APHA Community-Based Primary Health Care Workshop, Saturday Oct 31 - Available for free online

Colleagues, join us and consider sharing this email widely. See flyer attached.

Our APHA pre-conference workshop on October 31 is now open to anyone, anywhere, at no cost. Please share this with colleagues and students who would benefit.

WHAT
Health Systems That Reach and Follow: 

Community-Based Primary Health Care in an Era of 
Mobility, Misinformation, and Digital Innovation

The annual pre-conference workshop of the Community-Based Primary Health Care Working Group, APHA International Health Section, which we have run for about twenty years.

People move. Misinformation travels faster than they do. The question we are taking up is how health systems follow.

WHEN
Saturday, October 31, 2026
11:00 AM to 5:00 PM US Central Time

HOW TO JOIN
Online, free, from anywhere:
https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/joyC0lTUQRuX1G3VCb6xcw

In person in San Antonio, Texas ($25 plus service fee, student discount available):
https://bit.ly/4y8xsaX

No APHA membership and no conference registration are required for either option.

Registration closes Friday, October 30 at 11:00 AM US Central Time.

So please forward this. If you have colleagues, partners, or students anywhere in the world who work on community health, send it to them.

Thank you!

Andrew and Henry 

Andrew Herrera, CHW, MPH, MBA

Executive Director

Impact Global Health Alliance
andrew AT impactglobalhealthalliance.org

Henry B. Perry, MD, PhD, MPH

Senior Associate, Health Systems Program

Department of International Health

Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health

hperry2 AT jhu.edu

THE PERIODICAL

The results of Menstrual Hygiene Day (MH Day) 2026 are in! 

They show what is possible when thousands of organisations and individuals join forces. Advocates, NGOs, media, governments, communities, and corporates came together to drive awareness and action on menstrual health and hygiene (MHH). All with one goal: creating a #PeriodFriendlyWorld for everyone. 

In 2026, we crossed the mark of 1,500 official partner organisations.
The MH Day movement continues to grow. 💪 

And so does our impact.
This year, the team tracked more than 3,000 MH Day events, 28,300 pieces of media coverage, and 299,000 social media contributions! 

Together, these efforts resulted in a new milestone: during the campaign period from 29 April to 10 June 2026: 

MH Day collectively reached 1.135 billion people worldwide. 

Isn’t that incredible? 

That’s nearly one in seven people on the planet, and the biggest reach in the history of MH Day! 

It shows that while MHH was a niche issue a few years ago, it is becoming more and more relevant for the mainstream of society. 

  Read more about the 
numbers,  trends,  and stories 
behind MH Day 2026  

Thank you for being part of this growing movement! Together for a #PeriodFriendlyWorld!

Warmly,
Ina, Aya and the team at the International Secretariat of MH Day / WASH United

c/o - WASH United gGmbH Fürbringerstrasse 7 Berlin 10961 Germany

World Patient Safety Day 2026

World Patient Safety Day calls for global solidarity and concerted action by all countries and international partners to improve patient safety.

The Day brings together patients, families, caregivers, communities, health workers, health care leaders and policy-makers to show their commitment to patient safety.

The resolution WHA 72.6 ‘Global action on patient safety’ recognizes patient safety as a global health priority and endorses the establishment of World Patient Safety Day to be observed annually on 17 September. ...

Source:  https://www.who.int/campaigns/world-patient-safety-day

Social Inclusion: Transnational Organization of Labour, Mobility, and Senior Care in Central and Eastern Europe

Dear colleagues,

Social Inclusion has just released a new issue, fully open access, and all articles are free for you and others to read, download and share.

Transnational Organization of Labour, Mobility, and Senior Care in Central and Eastern Europe (2026, Volume 14)

Edited by Ewa Palenga-Möllenbeck, Dóra Gábriel, Olena Fedyuk and Kristine Krause

Complete issue: https://doi.org/10.17645/si.i533

Table of Contents:

Transnational Organization of Labour, Mobility, and Senior Care in Central and Eastern Europe
https://doi.org/10.17645/si.13078
By Ewa Palenga-Möllenbeck, Dóra Gábriel, Olena Fedyuk and Kristine Krause

Migrant Live‐In Care Workers in the Global Care Chain: Results From an Online Survey
https://doi.org/10.17645/si.11728
By Silvia Wojczewski, Simona Ďurišová, Sabine Pleschberger, Anna Ernst, Rojin Bagheri, Kathryn Hoffmann and Viktoria Adler

Selling Care Skills? The Multiple Meanings of Training for Polish Live‐In Care Workers in Germany
https://doi.org/10.17645/si.11909
By Roxana Fiebig-Spindler

The Invisible Hand of Care: A Typology of Brokerage Actors in Migrant Care Labour
https://doi.org/10.17645/si.11953
By Ewa Palenga-Möllenbeck, Ivanna Kyliushyk and Roxana Fiebig-Spindler

Care Extractivism Beyond Households: Migration and Care for Older People in the Post‐Yugoslav Semi‐Periphery
https://doi.org/10.17645/si.11975
By Majda Hrženjak

Caring Communities in Urban Hungary: A Civil Society Perspective
https://doi.org/10.17645/si.12023
By Dóra Gábriel, Bettina Török and Noémi Katona

Care Under Constraint: Unmet Care Needs Among Older Adults in Romania
https://doi.org/10.17645/si.12028
By Mihaela Hărăguș and Ionuț Földes

Skill Construction and Challenges of Professionalization in the Hungarian Home Care Market
https://doi.org/10.17645/si.12029
By Noemi Katona and Dóra Gábriel

The Right to Care and Support: From Care Theory to Human Rights Law
https://doi.org/10.17645/si.12056
By Maroš Matiaško

Senior Care in Wartime Ukraine: A Fragmented Continuum of Arrangements Inside an “Unpromising Sector”
https://doi.org/10.17645/si.12060
By Oksana Dutchak, Olena Fedyuk and Anna Oksiutovych

Bounded Transport, Mobility Justice, and Claims for Recognition Among Live‐in Care Workers
https://doi.org/10.17645/si.12191
By Petra Ezzedine

In Times of the Market and Community Shift: On Live‐In Care and Caring Communities
https://doi.org/10.17645/si.12295
By Brigitte Aulenbacher, Klaus Wegleitner, Jonas Hagedorn and Bernhard Emunds

Care Outsourcing From Germany to Central and Eastern Europe
https://doi.org/10.17645/si.12319
By Kristine Krause, Veronika Prieler, Hanna Horváth, Matouš Jelínek, Mariusz Sapieha, Zuzana Sekeráková Búriková, Petra Ezzeddine and Luise Schurian‐Dąbrowska

Imagining Care: Transnational Inequality and Older Age Prospects for Ukrainian Caregivers in Italy
https://doi.org/10.17645/si.12324
By Oksana Dutchak, Olena Fedyuk and Anna Oksiutovych

The Winding Road to Professionalisation: Care Work in Romanian Nursing Homes
https://doi.org/10.17645/si.12326
By Neda Deneva, Ionuț Földes, Denisa Ursu and Mihaela Hărăguş

The Limits of State Control in Regulating Live‐In Care Work in The Netherlands
https://doi.org/10.17645/si.12375
By Siënna Hernandez, Kristína Bartošová and Franca van Hooren

Home Care for Sale: Marketisation and Social Change
https://doi.org/10.17645/si.12737
By Attila Melegh

Kind regards,

Mariana Pires
Cogitatio Press, Portugal
si AT cogitatiopress.com
Social Inclusion
https://www.cogitatiopress.com/socialinclusion

My source: COMPLEXITY-PRIMARY-CARE list

[IBPnetworkGlobalConnect] 🎉 It's live: the investment case for pleasure-based sexual health

*Shared via the IBP Network Global Community of Practice hosted by the WHO Department of Sexual Reproductive Maternal Child Adolescent Health and Ageing. Learn more at www.ibpnetwork.org*

Dear pleasure champions,

Our new research, The Investment Case for Pleasure-Based Sexual Health, is officially published in BMJ Global Health.

Read it here: https://gh.bmj.com/content/11/8/e024479

Read the One Pager here: https://thepleasureproject.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/PleasurePays-2.pdf

Headline finding: making sexual health services pleasure-inclusive for young people returns $23 for every $1 invested, across 99 countries. Full details, plus everything you need to help spread the word — captions, hashtags, visuals for you to use, the works — are in our media pack: https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1FSrXz5XO1qYiZX9NoExBvvc51nCpmT-H?usp=drive_link 

We'd love it if you shared it with your communities and whomever you think needs to read it; this is exactly the kind of moment we built this toolkit for. Instructions inside!

Thank you for being part of this movement with us, reach out to me at any time if you have questions.

Warmly,

Elena and The Pleasure Project Team

Elena Ascione (lei/she/her) 

Strategic Communication Lead

e:     elena AT thepleasureproject.org

w:    www.thepleasureproject.org

 

n.b.My source as indicated. When I first read this, I did a double-take, but all good in the end! PJ

Brief introduction to Hodges' model

Hodges’ model is a conceptual framework of universal value in theoretical work, practice, policy and care management. While this model is a product of the health-education sector, it is global in scope, taking in the current situation, history and future as complicated by scientific, socio-political, technology and climate change. Practice-based, Hodges’ model is a tool simple in form and yet powerful in terms of how it can help users frame the problems and opportunities of the 21st century. The model was originally taught in studies for the post-registration certificate of care of the mentally ill in the community and other courses. Student assessment included the completion of a case study (vignette), demonstrating competence in application of the model and its embedded (implicit) values.

Access to education, especially early years, is emphasised as foundational for personal and community growth and development. For individuals this can set the course for lifelong learning and an ability to contribute to society and the economy. Given this primary challenge, global institutions and policy makers point to the need for curricula that are relevant. In turn employers and industry leaders need a (global) workforce who are: 

• reflective practitioners;
• critical thinkers;
• able to see the ‘big-picture’; and focus on detail and priorities when needed (risk and triage);
• decompose a problem, but also integrate (care);
• work as team-members;
• and extend across several literacies.

These challenges are ongoing for education (being health literate, so as to address personal, social, health and economic education, and the sustainable development goals), and increasingly climate impacts.

Global Experts call for Paradigm Shift in Medicine, Health and Education to Save Lives and Fight escalating Health Crisis

ACCESS NEWS WIRE – for PRESS RELEASE on Tuesday, 28. April 2026

A global consortium of 64 experts (72 entities, 5 continents) unveiled two coordinated consensus plus policy brief reports, outlining a science‑driven roadmap to confront escalating health crises and to tackle the growing burden of noncommunicable diseases (NCDs—including cardiovascular diseases, cancer, diabetes, etc.: 75% of global deaths; 82% in low-/middle income countries; 90% of all death in European region).

The centerpiece is HEAL—Healthy Eating & Active Living, ideally whole‑food plant‑predominant/vegetarian-vegan diets & daily exercise outdoors/active mobility—as the minimum, first‑line standard in health and care. The authors urge immediate action on Prevention-over-Treatment and reforming education and human‑relevant science (drug failure rate from animal studies is 90-95%, and as high as 99.6% for Alzheimer disease), with a rapid shift from disease‑centered reaction to person‑centered, lifestyle‑first cure and care.

Figure 1. HEAL means choosing a whole-food, plant-predominant (ideally vegan) diets coupled with daily exercise outdoors/in nature to kick-start better health. Credit: iStock/LightFieldStudios.

“Sustainable health is for free but cannot be downloaded or prescribed—it must be lived daily and earned across lifetime through informed lifestyle choices, with HEAL as starting point. As childhood-entrenched health literacy lasts a lifetime; embedding HEAL from primary to tertiary education is the policy priority of our generation.” —Lead author Katharina Wirnitzer | PHT, University of Innsbruck & CCCTIM

Foto 2. Katharina Wirnitzer/Keynote on Vegan Diet in Sports. Credit: ©Katharina Wirnitzer.

Why change is imperative.

• The paradox: Despite rising health spending and scientific advances, public health gains lag while ever-growing NCDs. The expert panel offers 101 consensus statements and a 10‑step policy roadmap to act across the lifespan—from individual behavior to population‑level change.

• Why HEAL, and why now: HEAL combines Healthy Eating (whole‑food, plant‑predominant; preferably vegetarian/vegan) with Active Living (regular, ideally daily, including outdoor activity and active mobility). Evidence shows synergistic benefits beyond either alone, reducing reliance on drugs and surgery while improving resilience and sustainability of health systems.

• Prevention-First (3:1): The reports recommend prioritizing prevention, health maintenance, and health promotion over treatment by 3:1 (Figure 3), making healthy choices the easy, first‑line intervention and reserving medicalized treatment for specific indications.

• Education and workforce: Embed HEAL from primary through tertiary education and continuously upskill healthcare and education professionals to deliver evidence‑based lifestyle counseling, routine assessment, and monitoring. Improve meal standards and support active mobility in schools and public spaces.

• Human‑relevant science: Accelerate the transition to non‑animal, human‑relevant methods for basic and preclinical research and for efficacy, safety and toxicity testing through funding priorities, validation, and regulatory adoption.

• Policy roadmap: Apply Health in All Policies (HiAP) to link individual choices with systemic supports (Figure 4); invest in supportive defaults (healthy public catering, active transport, public‑space design, community HEAL programs); embed HEAL in curricula; and track outcomes with robust evaluation to scale what works.

“Every dollar/euro invested in evidence-based prevention saves multiples in treatment. HEAL is the smartest first investment a health system can make.” —Bernd Haditsch | ÖGK – Austrian Health Insurance Fund, Prevention Unit
“Obesity is a disease with powerful drivers. HEAL gives every patient a proven, first-line foundation to reclaim their health.” —Fatima Cody Stanford | Harvard Medical School & MGH
“A doctor who cannot counsel patients on the Power of Lifestyle, especially on food and movement, is only half-equipped. Lifestyle education in medical school is the missing foundation of modern medicine. Helping our patients to eat a more plant-strong diet is the most powerful healing medicine we can prescribe.”
—Michael Klaper | Moving Medicine Forward
„Plant-forward diets provide a powerful opportunity to concurrently improve health and wellbeing for people, farmed animals and the environment.“ —Andrew Knight | Griffith University

Figure 3. Four areas-of-action, balanced 3:1, to achieve lifelong health. Credit: ©Katharina Wirnitzer.

“Given its cost-effectiveness, Traditional, Integrative, and Complementary Medicine will be the evidence-based mainstream of tomorrow’s global healthcare.” —Tomáš Pfeiffer | ITCIM & SANATOR
“Treatment alone will not sustain health systems. HEAL connects prevention, lifestyle medicine and integrative care to advance salutogenesis on a planetary scale. We must invest far more in creating health.” 
—Georg Seifert | WHO CC & CCCTIM, Charité Universitätsmedizin Berlin

“The science clearly shows that, when it comes to human health, animal protection is a win-win.
Given human health’s complexity, and since animal testing virtually fails to cure human diseases, human-relevant methods already outperform animal experimentation and must therefore be implemented with priority in science, with funds going to human-focused research.
Citizens in the EU and US have spoken clearly in favor of this transition.
HEAL can prevent many diseases, avoiding the need for animal studies altogether.“
—Merel Ritskes-Hoitinga | Universities Aarhus & Utrecht; Doris Wilflingseder | Vetmed Uni Vienna, Aysha Akhtar | Center for Contemporary Sciences, Corina Gericke & Gaby Neumann | Doctors Against Animal Experiments

 

Figure 4. Systemic application of HEAL to reach target groups and improve personal and public health across micro (individuals/families), meso (communities), and macro (state/government/federal policy) levels, ensuring optimal vertical and horizontal permeability and integration. Credit: ©Katharina Wirnitzer.

Key Actions at a Glance.

• Make HEAL the universal starting point and minimum, first‑line prevention standard.

• Implement lifestyle‑first counseling before routine prescriptions.

• Prioritize Prevention-over-Treatment with an 3:1 balance.

• Mandate lifestyle education in schools; embed HEAL across tertiary programs.

• Continuously upskill professionals for evidence‑based lifestyle counseling and monitoring.

• Accelerate adoption of human‑relevant methods to end animal experiments in research, education and regulatory testing.

  
  

Figure 5. The Power of Lifestyle: Start with the dual HEAL approach across 6 interconnected areas to improve health and well-being. Credit: ©ACLM. Graphic modification: ©Katharina Wirnitzer (permission: 24.11.2021).

Contact for further information

Katharina C. Wirnitzer—Professor for Sports Public Health with a special focus on Child Public Health

Email: katharina@wirnitzer.at | Cell: +43 (650) 5901794

University College of Teacher Education Tyrol (PHT), Innsbruck, Austria

Global health is ... c/o King & Koski (2020)

Use of the word 'global' in health care is common: from global assessment; global as in a pandemic, as per Covid which for a time closed down most human activity across the world; the global health workforce; and global health crises, that must include the climate crisis and pollution. Universal health coverage, allied with universal healthcare access, refers to (national and aspirational ...) global access to quality health services. 

Above, 'global health' has itself already occurred several times. I've posted about global health on a great many occasions on behalf of other parties.

Defining global health in the context of public health, King and Koski (2020) write:

'We propose the following definition:
global health is public health somewhere else.'

More specifically, they add: 

'Global health as a field is not distinguished by its aspirations, methods of research and practice, intervention strategies or even geographical area per se, but rather by a particular relationship between its practitioners and its recipients: a person engages in global health when they practise public health somewhere—a community, a political entity, a geographical space—that they do not call home.'

To apply Hodges' model to global health, there must be another definition.

King NB, Koski A. Defining global health as public health somewhere else. BMJ Global Health
2020;5:e002172. doi:10.1136/bmjgh-2019-002172

Bridging Gaps in Oral Health Frameworks: Mapping With Hodges' Health Career - Care Domains - Model

 ABSTRACT

Objectives

Despite decades of national and global strategies, persistent inequities in oral health outcomes, access, and service provision remain. Existing frameworks often fail to integrate clinical and behavioral factors with social, cultural, and political determinants. This study aimed to map and evaluate oral health frameworks using Hodges' Health Career—Care Domains-Model (HCM), a meta-framework that spans clinical, behavioral, sociological, and political domains. The goal was to identify conceptual gaps and opportunities for greater integration.

Methods

A structured scoping review was conducted using MEDLINE, CINAHL, EBSCO, and search engine Google Scholar (1995–2025) to identify oral health-related conceptual frameworks. Frameworks were eligible if they addressed oral health determinants, behaviors, policies, or interventions. Two reviewers independently screened records and analyzed full-text articles. Frameworks were categorized by theoretical orientation and mapped against the four HCM domains to identify patterns of emphasis or omission.

Results

Of 226 identified records, 21 frameworks met inclusion criteria. These were classified into three thematic groups: balanced (addressing all domains), clinically led (focused on clinical/behavioral aspects), and policy/public health-focused (emphasizing sociological/political factors). Seven cross cutting themes emerged, including health promotion, systems integration, social justice, and cultural safety. While many frameworks promoted equity and policy reform, few offered implementation guidance or had been empirically validated.

Conclusions

HCM proved useful for systematically comparing frameworks and revealed consistent underrepresentation of political and structural domains. It offers a practical tool for oral health professionals, educators, and policymakers developing integrated oral health models that align with equity, sustainability, and universal health coverage goals.

S. Bettiol, P. Jones, H. A. Onyedikachi, and W. G. Kernohan, “ Bridging Gaps in Oral Health Frameworks: Mapping With Hodges' Health Career - Care Domains - Model,” Journal of Public Health Dentistry (2026): 1–14, 
https://doi.org/10.1111/jphd.70034

NEW YEAR: Ongoing support for the 17 SDGs UN

Individual

|

     INTERPERSONAL    :     SCIENCES               

HUMANISTIC  --------------------------------------  MECHANISTIC      

 SOCIOLOGY  :    POLITICAL 

|

Group

security & peace	security & peace
security & peace

See also:
Jones P, Wirnitzer K. Hodges’ model: the Sustainable Development Goals and public health – universal health coverage demands a universal framework. BMJ Nutrition, Prevention & Health 2022;5: doi:10.1136/bmjnph-2021-000254 
https://nutrition.bmj.com/content/5/2/358

 

Source: https://x.com/UNDP/status/2006591346522599746?s=20

See also: 'SDGs' : 'security' : 'poverty' : 'nutrition' : 'water'

‘Life & health’: overview of global health, climate crises, SDGs and Africa Agenda 2030

26 December, 2025 

Afrihealth Optonet Association (AHOA) proudly announces its Maiden ‘Life & Health’ Symposium, a landmark convening designed to inspire dialogue, innovation, and collective action around one of the most pressing issues of our time: “Overview of Global Health, Climate Crises, SDGs and Africa Agenda 2030.” This inaugural symposium represents AHOA’s commitment to shaping forward-looking conversations that connect health, environment, and sustainable development across Africa and beyond.

The world is experiencing an unprecedented convergence of health challenges and climate-related crises. Rising temperatures, extreme weather events, environmental degradation, and biodiversity loss are reshaping disease patterns, food systems, water security, and livelihoods. These realities disproportionately affect low- and middle-income countries, particularly in Africa, where fragile health systems and socioeconomic inequalities amplify vulnerability. The ‘Life & Health’ Symposium seeks to interrogate these realities and offer integrated, actionable pathways aligned with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and Africa Agenda 2030.

At the heart of the symposium is a bold premise: health is both a driver and an outcome of sustainable development. Achieving good health and well-being (SDG 3) is inseparable from progress on climate action (SDG 13), clean water and sanitation (SDG 6), zero hunger (SDG 2), sustainable cities (SDG 11), and reduced inequalities (SDG 10). By convening experts across disciplines, the symposium will explore how these interconnected goals can be pursued through coordinated policies, resilient systems, and inclusive partnerships.

The Maiden ‘Life & Health’ Symposium is designed as a multi-stakeholder platform, bringing together policymakers, health professionals, climate experts, development practitioners, civil society leaders, academics, youth advocates, and the private sector. Participants will engage in high-level discussions, evidence-based presentations, and solution-oriented exchanges that bridge science, policy, and practice. The symposium will also provide a space for emerging voices and community perspectives, ensuring that local realities inform global ambitions.

A key focus of the symposium is Africa’s Agenda 2030, which contextualizes global commitments within the continent’s development aspirations. Africa stands at a pivotal moment: with a rapidly growing youth population, expanding urban centres, and increasing climate exposure, the choices made today will define health and development outcomes for decades. The symposium will highlight opportunities to harness Africa’s demographic dividend, promote climate-resilient health systems, and foster innovation that aligns with the continent’s priorities.

Participants can expect rich thematic sessions addressing:

I. Global health trends and emerging risks in a changing climate;

II. Climate-sensitive diseases and the future of prevention and preparedness;

III. Universal Health Coverage (UHC) in the context of climate resilience;

IV. Policy coherence and governance for integrated SDG implementation;

V. Financing and partnerships for sustainable health and climate action; and

VI. Youth leadership and community engagement as catalysts for Agenda 2030.

Beyond knowledge exchange, the symposium is action-oriented. It aims to catalyze policy-relevant recommendations, foster cross-sector partnerships, and inspire practical initiatives that can be scaled across regions. Afrihealth Optonet Association envisions the symposium as a springboard for sustained collaboration, research, advocacy, and capacity-building that advance health equity and climate justice.

The ‘Life & Health’ Symposium also reflects AHOA’s broader mission to promote evidence-informed decision-making and civil society leadership in health and development. By creating a recurring platform for dialogue and learning through the 52 Sessions in the 2026 ‘Life & Health’ Dialogue Series, AHOA seeks to strengthen the role of civil society in shaping inclusive policies, amplifying marginalized voices, and holding stakeholders accountable to shared commitments.

As the world accelerates toward 2030, time is of the essence. The interlinked crises of health and climate demand urgency, innovation, and solidarity. AHOA’s Maiden ‘Life & Health’ Symposium offers a timely opportunity to rethink silos, align strategies, and recommit to a future where people and planet thrive together, a future that will always seek to ‘Leave No One Behind’.

Afrihealth Optonet Association warmly invites policymakers, practitioners, scholars, development partners, youth leaders, and all stakeholders committed to sustainable development to be part of this historic inaugural symposium, as well as partner with AHOA through the 2026 Dialogue Series. Together, we can deepen understanding, strengthen partnerships, and chart a resilient pathway toward better health outcomes, climate resilience, and the realization of the SDGs and Africa Agenda 2030.

Continued - with links (and my source):

https://www.hifa.org/dgroups-rss/%E2%80%98life-health%E2%80%99-overview-global-health-climate-crises-sdgs-and-africa-agenda-2030

And - Happy New Year to All!

A time for reflection S-N solstice :: equinox

Analemma image: Anthony Ayiomamitis

Ever since we first took note of the passing Seasons, and what is left of them today, we have marvelled and come to recognise the extremes of the calendar in the sky.

For humanity in the North and the South. 

The emergence of culture, societies, and civilization has been  dependent upon the calendar - whether recorded in customs and rites, giant blocks of stone, papyrus, or binary code.

As the solstice fast approaches - Sunday, 21 December 2025 15:03-4 - and the Sun touches its lowest, southernmost point, I think of (former) family and friends 'way down' south, and the distance between the hemispheres, represented in the analemma. Of course then there is the solstitial experience of humanity in the south as the sun crests the highest point in their sky.

It must be amazing to see the nightsky from the far south(?). 

How might we explain this culturally, with the benefit of foresight? This apparent celestial 'opposition' of Earth's path around the Sun, is reflected N-S in who bears the impact of climate change and the need attend to planetary health.

But, then look at the equinox, the north and south are seemingly united? 

Is there a baton passed in March and September?

Perhaps, this can be a celebration of global health, for both hemispheres. With a simultaneous 'nod' to planetary health and the search for social and climate justice.
 

What Complex Threads We Weave

The Silent Pandemic? The Global Rise of Early-Onset Colorectal Cancer - via HIFA

Last year, a team at The Christie NHS Foundation Trust in Manchester, UK published a real-world analysis of 203 patients with early-onset colorectal cancer (eoCRC). The study showed a dramatic surge in cases over a short period, with over half of patients presenting with metastatic disease, predominantly left-sided tumours, and a median symptom duration of just 3 months before diagnosis. The authors warned that eoCRC could represent an "evolving pandemic." 

See - http://doi.org/10.1093/oncolo/oyae239

Since then, incidence continues to rise across all continents, with similar patterns emerging in multiple national and international datasets.

Why This Matters for the HIFA community

• eoCRC is rising rapidly among people in their 20s, 30s, and early 40s.
• Most cases are sporadic, suggesting major gaps in understanding modifiable and early-life risk factors.
• Awareness among young adults and clinicians remains limited, contributing to delayed presentation.
• Meanwhile, short-form social media (e.g. TikTok reels) and AI-driven content are now the dominant information sources for young people - creating both opportunities and risks for public health.

Introducing Our Upcoming Initiative

We, the Special Interest Group in Digital Health & AI at WHO/Europe Youth4Health network, are launching a global project to develop evidence-based communication guidance for raising eoCRC prevention and awareness among young adults. The project will:

• Convene clinical specialists, youth advocates, communication scientists, social-media creators, and digital-health experts.
• Identify which prevention and awareness messages should be prioritised for youth.
• Define how these messages can be adapted effectively for short-form platforms such as TikTok and Instagram Reels.
• Examine how generative AI can support safe, accurate, and engaging content creation.
• Co-design prototype posts to illustrate how the consensus messages can be translated into youth-appropriate communication
• Our aim is to bridge the gap between emerging science, behavioural insights, and contemporary digital communication channels.

Why We're Sharing This Here

As we shape this work, we're keen to learn from the HIFA community:

• What approaches have you seen succeed in raising awareness of cancer symptoms among younger populations?
• Are there youth-driven or co-designed campaigns that we should look to as models?
• What are the risks you foresee when using short-form social media or AI tools for public-health communication?
• What considerations are especially important in LMIC contexts?
• How can we strike the right balance between urgency and fear-avoidance when communicating about cancer to young adults?

eoCRC incidence is increasing rapidly and globally. Communication strategies - particularly those targeting young people - have not kept pace with this trend. We would greatly value your insight and experience as we develop this work.

HIFA profile: Kathleen Guan is a multidisciplinary researcher passionate about all things digital behavioral health and (global) community engagement. Her PhD research focuses on involving young people in the co-design of personalized AI and emerging technologies, including adaptive mobile apps, LLMs, neurotechnology, and social media reels. By developing novel participatory approaches with a focus on preventative and precision health, Kathleen aims to inform how digital tools can meaningfully enhance everyday life and help reduce mental health challenges alongside chronic disease risks. To achieve this, she prioritizes community-based implementation by working closely with stakeholders across healthcare, engineering, policy, industry, education, and the arts.

Kathleen previously studied human rights and developmental neuroscience (BSFS, Georgetown; MRes, UCL) and has experience in public health and digital innovation (with WHO, Johns Hopkins, Yale, Qatar Computing Research Institute, various early-stage digital health start-ups) as a research collaborator and advisor. She chairs the Special Interest Group in Digital Health & AI within WHO Europe's Youth4Health Network. Kathleen has resided in 7 countries and worked in diverse settings across Asia, North America, and Europe, fostering her deep commitment to global health equity. She is always open to collaboration for social impact and can be found at https://www.linkedin.com/in/kathleenwguan/.

Working title: 'Can Hodges’ model provide a foundation for a mathematically informed ...

... epistemology and relational ontology? Part 1'

Abstract

Aims: To begin a process of examining a ‘model of care’ and conceptual framework known as Hodges’ model as a mathematical object. This paper examines the structural elements of this model, its axes and domains through a formal, logical and mathematical lens. To establish the extent to which a combined relational understanding and mathematical approaches can provide avenues for further research.

Design: This study adopts the design of a two-part exploratory and descriptive paper, using an inquiry-based approach throughout.

Methods: The method is interdisciplinary, descriptive, and involves conceptual analysis. Rather than Hodges’ Model acting as a model of, and for care, here the model is used to investigate how health and social care can be better conceptualised. The question is: What is the result when Hodges’ Model is treated as a mathematical object? Here, Hodges’ model is used as an inquiry-based model with reflection and critique.

Results: Readers will see the development of ideas, driven by the structure of a model of care, existing taxonomy defined by nursing theory, associated with foundational mathematical concepts.

Conclusion: The questions introduced and deliberated here will identify avenues for further study. And highlight Hodges’ model to other researchers; less familiar with Hodges’ model, and yet more skilled – adept mathematically.

What does this paper contribute to the wider global clinical community?

Re-assert the importance of theory development in nursing and health disciplines.

Draw attention to the relational (and reflexive) potential of Hodges’ model and in healthcare to abstract the collective dimensions of healthcare, especially those that are political.

Given the problems faced in the century to follow, encourage researchers within and without healthcare to further develop these ideas.

Impact:

Extend the relevance and scope of mathematical abstraction, in healthcare disciplines and the humanities, beyond statistical analysis.

This paper confirms: the conceptual utility of Hodges’ model; the challenge of requisite mathematical skills; the need for interdisciplinary cooperation.

Theorists in health and social care, policy makers and researchers seeking to apply mathematical techniques, especially category theory in the social science may find this work helpful and encouraging.

Reporting Method: N/A

Patient or Public Involvement: This study did not include patient or public involvement in its design, conduct, or reporting.

Keywords: nursing, theory, relational ontology, health, Hodges’ model, mathematics

See also: Draft notes - 'Hodges' model - Locus of Care & Control?'

'Nurses and Nursing's Issues' ...

1975 .. plus ça change, plus c'est la même chose .. 2025

"The question I ask myself all the time is not can we close the gaps in practice and administration, but, more importantly, can we develop a nursing system, not the profession of nursing, but a nursing system which will weave together all practitioners with what-ever skills they bring to the system" Jessie Scott, p.1854. 

 
Nurses and Nursing's Issues. The American Journal of Nursing, Vol. 75, No. 10, 75th Anniversary Issue (Oct.,1975), pp. 1848-1859. Stable URL: https://www.jstor.org/stable/3423579

Now, in 2025 we can make an impression - not just on the nursing profession, but in how all the health professions work, learn and relate to each other and social care colleagues too.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jessie_M._Scott

https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/plus_%C3%A7a_change,_plus_c%27est_la_m%C3%AAme_chose

c/o HIFA - Publications re. primary health care & community health

Dear [HIFA] friends and colleagues with an interest in primary health care and community health:

Since my last communication with you more than 6 months ago, the entire field of global health has continued to be upended by our US government, with unconscionable effects on millions of people around the world, on advancements in global health research and its ethical foundations, and on the careers of thousands and thousands of people working around the world in the field of global health. As I said before, and I repeat now the obvious, it will take decades to build back what has been destroyed and to regain respect from the rest of the world for the United States and the values that most of us hold dear.

William Foege, eminent global health leader and former Director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention wrote this biting editorial <https://www.statnews.com/2025/08/18/rfk-jr-public-health-threats-william-foege-smallpox/> in which he said, among other things, 

"We will live through this drought of values, principles and facts and again apply our talents to improving global health and happiness. Do not back down.”

Atul Gwande, now one of the foremost champions of primary health care and community health of our time (even though he is, like me, an erstwhile surgeon!) and former Director of the USAID Bureau of Global Health during the Biden administration, gave an eloquent presentation of his perspective on the aftermath of the destruction of USAID on 28 April 2025 at the Harvard School of Public Health.

You can watch this here:
<https://www.bing.com/videos/riverview/relatedvideo?q=Atul+Gwande+presentation+at+Harvard+School+of+Public+Health+April+28%2c+2025&mid=26DA144398CF1F613D0A26DA144398CF1F613D0A&FORM=VIRE>.

Here are a few items of possible interest:

The Fourth International Symposium on CHWs will be held virtually next week.

I was most fortunate to be able to attend the second International Conference on Primary Health Care was held in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, from October 6-10. It was a glorious event, with 750 attendees, mostly from Africa but with strong representation from UNICEF, WHO, Africa CDC, and other international organizations. 

The conference was sponsored by the International Institute for Primary Health Care – Ethiopia. <https://iphce.org/> Directors of PHC from 45 different African countries were present along with at least 50 community health workers from across Africa. There was palpable enthusiasm for the growing momentum for PHC across Africa.

Abhay and Rani Bang are world-renowned champions of community-based primary health care through their work with SEARCH <https://www.searchforhealth.ngo/> (Society for Education, Action, and Research) in Gadchiroli, India, with tribal people. Their seminal publications on the effectiveness of community-based primary health care and community health workers as well as their contributions to India’s national program for reducing neonatal mortality through home-based neonatal care, among others, have gained for them global recognition. Attached is an English translation of an article about their life’s work that was published in April Der Spiegel in the leading German magazine, Der Spiegel.

Nicholas Kristof has continued to share with the world some of the heart wrenching effects of the collapse of the United States Agency for International Development. The New York Times opinion columnist wrote <https://www.nytimes.com/2025/09/20/opinion/trump-usaid-cuts.html> on 20 September 2025 on the human dimension of the shutdown of USAID, citing estimates that 690,000 will die in 2025 and 829,00 will die in 2026 as a result of cutbacks in USAID funding, and 3.1 million children will die during Trump’s second term from these cuts (a PDF is attached if the link doesn’t work for you [mod: HIFA does not carry attachments]).

Two recent publications on novel approaches to reducing child mortality have gained widespread attention.

One study <https://www.nber.org/system/files/working_papers/w34152/w34152.pdf> in Kenya provided a one-time transfer of $1,000 to poor families and observed a decline of nearly half in under-5 mortality as well as in infant mortality. Another study reported that wrapping

A recently reported study <https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC12462887/> from Uganda found that giving mothers fabric treated with permethrin, a long-acting insecticide to protect against mosquito-born illnesses, as a baby wrap dramatically reduced malaria infections in the infants carried in them. There were 66 percent fewer cases among those children compared with babies in the untreated wraps. By the end of the six-month study, only 16 percent of children in the treated wrap group had been sick with malaria, compared with 34 percent in the untreated wrap group, many of whom had multiple malaria episodes.

Now available for purchase on Amazon.com are several important publications related to community-based primary health care and community workers.

Feel free to share this email and these resources with anyone else or with any relevant listserve you may have access to.

You are receiving this email because of your interest in primary health care and community health.

If you know of anyone that you think would like to be included in the listserv, just send me the person’s name and email address.

Warm regards, Henry

Henry B. Perry, MD, PhD, MPH Senior Associate, Health Systems Program Department of International Health Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health Baltimore, MD, USA 21205 Hperry2 AT jhu.edu

HIFA profile: Henry Perry is a Senior Scientist at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, USA. Professional interests: Community health and primary health care. hperry2 AT jhu.edu

COP30: Seeking change shopping in the far North & SOUTH

individual

|

INTERPERSONAL : SCIENCES

humanistic -------------------------------------------  mechanistic

SOCIOLOGY : POLITICAL

|

group-population

	Understanding the Impact of Architecture 12 · 2020 by John Kørner 80 x 120 cm · (102 x 138 x 6,5 cm)
	COP30 COP stands for "Conference of the Parties"

'John Kørner (born 1967, Danish): Understanding the Impact of Architecture, 12, 2020

Lithograph

Kørner pursues his artistic practice through various media, including painting, printmaking, ceramics, installations, sculpture, videos and theatre work. Throughout his career he has tackled contemporary global issues such as migration, war, and systems of production and consumption. He refers to these as 'Problems' that form an ongoing process of enquiry in his work. In his series of paintings and prints Understanding the Impact of Architecture (begun in 2014) he explores the way architecture influences, impacts and interacts with people and their environment. This print from the series addresses blind consumerism and its effect on the fragile Nordic landscape. It was made at Edition Copenhagen which along with Borch Editions is the other major print workshop in Denmark.

Acquisition supported by AKO Foundation, 2023,7056.2'

Text and my source: British Museum Room 90

Nordic noir
works on paper from Edvard Munch to Mamma Andersson

Exhibition / 09 October 2025 – 22 March 2026

See previously: 'care architecture' : 'architecture'

New cit.? "Toward a Roadmap for Addressing Today's Health Dilemma - The 101-Statement Consensus Report"

News - this morning brought provisional acceptance of a paper, and hence a potential new citation. I greatly appreciate being involved with this project. So, fingers-crossed even at this late stage ...

Title: Toward a Roadmap for Addressing Today's Health Dilemma -The 101-Statement Consensus Report 

Submitted By: Katharina C. Wirnitzer

Authors: Katharina C. Wirnitzer, Mohamad Motevalli, Derrick Tanous, Clemens Drenowatz, Maximilian Moser, Holger Cramer, Thomas Rosemann, Karl-Heinz Wagner, Andreas Michalsen, Beat Knechtle, Zlatko Fras, Merel Ritskes-Hoitinga, Adilson Marques, Nataša Fidler Mis, Fatima Cody Stanford, Christian Schubert, Nandu Goswami, Claus - Leitzmann, Per Morten Fredriksen, Gerhard Ruedl, Doris Wilflingseder, Rodrigo Antunes Lima, Christian S. Kessler, Michael Jeitler, Naim Akhtar Khan, Hassan Joulaei, Maryam Fatemi, Andrew Knight, Karl W. Kratky, Kara K Palmer, Bernd Haditsch, Bostjan Jakse, Walter Kofler, Tomas Pfeiffer, Kathya Lorena Cordova-Pozo, Patrizia Tortella, Simon Straub, Heidi Lynch, Manuel Schätzer, Anupama Krishnan, Shahnaz Fathima, Lukas Gatterer, Fabian Kriwan, Mittal Abhishek, Hemant Nandgaonkar, Shalaka Nandgaonkar, Abiola O. Adedara, Josep Maria Haro, Corina Gericke, Gaby Neumann, Aysha Akhtar, Amir Rashidlamir, Madan Thangavelu, Ngoumou Gonza, Éva Perpék, Michael Klaper, Bhaswati Bhattacharya, Werner Kirschner, Kathelijne Bessems, Peter Jones, Gregory E Peoples, Raul Bescos, Christina Duftner and Georg Johannes Seifert

Journal: Frontiers in Nutrition, section Food Policy and Economics

Research Topic: Sustainable Approaches to Public Health Via Food Policy Actions

Accepted on: 10 Sept 2025

I will (hopefully) be able to add more details (abstract - - formatted ...) as they become available.