The Massachusetts Public Health Association (MPHA) held its annual meeting in Marlboro, MA, on November 16, 2010, with a theme of "Complete Neighborhoods, Complete Commonwealth." MPHA used the event to highlight progress on its top priorities for 2009-2010 which included passage of the national Affordable Care Act, passage of the statewide School Nutrition Bill and the Food Policy Council Bill, and passage of the Healthy Transportation Compact and the GreenDOT Initiative. Participants were able to choose among four workshops focusing on Complete Streets, Smart Growth, Regional Planning and Advocacy Skills. Keynote presenter Geoff Anderson summarized the work of SmartGrowth America and  the National Complete Streets legislation. DPH Commissioner John Auerbach and Catherine Cagle of the Department of Transportation then described the potential of the new Healthy Transportation Compact to positively affect the development of intermodal transportation in the Commonwealth. Click here for photos from last year's conference. For more information about MPHA, contact Director of Advocacy and Media Maddie Ribble, MPH at 617-524-6696, Ext. 111.

(Top row, left) Fall River School Wellness Coordinator Marcia Picard talks with Julie Moran and Noelle Kaelblein of UMass-Lowell about Healthy City Fall River. (Top row, center) MPHA Executive Director Valerie Bassett describes some of the accomplishments of MPHA over the past year, including the launch of the Act FRESH Campaign which supports policy change to reduce obesity. (Top row, right) Members of the Act FRESH statewide Leadership Team, including Dr. David Weed, right, are introduced at the conference. (Middle row, left) Geoff Anderson, President and CEO of SmartGrowth America, delivers the keynote address and urges the audience to get involved in Transportation 4 America. (Middle row, right) Catherine Cagle, Manager of Sustainable Transportation at the Massachusetts Department of Transportation, listens as Mass. DPH Commissioner John Auerbach responds to questions about the new Healthy Transportation Compact. (Bottom row, left) Jonathan Church of the Central Massachusetts Regional Planning Commission describes how to create Complete Streets. (Bottom row, center) Conference participants participate in a stretch break led by Jennifer Forest of Phoenix Rising Yoga Therapy Center. (Bottom row, right) AJ Juarez of the MPHA and Catherine Ratte of the Pioneer Valley Planning Commission get a show of hands from people who are aware of their regional planning districts as Ron O'Connor and Sarah Parmenter, right, of Southeastern Massachusetts, respond.