The Institute for Public Health Innovation is a recipient of the Kaiser Permanente Community- Based HIV Test and Treat Initiative, which aims at eliminating racial and ethnic disparities in health and health care, specifically related to the HIV disease.  Please take a moment to watch the video and share. 

For Immediate Release:  April 30, 2013

Michael O. Royster, MD, MPH, FACPM, director of programs and based in the Richmond Office of the Institute for Public Health Innovation (IPHi), was named President-Elect of the Virginia Public Health Association (VAPHA) at their annual meeting in April.  Dr. Royster will serve in this role for two years before taking over as President. The VAPHA is an alliance of multi-disciplinary health professionals from both public and private sectors committed to improving the health of all Virginians.

For Immediate Release: April 24, 2013

The Institute for Public Health Innovation (IPHi) today announced Total Health Partners, a new initiative in Prince George’s County, Maryland that will use highly trained community health workers to provide personalized assistance to people living with HIV/AIDS to help them link to and remain in HIV medical care. The effort is a partnership with Prince George’s County Health Department, Greater Baden Medical Services, and Heart to Hand, Inc. and an expansion of similar efforts that IPHi coordinates in the District of Columbia and Virginia. IPHi recently received prestigious national grants from the Kaiser Permanente National Community Benefit Fund at the East Bay Community Foundation, AIDS United, and M·A·C AIDS Fund to launch the program, along with funding from Washington AIDS Partnership.

For Immediate Release:  March 25, 2013

The Institute for Public Health Innovation (IPHi), the official public health institute serving the DC-Maryland-Virginia region, has appointed Michael O. Royster, MD, MPH, FACPM, as director of programs.  Dr. Royster brings to this post more than 15 years of experience in medicine and public health practice, policy, administration, teaching, and research.  He will establish IPHi’s Richmond, Virginia office, expanding its efforts to strengthen the public health system and promote public health and health equity throughout the state.

“Mike is a trusted public health leader in Virginia, and his experience and connections throughout the Commonwealth will be tremendous assets for IPHi,” said Michael Rhein, IPHi’s president & CEO.

IPHi, together with Washington AIDS Partnership, hosted over 125 leaders representing medical providers and community-based organizations from across the DC-MD-VA region in an all-day discussion of health care reform and the future of HIV/AIDS services in a session titled The Opportunities of a New Reality: Healthcare Reform, Paradigm Shifts, and the Future of HIV/AIDS Services in the DC Region. This convening was made possible from support from the M•A•C AIDS Fund and the D.C. Department of Health to help the HIV/AIDS service sector take advantage of time-sensitive systems change opportunities related to the implementation of health care reform. Speakers included representatives from AIDS United, the Harvard Center for Health Law and Policy Innovation, Project Inform, HIV Medicine Association, DC Department of Health, DC Health Benefit Exchange Authority, and DC Department of Health Care Finance. Attendees were not only able to hear about plans and strategies to address health care reform implementation from a local perspective, but also about lessons learned and thoughtful advice from national experts from both Massachusetts and California. The session also included time for participants to share their thoughts and opinions on a variety of topics, including the health benefit exchange, Medicaid expansion, and linkage to and retention in HIV care. IPHi and Washington AIDS Partnership will continue to host forums, dialogues, and trainings to help the HIV service providers in the region understand, respond to, and impact the changing nature of the health care delivery. Thank you for your interest and please continue to visit our webpage for ongoing updates on this topic, and all the work we do in the DC-MD-VA region. If you haven’t already, please follow us on Twitter at @InstitutePHI and make sure to Like us on Facebook.

Join VAPHA for our Spring Meeting, Redefining Health and Wellness for an Aging Population, on Friday, April 19th. The program will serve as a forum to discuss the public health issues facing the aging population of Virginia and the implications for the public health, and the public health workforce, of Virginia. 
Our keynote presenters are Dr. Allen Herman and Mr. Bill Kallio, AARP Virginia State Director. 

The Institute for Public Health Innovation (IPHi), the official public health institute serving the DC-Maryland-Virginia region, congratulates the Town of Somerset, Maryland as the first municipality to join the Healthy Eating, Active Living (HEAL) Cities & Towns Campaign for the Mid-Atlantic. town in Virginia. On January 7, 2013, the Town Council in Somerset passed the HEAL Cities & Towns Resolution becoming the first town in Maryland and in the region to join the HEAL Cities & Towns Campaign. In this resolution, Somerset set forth its commitment to creating a community of wellness where all residents have access to healthy choices.

The Institute for Public Health Innovation (IPHi), the official public health institute serving the DC-Maryland-Virginia region, announced today the appointment of Michael E. Rhein as president and chief executive officer. Mr. Rhein brings to this post more than 20 years of public health experience at the local, regional and national levels, and has been an integral part of the launch and development of IPHi as its Senior Vice President. He replaces Dr. Vincent Lafronza, who served as IPHi’s founding CEO since 2009. Dr. Lafronza recently announced his transition to a new appointment as the CEO of the National Network of Public Health Institutes.

Learn more about HEAL Cities & Towns at: www.healcitiesmidatlantic.org.

The Discovery Channel aired a new documentary on December 1 entitled, “Health: When Sex, Race, and Location Matter,” that examines health inequities in the District of Columbia as well as local solutions making a difference in people’s lives. Among the public health efforts highlighted in the documentary was Positive Pathways, a joint project of Washington AIDS Partnership, IPHi and numerous community partners, designed to assist people living with HIV/AIDS to engage in and stay connected to HIV medical care using a community health worker (CHW) model. IPHi Program Manager Abby Charles as well as Vernita Perry, one of the Positive Pathways CHWs on staff at IPHi, were prominently featured. DC Chartered Health Plan, a sponsor of the Discovery Channel special, will honor IPHi and Vernita Perry at their 25^th Anniversary Celebration scheduled for tomorrow night, December 2. The documentary is available for viewing on the Discovery Channel website.