ASPHN’s Board of Directors wishes to acknowledge and thank the association’s members for their extraordinary leadership over the past several months. Since the onset of the COVID-19 crisis, our members have stepped up to the front lines of this public health emergency, ensuring our nation’s most vulnerable receive vital nutritional assistance.
Thanks to their tireless work and expertise, millions of children continue to receive meals while schools are closed; reliable, accurate nutritional advice is available to young mothers in order to care for their infants and children; and programs like SNAP and WIC have been extended so families can purchase nutritious foods.
In nearly record time, our members have identified and forged new partnerships, collaborated with other organizations and agencies, shared resources and expertise across all sectors of public health, and enlisted volunteers eager to help those in need.
Public health nutritionists are carrying out this extraordinary work while simultaneously being called upon to assist in many other areas of the pandemic response. Some have been re-assigned to different divisions, many have taken on additional work loads, and still others have been asked to halt nutrition programs which were in progress or near launch. Regardless of what has been asked, our members have been successfully leading the charge while working from home and managing unprecedented personal and family disruption.
At ASPHN, part of our mission is developing leaders in public health nutrition. The COVID-19 crisis has revealed that our members join the association with the hallmarks of good leadership already in place. The continuing uncertainty of this pandemic will require our members’ leadership skills for a long time to come. Thankfully, we know your resilience, expertise, dedication, and compassion will continue to make a difference in reducing health disparities and addressing chronic disease prevention for millions of Americans.
Thank you for your service and leadership. We are proud to stand beside you, we are here to support your efforts, and we wish you and your families continued health and wellness during this difficult time.
— ASPHN’s Board of Directors