Public Health Institute

07/27/2026

PHI's Cypress Resilience Project hosts lunch & learn webinars on a range of topics that help you better support your mental health and navigate mental health challenges. Join them for a session in their next series, launching on Tuesday, August 4. Learn more & register: https://www.cypressresilience.org/upcoming

Register here for classes that are currently available and open to the public. Please use the registration links provided below.

07/27/2026

📣 Last week, PHI President & CEO Melissa Stafford Jones launched her new blog, Reimaging Public Health. Her inaugural post digs into trust in the public health space, and how acknowledging competing perspectives is essential to rebuilding the path forward.

"It’s understandably painful for public health professionals to reckon with this disconnect between their dedication to communities and the mistrust now apparent in a number of those same communities. But it’s that same commitment that will push the field to reimagine public health and renew and rebuild trust." Read more:

07/27/2026

Lead prevention efforts rely on practical tools that can be applied effectively in real-world settings, and many of the strategies are transferable across public health and community-based work.

Next week, join the PHI Center for Health Leadership & Impact for an overview of the CDC's Lead-Free Communities Toolkit, how it is designed to support community-based lead prevention efforts and a real-world example of how it has been put into practice.

📌 Building Healthier Communities: Toolkit and Local Action on Lead Prevention
📅 Wednesday, July 29 | Noon–1pm PT
🔗 Learn more & register: https://dialogue4health.org/web-forums/building-healthier-communities-toolkit-and-local-action-on-lead-prevention

While grounded in environmental health, this session will offer practical insights on program planning, implementation and sustainability.

Join the Leadership Academy for the Public's Health for a Web Forum on the CDC's Lead-Free Communities Toolkit. Learn how it supports community-based lead prevention, see a real-world example in action, and gain practical insights on program planning, implementation, and sustainability.

07/27/2026

📅 Tomorrow, July 29, at 10am PT—don't miss this virtual kickoff for CA Bridge Connect. This free helpline from PHI's Bridge to Treatment program provides same-day connection to judgement-free support and evidence-based addiction care to anyone in California struggling with substance use. Register: https://forms.zohopublic.com/aria4/form/CABridgeConnectVirtualKickoff/formperma/tS6Lx7cKjY5SfhV67ApZXK4ah2cV8reS_kYW6vCFwjA

Hear directly from those behind the helpline, including a navigator answering calls every day, and learn how you can connect your community to this life-saving resource.

Fill out this form.

07/21/2026

The CA Bridge Connect hotline—launched this month by PHI's Bridge to Treatment—quickly connects people to lifesaving addiction treatment. Join the Bridge team next week to hear directly from the people making CA Bridge Connect possible across California, how to use the helpline and ways to widen its reach in your community.

📳 CA Bridge Connect Virtual Kick-off
📌 Tuesday, July 28 | 10-11am PT
⏩ Register: https://forms.zohopublic.com/aria4/form/CABridgeConnectVirtualKickoff/formperma/tS6Lx7cKjY5SfhV67ApZXK4ah2cV8reS_kYW6vCFwjA

Whether you work in substance use care or for a community-based organization, whether you’re a peer supporter or simply care about making sure your neighbors can access addiction treatment when they need it, this event is for you.

Fill out this form.

07/15/2026

The Public Health Institute is proud to announce a new blog by our President & CEO, Melissa Stafford Jones: https://www.linkedin.com/newsletters/reimagining-public-health-7482847310666989568/

Reimagining Public Health will be a space for reflection and discussion about what it takes to meet the challenges facing the public health community today, and how we can build a stronger future together.

Melissa will be sharing her perspective on a broad range of issues in public health—drawing on decades in government and non-profit environments—and invites readers to share their ideas as well.

Her first post explores the decline in trust in public health institutions, the challenge of accepting divergent narratives, and the opportunity before us to reimagine public health.

07/13/2026

The Public Health Institute (PHI) is urging the White House Office of Management and Budget (OMB) to revise a proposed rule that would significantly change how federal grants are awarded, managed and ended. The rule as drafted would have widespread implications for public health research and programs that millions depend on, threatening the health and wellbeing of communities across the country.

“Public health programs are designed with evidence-based strategies that span both immediate and long-term health and social outcomes,” said Stafford Jones, PHI President and CEO. “This rule could disrupt the nation’s capacity to protect the public’s health and dismantle the science that underpins this work.”

PHI supports the goal of strong stewardship of federal funds but has serious concerns with a paradigm that makes continuation of compliant scientific and public health work dependent on shifting political alignment rather than objective merit. Read our full statement: https://www.phi.org/press/public-health-institute-urges-changes-to-omb-proposed-rule-that-threatens-the-health-of-communities/

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE A proposed federal rule would significantly change how federal grants are awarded, managed and ended, with important implications for public health research…

07/08/2026

Sipping Tea for Black Women’s Wellness—a podcast series from See Her Bloom, a program of PHI's Center for Collaborative Planning—explores ways to improve Black women’s access to opioid use prevention and treatment resources for themselves, their families and communities. Their latest episode features a conversation with Dr. Alicia Williams, a leader with expertise across multiple public agencies including education, social services and prisons. The podcast offers insights about what it takes to create and implement trauma-informed, healing systems for our most vulnerable populations including youth, women and communities of color.

Listen:

Share the story of how you overcame substance use disorder to empower other Black women to seek treatment.

07/03/2026

Sober living houses (SLHs) have historically been abstinence-based environments, but the evolving legal landscape around cannabis use has left SLH operators in a difficult position regarding cannabis use among residents.

Join the next webinar from I-STARR–a series from the Alcohol Research Group (Public Health on providing and conducting research on medication for opioid use disorder (MOUD) in recovery housing. This webinar will present findings from a study examining how cannabis use relates to alcohol use, other drug use and related problems among SLH residents.

⏩ Cannabis Use Among Sober Living House Residents
📅 Tuesday, July 21 | 11am-12pm PT
🔗Register: https://us06web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_LZ8UsQkZTFiIjjgirYOa_w #/registration

Sober living houses (SLHs) have historically been abstinence-based environments, yet some evidence suggests that cannabis may be a safer substitute for other drugs. Further, the evolving legal landscape around cannabis use has left SLH operators in a difficult position regarding cannabis use among r...