Connecticut Public Health Policy Institute

Who We Are

Mission:

The Connecticut Public Health Policy Institute is dedicated to improving public health for all Connecticut residents, by providing non-partisan, high-quality research synthesis reports focused on critical public health policy issues facing the state.

Vision:

The Connecticut Public Health Policy Institute (CPHPI) will be a leader in providing unbiased, quality research synthesis reports in the area of public health and policies that affect the public health of Connecticut residents

Goals:

1. be a trusted source of unbiased, non-partisan public health policy information,
2. bring together legislators, public health officials, stakeholders and the public for open discussion on critical public health policy issues, and
3. provide legislators, public health officials, stakeholders and the public with a venue for learning about public health policy issues.

Objectives

1. prepare issue briefs that address public health policy matters of critical import to the state of Connecticut.  Stakeholders and experts will have an opportunity to view the issue briefs and offer comments and suggestions prior to publication or distribution.  The issue briefs will:
1. be factual only, and will provide policy implications but will not offer recommendations or represent one stakeholder view over another,
2. be authored by experts in the public health policy area under study as often as possible, and
3. be made available through a website designed for the CPHPI.
2. offer venues for learning and discussion on these public health policy issues in the form of events where:
1. issue briefs will be presented to invited legislators, public health officials, stakeholders and public representatives, in a safe and non-partisan venue that allows for open discussion, and
2. presentations will be made by experts in the public health policy area under discussion, as often as possible.

Executive Summary:

Public health programs aimed at promoting healthy behaviors could significantly reduce the burden of preventable disease and disability.¹   However necessary policy changes are frequently beyond the usual scope of health policy-making for a variety of reasons: determinants of health are affected by a broad array of social, economic and health policies, frequently overlooked or misunderstood during the policymaking process;^2,3 existing research can be overwhelming and even conflicting;² and the translation of knowledge into action can be time-consuming and confusing, leading to delays or even missed opportunities to implement  proven public health strategies.⁴

The mission of the Connecticut Public Health Policy Institute (CPHPI) is to improve public health for all Connecticut residents, by providing non-partisan, high-quality research synthesis reports (issue briefs) focused on critical public health policy issues facing the state.  Issue briefs, authored by experts, will document policy implications and will be presented to legislators, public health officials, stakeholders and the public in safe, non-partisan venues that allow for open discussion and learning.  Identifying the intersections of public health and policy is a critical role of the CPHPI.  Ultimately, the CPHPI will be a vital source of information aimed at improving public health in Connecticut.

Issue briefs summarizing critical public health policy concerns are written by the ED in collaboration with experts at the local, state or national level.  Presentation of issue briefs takes the form of panel discussions, expert presentations and Q & A sessions, modeling successful health policy institutes around the country.⁵

Advisory Board:

• Commissioner J. Robert Galvin, M.D., M.P.H., M.B.A.
  Connecticut Department of Public Health
• Representative Betsy Ritter, Co-Chair
  Public Health Committee
• Ellen Andrews, PhD, Executive Director
  Connecticut Health Policy Project
• Jack Reed, President and CEO
  ProHealth Physicians
• Michael Purcaro, Executive Director
  Connecticut Public Health Foundation
• Linda Degutis, Director
  Yale Center for Public Health Preparedness
• Mary Arico, Assistant Professor
  College of Engineering, Technology and Architecture
  University of Hartford

Ex-Officio Directors:

• Walter Harrison, PhD
  President, University of Hartford
• Mary Jane Williams, PhD, RN
  Chair, Department of Nursing, University of Hartford

Executive Director:

Katharine Kranz Lewis, PhD, MPH, MSN, RN
Assistant Professor
Department of Nursing, University of Hartford

References

860.768.5116     enhp@hartford.edu