Wednesday’s Have You Heard

Happy anniversary Medicare!: Celebrate the 50th anniversary of Medicare at session 5032, “Medicare and Civil Rights: Celebrating and Uncovering Our History,” at 8:30 a.m. in MPCC Skyline Ballroom W375a. Learn why the enforcement of civil rights was so important to the enactment of Medicare, the role of black physicians, and the desegregation of thousands of the nation’s hospitals.

What’s on the menu?: What kinds of labeling work to influence healthy eating behaviors? Learn what’s effective at session 5101, “Use of Food and Menu Labeling to Influence Dietary Behavior,” at 10:30 a.m. in MPCC W184bc. Hear about research on how food labeling impacts men vs. women, how to best present information on added sugars and much more. Yum!

Working on wellness: Workplace wellness programs are all the rage nowadays, but are they the best way to promote better health and habits? Hash it out at session 5170, “Workplace Wellness Programs: The Right or the Wrong Track?” at 12:30 p.m. in MPCC W176b. Presentations will focus on the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health’s Total Worker Health Agenda, implementing workplace wellness activities in retail settings, occupational exposures that contribute to chronic illness and more.

Staying tough against tobacco: Public health has made enormous strides in reducing the U.S. smoking rate, but we’re not done yet. At session 5137, “Continuing to Clear the Air: Smoke-Free Trends,” which convenes at 12:30 p.m. in Hyatt Regency Ballroom C, attendees will take a look back at 20 years of tobacco control, hear about the ongoing smoke-free housing movement, and learn how things are going following the implementation of New Orleans’ smoke-free workplace law, which went into effect earlier this year.

Don’t go yet!: There’s no better way to cap off your Annual Meeting experience than by attending this year’s Closing General Session at 2:30 p.m. in MPCC Skyline Ballroom W375a. With a theme of “Building Health and Just Communities,” the session will feature a keynote presentation from Karen DeSalvo, acting assistant secretary for health at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, as well as a panel discussion with Julie Morita, Chicago health commissioner; Leana Wen, commissioner of health in Baltimore; and Faisal Khan, public health director in St. Louis County. You’ll also hear from incoming APHA President Camara Jones.