Messages from the CCPH Leadership Team
The haste to end the year should always be met with a moment of reflection. The obvious response is that the year went by too fast. I encourage us all to allow space for the gratitude of service to others. I am grateful that CCPH can do so much to advance health equity. I am grateful that you, our partners, continue supporting us in such meaningful ways. And I am grateful for new scientific discoveries that ameliorate the pain and suffering of so many.
With gratitude this season,
Al Richmond, MSW
CCPH Executive Director
As we reach the end of 2023, we find ourselves reflecting on change. The great science fiction author Octavia Butler wrote, “The only lasting truth is change.” Our challenge, then, is not to control but to adapt.
And adapt we have. None of us would have thought four years ago that our organization would be where we are today. The COVID-19 pandemic brought tremendous change and uncertainty to the world, and amid that uncertainty, CCPH was transformed. We took on new responsibilities, joined with new partners, and welcomed incredible new members to our team. We have also had team members leave for other jobs and journeys, and we have had to put aside some of the work we had done before the pandemic.
It feels like we are now at another shift in the landscape. Several major COVID-era projects, like RADxUP, are beginning to wind down. Others — like the Community Engagement Alliance (CEAL) and its consultative resource CEACR — are broadening beyond COVID to address equity and community engagement across the social determinants of health. Again, we are adapting.
It is impossible to predict where we will be a year from now, but 2024 will be a year of reconnection. We want to reconnect with partners we have not worked with since before 2020. We are looking to reconnect with our broader network through in-person convenings. We want to reconnect with our core mission and principles to consider how a transformed CCPH can move forward with strategy and intention in the swirl of uncertainty.
We can only do this with you. CCPH is so much more than our core team of staff and consultants. We are a widespread network of people doing the necessary work to advance health and social justice nationwide. If we haven’t connected in a while, we hope that you will reach out to us, as we reach out to you, in the coming year.
