What we do….

Public health promotes and protects the health of people and the communities where they live, learn, work and play.

Our Mission

As an affiliate of American Association of Public Health (APHA), we are a membership organization that works to improve the level of health and well-being for all Arizonans through advocacy, professional development and networking. Since 1928 we have been providing services to a wide range of members in the public health sector including health care professionals, state and county health employees, heath educators, community advocates, doctors, nurses, students and faculty.

our vision 

Healthy communities for Arizona


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We all deserve access to a culture of health – living as long as you can, as well as you can and having a short but glorious ending. It also means having a system in place that ensures we can all achieve it.
— APHA Executive Director Georges Benjamin, MD

Advocacy/Public Policy

We work diligently on behalf of our members and partners in bringing strong public health policies to the forefront.


Photo by macgyverhh/iStock / Getty Images

Professional Development

We offer two conferences and many other professional development opportunities each year to bring together members of the public health sector for learning and networking.

Networking

We plan regular networking activities in a casual social settings for you to connect with colleagues and meet new friends.


Our History

A Public Health and Sanitary Conference was held at the University of Arizona in April 1928 to bring together officials and workers interested in community health and welfare.

The state and local health departments should care for public health administration, but in Arizona, health work has not been organized and financed sufficiently to cover the field adequately. We must have the assistance of private agencies to help us carry on this very necessary work by creating public opinion in favor of sanitary measures, and by the enforcement of existing laws.

Health officers, city engineers, water works men, dairy inspectors, public health nurses, sanitary inspectors, and others interested in health betterment must co-operate to improve conditions in Arizona and to create sufficient support for this work.

The April meeting brought together a number of these workers to discuss their problems and to gain a new enthusiasm, and resulted in the formation of an Arizona Public Health Association which plans to meet each year to continue the discussion of health and sanitary questions.

This organization should do much to increase the interest of the people in health matters by working to accomplish better things for Arizona. 

F.T. Fahlen, M.D – State Superintendent of Public Health, 1928

What We Do