Still time to register for May 24-26 in DC: 24th National Conference on Health Promotion and Education

BE A PART OF THIS MAJOR EVENT IN WASHINGTON DC!

The 24th National Conference on Health Promotion and Education: Advancing the National Health Promotion and Health Education Agenda Through Effective Policies and Practices" takes place May 24-26th, 2006.

Learn from to the experts and leaders in the field of health promotion and public health education from the government and private sector. Don't miss a chance to listen to Senator Tom Harkin (D-Iowa), a ranking member of Labor, Health & Human Services and Education Appropriations subcommittee; network and exchange ideas with your colleagues and other professionals in attendance; browse in the exhibit hall and sign-up for the pre-conference workshops.

Getting the right sunscreen

You may have heard the recent news about a potential class-action lawsuit regarding the misinformation on the labels of several sunscreen manufacturers touting "broad spectrum"
or "full spectrum" protection when it really is not.

Basically, there are two types of sun rays that you are exposed to... UVA and UVB. You may use what you consider to be a good sunscreen that blocks out the rays so you never get a tan or even any indication that the sun has affected your skin. Nonetheless, you may not be getting all of the protection you thought you were getting. While you may get sunburn protection from UVB rays with your sunscreen and you may even get partial skin cancer protection from UVA rays with your sunscreen...many of the sunscreens on the market do not adequately protect you from the broad spectrum of UVA rays. In short, the rays on the higher end of the UVA spectrum may not be blocked with your current sunscreen. You continue to be exposed to these skin cancer causing rays even though you may never get a sunburn.

While no sunscreen provides complete (full-spectrum) sun protection, two products are the best. At least one of them needs to be in your sunscreen to give you the most protection from UVA rays. They are:
1) Zinc Oxide-considered to be the best protection
2) Avobenzone - also called Parsol 1789

Injury Prevention Ad in Parade Magazine on May 7

On Sunday, May 7, PARADE magazine will run the injury prevention ad ("Studies show the easiest way to survive car crashes is by not crashing") carrying the logos of Research!America and our partners in public health advocacy: American Public Health Association, Association of Schools of Public Health, Association of State and Territorial Health Officials, and National Association of County and City Health Officials.

You can increase the impact of this opportunity by:
* Sending the ad to your policy makers
( http://capwiz.com/ram/dbq/officials/)
with a brief letter pointing out the benefits that prevention brings to your community. Invite them to your facility to see first hand the value that your work brings to their constituents.

* Sending the ad to your local media, pointing out the work you do to protect the community's health community and/or inviting them to visit your worksite.

The ad will run (space available) in PARADE magazines in California and 16 other states. Please email PARADE to thank them for their commitment to prevention and public health. Without them, this kind of reach would be impossible.

As a reminder, all three ads and complete toolkit (add your logo to the electronic versions of ads) are available for free. For more information, contact sdzubin@researchamerica.org. (You may need to type this out - the link does not seem to be working.)

EPICenter needs your input and feedback by June 2

The Epidemiology and Prevention for Injury Control (EPIC) Branch of the California Dept. of Health Services is updating and enhancing their data web site, the EPICenter. They want your input! Please take a few moments to fill out a brief survey.

Feel free to pass along these links to anyone else who may be interested in sharing their thoughts. Feedback is welcome from any and all comers - inside/outside California, data
nerds/non-nerds, students/faculty, frequent users/occasional users, even non-users who want to say why they don't use it, anyone!

May 19 deadline for scholarships to CADCA training institute - first come, first served

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) is offering scholarships to attend Community Anti-Drug Coalitions of America (CADCA)´s 2006 Mid-Year Training Institute , "Breaking Through – Taking Your Coalition to the Next Level." The Institute will offer in-depth training in strategic partnerships, financial stability, building capacity, overcoming community resistance, and advanced competency skills. The coalition training is applicable to Safe Communities and other traffic safety coalition initiatives.

The Institute will take place August 14-17, 2006 in Las Vegas, NV. It is the only training of its kind offered in the prevention field. It consists of small workgroup sessions to allow for hands-on training. In addition, the 2006 Mid-year offers participants the opportunity to spend 1.5 hours with a National Coalition Institute trainer to get one-on-one technical assistance.

NHTSA scholarships will cover registration, travel, and hotel.