each year, the Affiliate Council elects an Affiliate who does exceptionally outstanding work in state and local public health.
“NCPHA demonstrates how an APHA affiliate can expand its public health approach to meet the needs of communities across the state,” said Michelle Loosli, MS, APHA director of affiliate affairs. The health of the nation.
With more than 1,500 members, NCPHA is among APHA’s largest state and regional affiliate organizations. Its 16 groups and chapters help keep the association’s membership strong and engaged, said Patrick Brown, PharmD, executive director of NCPHA. The health of the nation.
“We really lean on them and their representation to make sure we’re doing things that members will find valuable,” he said.
This spring, the Affiliate celebrated its first Public Health Day at the North Carolina General Assembly in partnership with the North Carolina Association of Local Health Directors. More than 60 members participated, meeting face-to-face with state senators and representatives.
“We hosted training sessions with our members and participants so they could prepare and feel confident speaking with legislators,” said Bethany Milford, MPH, strategic initiatives program manager for the North Carolina Alliance of Public Health Agencies. The Health of the Nation.
The advocacy day focused on advancing two of the association’s legislative priorities: raising the state’s tobacco purchasing age to 21 and increasing funding for communicable disease capacity at the local level.
In addition to the association’s successful first Public Health Day, NCPHA broke a new record at its 2025 Fall Education Conference. More than 600 members attended, the largest event to date. The main event, held in Wilmington, North Carolina, included discussions with leaders from APHA, the Association of State and Territorial Health Officials, and the National Association of County and City Health Officials, as well as Anna Stein, JD, MPH, the first lady of North Carolina.
Sponsored by the North Carolina Division of Public Health, the event hosted a program that brought together public health communicators from across the state to lead sessions and workshops.
Throughout the year, NCPHA also helped build climate resilience in Charlotte, North Carolina, as one of six APHA-affiliated health associations working with the Smart Surfaces Coalition. With a grant from APHA, the affiliate partnered with CleanAIRE NC to explore the effects of extreme heat on Charlotte residents and potential solutions to help them cope.
Through focus groups with community members, faith leaders, and health professionals such as doulas, nurse practitioners, and emergency responders, NCPHA found that many people were staying home and missing daily activities due to the heat. Residents often struggled to cope with high air conditioning costs and electricity bills amid higher temperatures.
The work led to a “Heat Mitigation Report 2025,” released in November, with recommendations that can be used to address residents’ concerns about extreme heat.
For more information, visit https://ncpha.com.
- Copyright The Nation’s Health, American Public Health Association
