MHOA earlier this week hosted staff from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the National Association of County and City Health Officials (NACCHO). NACCHO coordinates with CDC to highlight local public health and inform their work. As the state affiliate of NACCHO, MHOA was invited to participate. I started off the morning at the Boston Public Health Commission, where Dr. Bisola Ojikutu, Boston's Commissioner of Public Health, and her staff shared their inspiring work around disease surveillance and their wastewater program, data modernization, the impact of their CDC public health infrastructure funding, and substance use & unsheltered homelessness response. 
In the afternoon, Leslie Ann Dauphin, Director, Public Health Infrastructure Center (PHIC); Seth Kroop, National Center for Emerging and Zoonotic Infectious Diseases (NCEZID) Deputy Director for Management, Operations, Communications and Policy; Janelle Thrasher, Public Health Analyst, NCEZID Policy Office; Andrew Fernando, Public Health Analyst, PHIC; and Lori Freeman, NACCHO CEO joined MHOA leadership, MHOA members in Foxborough for several local public health presentations:
- Bristol Norfolk Public Health Partners (BNPHP): Easton, Foxborough, Mansfield, Norton, Plainville and Sharon; Matthew Brennan, Foxborough Health Director and MHOA Treasurer
- Westford Health Dept + North West Public Health Coalition: Acton, Dracut, Lowell, Westford; Rae Dick, Westford Health Director and MHOA Past President
- Regional Epidemiology group: Manizeh Afridi, BME Public Health Consultant; Pooja Shelke, Regional Epidemiologist MetroWest Shared Public Health Services; Lea Hamner, Epidemiologist for Barnstable County, Dukes County, and Nantucket County
- North Central & Metro West Training Hub, Kerry Dunnell, Shared Services & Training Hub Manager
We shared local public health successes and challenges with the CDC team, and invited them to reach out for further input and consultation as they carry out their work. I emphasized how important it is when CDC provides funding that a portion is specifically earmarked for distribution to local public health. Kristin Black, OLRH Director of Shared Services, provided context for how Public Health Infrastructure grant funding is distributed locally in Massachusetts. The CDC team asked great questions, and was generous with their time during a busy visit.
A big thank you to our MHOA member participants, to our Foxborough and BNPHP hosts, and to Lori Freeman of NACCHO for the opportunity!
Teresa Wood Kett, executive director