Southern Health
Association Orientation
10/1/2012
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What is the Southern Health Association?
The Southern Health Association (known as SHA)
is a non-profit, regional organization representing
persons throughout the southeastern states who
are interested in public health.
The SHA MISSION is to serve as the regional
advocate for public health and for the development
and growth of its leadership.
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SHA History
 The Southern Health Association (SHA) had its
original beginning as the Southern Branch of the
American Public Health Association (APHA*).
*APHA builds a collective voice for public health,
working to ensure access to health care, protect
funding for core public health services and
eliminate health disparities, among a myriad of
other issues.
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SHA Purpose
To serve as the regional advocate for public health
and to serve as a facilitator for the development
and growth of public health leadership.
 To foster and stimulate a greater degree of
scientific effort in the protection and improvement
of public health, and to bring about a better
understanding, integration and promotion of
public health services.
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What SHA is all about . . .
• SHA is a strong supporter of public health issues
on the state, regional and national levels.
• SHA holds an annual meeting jointly with one of
its affiliate state public health associations.
• Leadership for SHA is provided through a
Governing Council composed of elected officers, a
representative from each affiliate state, membersat-large, and committee chairmen.
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SHA Membership
SHA is made up of affiliate members (state
associations) as well as individual members.
Currently SHA has 7 affiliate members:
 Alabama
 Arkansas
 Florida
 Kentucky
 North Carolina
 South Carolina
 Georgia
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SHA AFFILIATE STATES
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Benefits of SHA Membership
Membership in SHA provides unique opportunities
to :
• Learn of legislative trends which affect public health.
• Meet new people and establish new friendships.
• Attend other State Public Health Association meetings to
learn what problems are being faced and to share
successes from your home state.
• Network with colleagues from neighboring states and
discuss health related efforts and projects.
• Be a part of an organization that has consistently
produced strong leaders.
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SHA Structure
 SHA has a Constitution and set of By – Laws to assist with
the operation of the Association.
 The Constitution outlines Standing Committees to carry out
the business of the Association. These committees are:
Audit; Awards; Constitution and By-Laws; Membership
and Eligibility; Nominations; Operations, Functions,
and Objectives (COFO); Public Information; Public
Policy and Resolutions, and the Annual Meeting
Steering Committee.
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SHA Governing Council
The Council is the ruling body of the association. The
Council establishes policies, determines fiscal practices
and manages the general affairs of the Association.
The Governing Council is made up of the Executive
Committee members, three At-Large Members, the
standing committee chairmen, the immediate past
president, and an affiliate representative from each
state member and the American Public Health
Association liaison.
The Governing Council generally meets twice a year.
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Executive Committee
The Executive Committee is composed of the
following offices:
 President
 President-Elect
 Immediate Past President
 First Vice President
 Secretary
 Treasurer
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Additional Offices
 A 2nd Vice President is appointed by the Governing
Council each year to direct and coordinate all plans
and arrangements for the current year’s Annual
Meeting.
 A 3rd Vice President is an officer appointed by the State
Association hosting the Annual Meeting for the
following year.
 These positions are filled by a member of the Host
State and are not members of the Executive Council.
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Executive Committee
 The Executive Committee conducts any
business matters of the Association that occurs
between Governing Council meetings
 Develops and administers personnel policies
for the Association
 Acts as trustee for all property of the
Association
 Reports all actions taken to the Governing
Council.
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Examples of legislative support
List some of the note worthy issues supported by SHA
through resolutions:
 Diabetes awareness and prevention
 Non-smoking/Tobacco tax
 Bicycle helmet and safety
 Childhood obesity reduction and prevention
 Seat belt safety and legislation
 Interpersonal violence (Domestic Violence)
reduction and prevention
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How to get the most out of your
SHA Membership:
 Attend meetings to meet peers and colleagues from
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other states (networking)
Participate on workgroups and committees
Talk to your State Association SHA representative
for information about events and committee work
Read the quarterly newsletters (available online)
Utilize the SHA website:
www.southernhealth.net
Connect with SHA on Facebook
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Thank you for joining SHA.
We hope you will become an
active participant with us in
promoting leadership in public health !
“How wonderful that no one need wait a single moment to improve
the world.”
~ Anne Frank (1929-1945); Diarist
”Individually, we are one drop. Together we are an ocean.”
~ Rvunosuke Satoro
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Public Health Leadership
“Strengthening public health means that we need to
inspire, we need to explain, we need to communicate.
We need to create a commitment to change and
spelling out the health challenges powerfully and
imaginatively helps to create that impetus.
Some of the great public health leadership of the past
which connected directly with the public and which
could influence policy makers is not there in great
plenty in today's world, yet it is needed just as badly.”
~ Sir Liam Donaldson
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