South Dakota Public Health Association

06/16/2026

NOW HIRING: Rural Health and Emergency Services Statewide Coordinator in South Dakota

For more details, https://ow.ly/uZMR50ZbO8l

06/16/2026

What does "public health" actually mean, day-to-day? 🤔

It's a nurse giving a flu shot at a community clinic. A health educator teaching a class on heart-healthy cooking. An epidemiologist tracking disease trends across counties. A sanitarian inspecting a food truck before the county fair. 🎡

One title — a hundred different jobs, all working toward the same goal: keeping South Dakota communities healthy.

Which of these surprised you most?

06/16/2026

AJPH research !

A new case study explores how Philip Morris — the to***co giant behind Marlboro — helped shape the development of Lunchables and other ultraprocessed foods.

Using internal industry documents, researchers found that to***co industry strategies were directly applied to food product development, including:

🚬 consumer-driven engineering designed to maximize pleasure and repeat consumption
🧠 research into unconscious desires and reward responses
⚙️ processing technologies originally developed for ci******es
📦 aggressive branding and packaging strategies targeting children and parents
🥪 “better-for-you” reformulations modeled after filtered cigarette marketing

In the paper, Dr. Laura Schmidt at UCSF argues that Philip Morris viewed ci******es and processed foods as highly similar businesses — sharing technologies, additives, marketing approaches, and product engineering systems. She describes how Lunchables were intentionally designed around convenience for parents, autonomy and play for children, hyper-palatability and continuous product innovation and line extensions.

The findings raise major questions about how ultraprocessed foods are engineered — and whether public health protections used for to***co should also apply to UPFs.

Read the article at the link below ⬇️

06/15/2026

Public health isn't just in hospitals. 🏥➡️🌾

It's in your local restaurant (food safety inspections), your kid's school (immunization records), your water system (testing for safe drinking water), and even the rest stop on I-90 (radon and air quality programs). 🚰🏫🍔

Swipe to see where public health is quietly working in your everyday life across South Dakota.

Where have YOU spotted public health at work? Tell us below! 👇

06/15/2026

Organizizing for change and building solidarity. Webinar: June 16th.

Across the country, the public health field is grappling with how to continue building healthier, more just communities. At the same time, equity-centered work is under attack while the field faces mounting political pressure and workforce challenges.

Join our June 16 webinar for tips on how public health organizations and practitioners can regroup and reground in our interconnected fates and shared interests: https://bit.ly/4uid7hd

06/11/2026

May is Mental Health Awareness Month, a time to elevate the needs of the millions of Americans who have a mental health condition. The term refers to a wide range of conditions that affect mood, thinking, and behavior, which can cause distress and problems functioning in social, work, and family act...

06/11/2026

Public Health Concern.

Experts are warning of an emerging opioid threat caused by a drug that is believed to be around 20 times more potent than morphine.

06/10/2026

SDPHA Legislative Chair DenYelle Kenyon was able to attend the APHA Health Policy Action Institute virtually. It covered lots of lessons on building coalitions, finding common ground, and the power of storytelling to promote public health policy to bring back to SDPHA.

06/08/2026

Join us for our next Town Hall, tomorrow June 9th at 4pm ET! Our panelists will discuss lessons learned from recent outbreaks, strategies for preparedness and response, and key considerations for identifying and managing emerging infectious threats.

Register here https://us06web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_cyVvgtf5RWe0q5C4vgco3A #/registration or join us live on Facebook!

06/08/2026

📢 WEBINAR: Intergenerational Relationships, Aging, & Public Health

Join AJPH and Journal of Women & Aging editors on June 11, 2026, from 3:00–3:30 PM EST / 12:00–12:30 PM PST for a Call for Abstracts webinar on “Intergenerational Relationships, Aging, & Public Health.”

The webinar will provide an overview of the Call for Abstracts, editorial guidance, submission tips, and a Q&A with presenters:

• Lené Levy-Storms, PhD, Associate Professor, UCLA
• Daniela Friedman, PhD, Editor-in-Chief of Journal of Women & Aging
• Denys T. Lau, PhD, Editor-in-Chief of AJPH

Check out the flyer for the Zoom link, password, and details.