Remember back in October when Chris Hall introduced the SXSW Health Accelerator program for next year’s conference? I’m really looking forward to seeing what start-ups get to showcase their stuff.

I’m even more excited about the increase in health focused innovations occurring at the biggest conference that I’ve ever attended. Last year was the debut of the health track and I can only assume that this year will be even bigger. Recently, I saw via Twitter that Stephen Downs, CTO of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation will be sitting on the Accelerator’s judge panel. Involved in plenty of initiatives around technology/innovation in health, this was a great move by SXSW.

Game on, 2012!

What do you get when you combine experts/thought leaders in the innovative spaces of health communications, a generous helping of research/public health practitioners and a sunny Florida? Why, you get the Digital Health Communications Extravaganza of course!

Put together by my friend and colleague Jay Bernhardt (who I’ve interviewed before at a conference he put together with the CDC), the event promises to give plenty of insight into the next generation of health communications with case studies, research and deep dives into the issues communicators for public health should know. Supported by some great institutions, this should be a solid event to attend on a regular basis.

Facebook: http://dhcx.fbjoin.me 

Twitter: http://twitter.com/dhcxconf

Check out some more specific details after the jump!

Featured Speakers Announced:

•          Sekou Andrews, Storyteller/Poet
•          Rohit Bhargava,  Global Strategy & Marketing, Ogilvy
•          Amelia Burke, Digital Media, Westat
•          Jonathan Cho, Office of Communication and Education, National Cancer Institute
•          Kathy Crosby,  Center for Tobacco Products, US Food and Drug Administration
•          Cliff Dasco,  General Internal Medicine, The Methodist Hospital, University of Houston
•          Matthew Dasco,  Department of Internal Medicine, University of Texas Medical Branch
•          Lenora Johnson, Office of Communication and Education, National Cancer Institute
•          Gary Kreps,  Department of Communication,  George Mason University
•          Craig Lefebvre, socialShift; RTI International; University of South Florida
•          Dana Lewis, Swedish Health Services
•          Mark Luckie, 10,000 words; The Washington Post
•          Scott Shamp,  New Media Institute Grady College, University of Georgia
•          Vic Strecher, University of Michigan; HealthMedia, a Johnson & Johnson company
•          Larry Swiader, National Campaign to Prevent Teen and Unplanned Pregnancy

When & Where:

February 15-17, 2012 at the Peabody Orlando Hotel in Orlando, Florida

How DHCX is Different:

•          DHCX is for advanced users of information and communication technologies, or those who want to become advanced users;
•          All presentations will be held in general, plenary sessions with ample time for Q&A and networking;
•          Presentation topics will address multiple digital platforms (including, but not limited to, mobile) and sectors (health promotion, public health, healthcare, telehealth, communication, and information technology);
•          DHCX is run by a nonprofit, academic institution; Registration and hotel rates are affordably priced;
•          The Peabody Orlando (http://www.peabodyorlando.com) is one of only two Forbes Four-star and AAA Four Diamond hotels in the Orlando area and a short distance to Disney World, Sea World, and Universal Studios.

Who Should Attend?

•          Professionals, scientists, researchers, practitioners, students, developers, entrepreneurs, and visionaries from government agencies, academic institutions, nonprofit organizations, and for-profit companies;
•          In other words: innovators, connectors and investors who are searching for solutions to big problems in domestic and global public health and healthcare.

What You Will Experience:

•          Two days of collaborative discovery and dialogue with internationally renowned speakers, presenters, and  colleagues on the digital communications edge in public health and healthcare solutions;
•          Intense learning, inspiration and new collaborators to move your projects to the next level of impact;
•          Interactive group collaborations and crowd-sourced problem solving for better health;
•          Lively and fun entertainment; i.e., not your typical conference.

Sponsored by the University of Florida Center for Digital Health and Wellness

 DHCX Partners:

•           US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Center for Tobacco Products
•           National Cancer Institute (NCI) Office of Communication and Education

 Exabyte Sponsor:

•           Sapient

 Terabyte Sponsors:

•           Brigham Young University (BYU) Department of Health Science
•           IQ Solutions
•           Ogilvy Public Relations

 Gigabyte Sponsors:

•           Abt Associates
•           CommunicateHealth
•           Danya 
•           RTI International
•           Westat

The following is a guest post from the PreventObesity.net team, who last week’s  Partnership for a Healthier America’s (PHA) inaugural “Building a Healthier Future” summit, held at the Omni Shoreham Hotel here in Washington. The two-day event was jam-packed with newsworthy announcements and fun gossip, which we break down below.

Moving Ahead

In a keynote address wrapping up the conference, First Lady Michelle Obama announced that the next initiatives for her “Let’s Move!” campaign will focus on encouraging physical activity among young people, who she said suffer from a “crisis of inactivity.”

Young people today are the most sedentary in our nation’s history, Obama said. This generation spends an average of 7.5 hours each day in front of a screen such as a television or computer, and only a quarter of them play outside each day, compared to three quarters of kids a generation ago.

“It wasn’t always like this,” Obama said, reflecting on her own childhood. “We would walk to school every day. And then when we got to school, we’d run around and play before the bell rang. You got to school early to run around.”

But these days, “the only walking our kids do is out the front door to a car,” Obama said.

Obama didn’t reveal any specific details for the upcoming initiative, but she did note that she plans to work with mayors, schools, sports leagues, celebrities and business to find new ways to encourage activity among young people.

And Obama encouraged the advocates in the audience to do their part to get kids moving. The First Lady even screened a video featuring clips of her being active, from doing jumping jacks and dancing the Dougie to jumping rope and playing football.

“I’m pretty much willing to make a complete fool of myself to get our kids moving,” she said. “But there’s a method to my madness.”

Bipartisanship Agreement

There’s not much working-across-the-aisle happening in Washington these days, but a Republican and a Democrat came together during the conference to raise awareness about the importance of addressing the obesity epidemic.

Former Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist (R-Tenn.) and Cory Booker, Democratic Mayor of Newark, N.J., came together to praise food industry titans such as Wal-Mart and Walgreens for doing their part to reverse obesity by opening locations in underserved areas and selling more fresh and affordable products.

The duo made several joint television appearances, co-authored an opinion piece for Politico and kicked off the conference with keynote addresses on Tuesday morning. Both argued that America’s response to the childhood obesity epidemic will shape its future, for good or bad.

Booker compared childhood obesity to past challenges such as the abolition of slavery or defeating Nazi Germany, telling the audience that “the greatest threat to our democracy in America, is the health and education of our children.”

“We drink deeply from wells of freedom and liberty and justice that we did not dig,” Booker said.

“Our children challenge us every day when they stand up in our schools and say those five words: With Liberty and Justice for All,” he later added. “We who sit here now, we are those Americans who must stand up now, and not let our inability to do everything undermine our ability to do something.”

Booker challenged the conference attendees—including private businesses—to work together to make change. When a reporter asked Booker whether the industry’s promises will actually do anything – and suggested addressing government subsidies for certain foods might create more effective change — the mayor responded that the pledges are something that will help people now, rather than just continue to divide people.

“Today, back in my city, I’ve got a working mom who doesn’t have access to a supermarket,” Booker said, adding that grocers opening locations in underserved areas will help that woman. “I see these guys come up with real solutions… I’m telling you right now, we’re doing something, and we’re getting something done.”

Frist —  who also is a heart surgeon — noted that PHA and others will hold the industry accountable. “American consumers are not stupid,” and know the difference between real change and public relations stunts, Frist added.

“Making the healthy choice the easy choice can make the bottom line healthy, too,” Frist said. “I’m not about to argue that the private sector’s motivation are purely altruistic. But frankly, it doesn’t matter.”

Hey, Isn’t That?

The PHA summit was strictly an A-list affair, what with headliners such as First Lady Michelle Obama, Newark Mayor Cory Booker, “Top Chef” head judge Tom Colicchio and former Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist.

But it was the appearance of a tabloid-favorite star that had heads turning.

NBA player Kris Humphries, best known for being the soon-to-be ex-husband of reality starlet Kim Kardashian, attended the summit on behalf of his namesake foundation. Humphries came to D.C. to be a part of the childhood obesity movement – his group aims to get kids physically active – but his appearance nonetheless drove gossip among many attendees, especially the 20-something set.

Humphries, who was accompanied by his mother, kindly chatted up conference goers and posed for photos. But he appeared to take the summit seriously, as he quietly sat alongside the 800-or-so other attendees during the speeches and sat in on breakout sessions (and for what it’s worth, he was not trailed by any cameras)

Dishing Out Success

If one little boy had his way, “Top Chef” judge Tom Colicchio probably would have been sent to pack his knives on Tuesday night.

Colicchio competed in the “Great American Family Dinner Challenge,” which pitted two teams of chefs against each other to see who could craft the tastiest multi-course meal for a family of four for less than $10. (For you foodies, Maria Hines and Holly Smith competed against Colicchio and Ming Tsai.)

White House Assistant Chef Sam Kass emceed the contest, and real-life families helped judge. But one 6-year-old boy apparently didn’t like several of the dishes (including Colicchio’s offerings) as he promptly spit out the food upon tasting it.

Colicchio and Tsai still won the contest, however.

Conference attendees also dined on delicious, nutritious and affordable food during the dinner. Chefs Floyd Cardoz, Michel Nischan, Koren Grieveson and Anne Quatrano each prepared family style meals that cost $4.50 per person.

All of the recipes can be found on the PHA website.

Making Commitments

Several big-name companies and organizations announced they are partnering with PHA to take substantive steps designed to help reduce childhood obesity. Their commitments are listed below.

• Hyatt Hotels: Will make its children’s and other menus healthier by adding healthy options, offering a fruit or vegetable as the default side for kids and reducing sodium content, among other changes.
• Kaiser Permanente: Support breastfeeding with new guidelines at all of its 29 hospitals that offer maternal and child health services.
• The Fresh Grocer: The Philadelphia-based company will build five new grocery stores in areas where people lack access to healthy and affordable foods.
• YMCA of the USA: The nationwide group, which serves about 700,000 kids each day, will establish standards for nutrition and physical activity for its out-of-school programs, and set limits on screen time.
• New Horizon Academy: The childcare company will set physical activity and nutritional standards at its 67 locations across the country.
• The Links, Incorporated: The women’s volunteer service organization, dedicated to ensuring the cultural and economic survival of African Americans, will work with its chapters to launch childhood obesity intervention programs.

————————————————–

Elizabeth Brotherton-Bunch is senior writer and editor for PreventObesity.net, a website dedicated to building a network of leaders and supporters who care about reversing the childhood obesity epidemic. Sign up to become a PreventObesity Leader and receive future newsletters.

Last Thursday evening I was honored to be a guest participant of the #hchlitss Twitter chat. The hashtag stands for Health Communications, Health Literacy and Social Sciences and was created by Kathleen Hoffman and RV Rikard (who both live here in North Carolina!).

In being invited to the event, I thought about some relevant topics to highlight in the hour – I landed on sustainability in public health initiatives, digital health literacy and being smart in health communications with specific communities (i.e. communities of color). The conversation quickly ramped up a few minutes into the Twitter chat with great people jumping in with thoughts, including Myrna Morales and Kate Ellington, two of the realest people I know around the health literacy discussion and cultural competency.

I had a great time, got fired up and met some new people. You can find the full transcript of the Twitter chat on the #hchlitss blog.

Today celebrates the first annual national Food Day. I caught up with Lilia Smelkova, Campaign Manager with Food Day,  to get the full scoop…

What is Food Day?

Food Day is a national grassroots campaign for healthy, affordable food produced in humane, sustainable and just way.  Food Day is modeled after Earth Day, and will take place anually on October 24 with people across the country celebrating by organizing or attending events, big and small–on college campuses, at schools, in public parks, at farmers markets. Major themes include health, sustainable agriculture, cutting subsidies to agribusiness, and eradicating food deserts. Food Day aims to educate the general public, influence local and state food policies, and give a platform for diverse to dialogue and work together. But more important, Food Day aims to inspire Americans to change their diets for the better and start cooking for families again.

After months of organizing by countless people, there will be more than 2,000 events from coast to coast in 50 states on and around October 24.  Local governments are seizing the opportunity to announce new food policy initiatives. The National Archives will be hosting a Food Day Open House, and there will be an “Eat In” in Times Square in New York, with guests Morgan Spurlock, Marion Nestle, and 50 other food leaders and community activists. You can learn more about Food Day priorities and look for events around the country here: www.foodday.org.

What is the significance of October 24th?

We wanted to select a date that would give some time for schools and campuses to organize activities, not too close to Earth Day, to give a possibility for organizers to participate and leave time to plan, and also be close to the World Food Day, one of our partners, celebrating with actions on world hunger issues and addressing domestic food access.

Dozens of school districts and hundreds of campuses are celebrating countrywide. Portland Public Schools will serve a special meal of locally-raised, grass-fed beef and unlimited fruits and vegetables  for kids from 30,000 families. Every school in Denver will have a special Food Day menu. Schools in Boston, Boulder County, Los Angeles, and Detroit will celebrate as well. The Real Food Challenge has involved more than 200 college campuses in dinning hall events, teach-ins, conferences, picnics and more.

How did the Food Day folks settle on the 6 Food Day principles?

Food Day’s goal is nothing less than to transform the American diet—to inspire a broad movement involving people from every walk of life. In other words, we want America to eat real. The 6 Food Day principles were selected to give a broad umbrella, a platform for groups working on all aspects of food system to collaborate together, public health advocates, environmental activists and farm workers justice movement. We have based the selection on a survey made earlier this year when we asked thousands of respondents, including our advisory board members, what were the priorities that wanted to see addressed by Food Day.

Food Day’s 6 principles are:

What can our readers do today to participate in Food Day?

First of all, attend a Food Day event. If you haven’t found a Food Day event near you, visit FoodDay.org to search by our map or by typing in your zip code. (Be patient as events take time to load in the map—a lot of people are visiting right now!). Besides events in public places, Food Day events will take place at homes.  For inspiration, we are offering a free Food Day recipe booklet featuring recipes from Mario Batali, Rick Bayless, Emeril Lagasse, Nina Simonds, and other renown chefs.

If you want to create your own Food Day event at home with family or friends, there is still time. We have a great dinner party kit collection of totally delicious recipes from celebrity chefs to get you started. If you want to raise money for a local food-related charity, you can enter a contest led by Epicurious.com—winning entries will get their donations matched up to $1,000! We even have tips for Halloween, and Food Day pumpkin carving stencils. We encourage everyone to sign the Food Day petition asking Congress for better food policies.

And of course you can keep up with Food Day by liking it on Facebook, following CSPI on Twitter, or by using the #FoodDay hashtag.

What can we expect from Food Day in the coming years?

Food Day will be October 24—this year and in years to come. Food Day aims to become for the Food Movement what Earth Day has been for the Environmental Movement, bringing food education into school curriculum, helping to improve diets, and giving the much needed support to sustainable agriculture.  Food Day will inspire hundreds of thousands if not millions of Americans to change their diets for the better, and to push for improved food policies. Although with Food Day, actively making change – even for one day – can have a tremendous impact, we also see efforts on improving policies. Rhode Island and Montgomery County, Maryland are announcing the formation of the food policy councils on Food Day. In California, dozens of nonprofit organizations have come together to promote a petition campaign to generate support for a smarter Farm Bill.

–

Bridgette Collado (aka, @bcollado)

Lilia Smelkova worked for Slow Food International in Italy for 10 years and initiated the Slow Food network in Eastern and Central Europe and Canada. She supervised international communications and directed the launch of an international education program that birthed the first European network of sustainable school cafeterias. She also worked on the core team that planned the first Terra Madre, a meeting of food communities from 150 countries. Lilia holds a BA from Minsk Linguistics University in Belarus (she is fluent in Italian, Russian, English, French, and Spanish), a Master’s in languages from Turin University in Italy, and a certificate in environmental management from UC Berkeley, where she co-authored a nutrition education study. She recently guided an expedition of Italian scientists along the Silk Road to research food preferences and genetics. She believes that food is among the best ways to experience the world, especially Uzbek pilaf, Pamir mountain mulberries, and Transylvanian jams.

Pulse + Signal guest correspondent, Ana Tellez, attended the recent Clinton Global Initiative meeting in NYC – here is her recap of the world-changing event.

A couple of weeks ago I had the opportunity to attend the Clinton Global Initiative Meeting that was held in New York City. Security was tight, the star-power was bright, and expectations for improving our world were high and abundant. The purpose of the meeting was to bring together CGI members – organizations from the private sector, public sector, and civil society – to innovate collaboratively to alleviate poverty, create a cleaner environment, and increase accessibility to health are and education across the globe. President Obama even stopped by on the second day of the meeting to promote his jobs bill during a session on Sustainable Consumption. He positioned his pitch for the global audience at hand stating that what helps the U.S. economy helps the global economy and he talked about the need to upgrade roads, bridges, and schools across the country.

The meeting had many exciting moments across a diverse set of sessions that all opened with “commitment” announcements of new projects or progress reports on existing projects by CGI members. Certain sessions were closed to the press (including a couple I had really been looking forward to!) yet I persevered and based on my experience I give you my top 5 moments at CGI:

#5. Witnessing the Announcement of The Global Smoke-Free Worksite Challenge as a multi-sector partnership between the American Cancer Society, the Global Business Coalition on Health, Johnson & Johnson, Mayo Clinic, the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids, and the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services (HHS). The announcement came through a press conference that included the U.S. Assistant Secretary of Health Howard Koh, along with representatives from each of the other partners. The challenge invites employees to protect their employees from the harms of secondhand smoke by implementing 100% smoke-free policies.

It was interesting to learn that one of the partners – Johnson & Johnson – was the first company to implement a policy of 100% smoke-free work environments in its worldwide locations since back in 1997. In addition, Dr. Koh from HHS noted that, “On January 1^st we announced that all federal employees can get access to smoking cessation services without added costs.”

#4. Learning about biomimicry as a design solution for fighting bacteria. During the “Form and Function: Designing for Humanity” breakout session, Janine Benyus from The Biomimicry Institute presented the concept of biomimicry as a design concept that can bring together biologists and designers to help address challenges across multiple disciplines. Her example of Sharklet blew me away! Sharklet is a surface design that biomimics shark skin to repel microbes instead of killing them – serving as a cost-effective solution for bacteria control in hospitals. You can also watch the full webcast of the session (which includes other innovative design solutions like a low-cost tablet by fuseproject).

#3. Listening to Archbishop Desmond M. Tutu shamelessly flirt with Aung San Suu Kyi while they were both being interviewed by Charlie Rose. Suu Kyi tuned in from Burma in her first interview since being released from house arrest. It was exhilarating to hear her and Tutu converse as two powerful forces of social justice as well as two individuals with great admiration for each other – him especially for her! Aside from the palpable chemistry between the two of them, it was inspiring to hear their calls for ongoing battles against poverty and oppression:

Archbishop Demond Tutu on HIV/AIDS: “We have done splendid work on HIV/AIDS – but please, let’s continue that work and have a generation free of HIV/AIDS.”

Aung San Suu Kyi on democracy: “People say democracy is a Western concept. Democracy is a Western word, but the concept is universal.”

For the full effect of the interview, watch the full webcast.

#2. Watching Chelsea Clinton interview the U.S. Secretary of State (her mom). As part of the closing plenary Chelsea interviewed her own mother, Hillary Rodham Clinton, and asked her some difficult questions about the role of the U.S. in Arab Spring movements in Egypt and Tunisia and the true meaning of democracy. A few tidbits include:

Clinton on the Arab Spring: “I can’t tell you what Egypt or Tunisia will look like in ten years but I can tell you that we made the right decision in supporting participatory movements in those countries.”

Clinton on democracy: “Democracy is not just elections…Democracy is hard. It doesn’t get easier and it’s not very efficient. Our challenge is to keep focused and committed when it’s a messy process.”

For the entire interview, watch the full webcast.

#1. Listening to Leymah Gbowee speak on the power of human perseverance through peaceful protesting. I will be honest, I had never heard of Leymah Gbowee before and had chosen the “Organizing for Change” Keynote Lunch for 2 reasons: 1) my general interest in participatory movements to empower disenfranchised groups and 2) the fact that Madeleine Albright would be moderating the session. As soon as I heard Leymah speak, though, I was completely blown away by her strength of character coupled with a lightness of being and charisma. She spoke eloquently and honestly about the hardships of peace-building work in a way that is not often seen in such high-level meetings. So of course it came as no surprise to me to hear that today she was one of three women to share the Nobel Peace Prize award! (Oh yeah, and the author Rye Barcott was also a panelist. Poor Rye, he never stood a chance against Leymah’s presence.)

If there is one CGI session that you would consider watching, make it this one!  It speaks to those of us working across sectors and disciplines to improve our world and the health of everyone in it.

The following is a guest post from Whitney Zatzkin, Policy and Advocacy Manager at the American Association of Colleges of Pharmacy. A member of the Coalition for Health Funding, she attended a Congressional briefing on the role of public health in disaster recovery on September 12, 2011. More information on this and future events is available through the Coalition for Health Funding.

Disaster Recovery – After the Cameras Leave

The public was captivated when news crews descended upon New York City for the September 11 attacks, the Gulf Coast for Hurricane Katrina, Joplin, Missouri for the tornadoes and, most recently, along the East Coast for Hurricane Irene. But what happens after the cameras leave?

On Monday September 12, 2011 the Coalition for Health Funding hosted its seventh annual Public Health 101 briefing. The event featured Dr. Isaac Weisfuse, Deputy Commissioner for the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene, Clayton Williams, Assistant Secretary for Public Health for the State of Louisiana Department of Health and Hospitals, and public health systems researcher, Dr. Jerry Suls, Professor and Collegiate Fellow at The University of Iowa.

“Gadgets only get you so far, staff is critical.”

So much of disaster response and recovery is fast adaptation and planning for the unanticipated public health response needs. Dr. Weisfuse spoke of the flames, days after 9/11, shooting 20+ feet in the air as workers moved beams for clean-up and of the health cleanliness recertification developed for restaurants and delis to address the places where breakfast was left on the table for weeks. Many anthrax scares followed 9/11 but the first case wasn’t confirmed until October 12^th 2011. This slide from Dr. Weisfuse detailed that confirmed anthrax case – tracing the letter through NBC studios in an investigation that revealed that the NYC subways were, in fact, that dirty. And who knew they used fax machines for cleaning exposed documents for disposal? He closed emphasizing the significance of training, education and multi-layer communication for all stakeholders and highlighted the critical role for public health staff saying, “gadgets only get you so far, staff is critical.”

“We need a solid base in public health. That means people, and that means money.”

Mr. Williams brought the conversation to the recovery tasks following the BP Oil Spill, establishing seafood safety strategies and creating “the MOST certified seafood out there!” through the work of his team in Louisiana. His efforts there focused on “Rescovery,” merging response and recovery programs so disaster recovery programs (exposure screenings) are hosted INSIDE the established local response facilities (community health centers or shelters). Furthering the comments from Dr. Weisfuse, Mr. Williams cited that protocols in New Orleans once detailed that only the Public Health Director was left in the government health offices in its disaster plan. That one person was not enough when response was needed particularly post-Katrina when many colleagues within the Department of Health met the Public Health team for the first time. Emphasizing the important investment needed to build solid relationships with key stakeholders before the disaster happens, not after the incident, he commented, “We need a solid base in public health. That means people, and that means money.”

“We need money for research, staff and for outreach [programs].”

Closing the panel, Dr. Suls reflected on the important research around mental health and the challenges of rebuilding feelings of positivity in a community following a disaster. Not surprisingly, the biggest sources of stress following a disaster are employment, parenting and finances. Research demonstrates that people become more pessimistic following a disaster and they turn to pessimism-boosters, like alcohol and smoking, to find quick stress relief. Dr. Suls further explained that when pockets of optimism exist post-disaster, the feelings are often rooted in the idea that something like that would never happen to the community again and result in an increased number of people that stop being prepared for future events. In some cases, the optimists will even go so far as to not respond to local alerts and warnings to evacuate during the next hurricane or ignore alarms to seek shelter during a tornado. “If you have an immunization for something and no one uses it, you didn’t make an impact,” he said, adding, “We need money for research, staff and outreach [programs]” to make an impact.

Innovation in Public Health and Recovery Response

New York City was overwhelmed by the outpouring of support after 9/11. Volunteers flooded the area and officials sent the volunteers to donate blood when they found themselves over staffed. Quickly, blood donation centers were overwhelmed with donors and volunteers were left standing. The public health community developed new strategies to inform national volunteer deployment strategies and created the Medical Reserve Corps, to verify medical volunteers and deploy them successfully following emergencies.

Evolution in Public Health and Recovery Response

In her Congressional Statement for the Record this past May, Heather Blanchard, co-founder of CrisisCommons, cited the findings of an American Red Cross report and new levels of expected disaster response, “during an emergency… 55% [of respondents believed] help would arrive in less than 30 minutes if they posted a request for help on a social media website.” At the hearing, those in charge of disaster response stated how tweets and other web reports were an unmet need during past responses and that staff training, as well as new communications and new solutions, were needed. The public health and first responder communities are testing tweet-based deployment response and HHS and FEMA worked with Health 2.0 to issue an Application Developer Challenge to create a Facebook application to track a community following a disaster, communicate needs and verify safety. The need is growing for mobile platforms and effective response after an emergency, yet many agencies not only do not have the staff to support new media use but often staff cannot even access the websites.

Despite funding reductions at federal and state levels in recent years, the federal expectations and demands for public health emergency preparedness and response has increased.

In a letter to federal appropriators on August 25^th, 70 member organizations from the Coalition for Health Funding asked Congress to recognize the needed investment in public health funding, detailing the 44,000 state and local professionals already removed from the public health workforce after recent budget reductions while citing the strong ROI of public health programming. Furthering the need, people in need are expecting and demanding more from government agencies and national response units to coordinate relief when disasters happen and turning to new resources and new communications to ask for help, expecting response.

We need to strengthen the capability of public health disaster preparedness and response now, before the next disaster, through staffing, training and research. Only then can we take efficient, effective programs to the places people are already turning to for help and offer recovery support.

Guest post by Ana Tellez, a Senior Health Writer at CommunicateHealth. She is currently pursuing her M.A. in Communication & Education at Columbia University’s Teachers College where she is researching the intersection of technology design and health literacy.

Greetings, Pulse + Signalers! This week the Clinton Global Initiative (CGI) is hosting its annual meeting in New York City with numerous heads of state, CEOs, global leaders, and Hollywood stars wearing their nonprofit leadership hats (see the featured list of attendees here). President Bill Clinton established CGI in 2005 with the mission “to inspire, connect, and empower a community of global leaders to forge solutions to the world’s most pressing challenges.” CGI does this by facilitating cross-sector partnerships through its Member Meetings – like the one this week – and its Commitments to Action by Members.

The focus of this year’s meeting is threefold: jobs and generating employment, sustainable consumption, and girls/women. Each of these topics is in its own way tethered to issues of public healthand social justice – with certain breakout sessions explicitly focusing on these issues. To give you a taste of what’s in store, here are a few sessions I’m looking forward to:

• The World at 7 Billion: A Member Conversation with President Clintonwith the one and only Bill
• Sustainable Food Systemswith remarks by Nigel Harris, CEO of FARM-Africa and others
• Form and Function: Designing for Humanity with participants such as Jocelyn Wyatt, Executive Director of IDEO.org
• Reproducing Success: Game-changing Interventions in Women’s Health with remarks by Elizabeth Maguire, President and CEO of Ipas and others
• Designing Technologies for Economic Empowerment with participants such as Geena Davis, Founder of The Geena Davis Institute on Gender in Media

Follow me on Twitter at @AnaTellezwhere I’ll be live-tweeting Tuesday through Thursday using the event’s hashtag of #cgi2011,and tune into the Pulse + Signal blog for a full-length post of the event in the coming days!