Public Health Institute

Today at noon PT, don't miss this webinar with PHI's Bridge on making access to substance use disorder treatment--specifically, medication for addiction treatment--easier to access through emergency departments. The conversation will dive into the details of what low-barrier access actually means, including a quick start on the basics of telehealth as an expansion of substance use disorder care. Register: https://lnkd.in/g7uD8s2p

We're Hiring | New Resources: Inclusive Communications Guides | Tribal-led Collaborative Strategies for Extreme Heat | Webinar: Building Narrative Power for Health -- all that and more, in our latest updates:

Join PHI, CA4Health and partners to celebrate ENACT Day, which brings together community leaders and partners from across California to connect, learn from each other, and collectively educate decision-makers about opportunities to create healthy, safe, and equitable communities for all Californians. At ENACT Day, community members, advocates, health experts and others come together to advance solutions that break down barriers to health, safety, opportunity, and build a future where all people—regardless of background—can access the resources they need. Register to join in Sacramento on Tuesday, April 22: 

New guides from PHI’s Center on Disability provide information and tools to help businesses, state and local governments, and nonprofits improve their written communication by using easy-to-understand language in public messaging. Part of the Inclusive Communication Project, these resources provide insight on the importance of plain language and offer practical guidance on putting it into practice--including tips to make written communication easier to understand, guidelines for writing for the web, and examples of how plain language can improve understanding.  

PHI’s Sarah Zemore, senior scientist at PHI’s Alcohol Research Group (ARG) , joins the Addiction Medicine Journal Club podcast to discuss her 2023 study, "Understanding the Shared Meaning of Recovery from Substance Use Disorders: New Findings from the What is Recovery." She discusses the multifaceted definition of “recovery” from substance use disorders, emphasizing how there is no new common definition for “recovery” and why a definition is needed to know the desired treatment outcome. Listen to the podcast:

In a rapidly changing public health landscape, advancing health and well-being for all - especially those most harmed by our current systems - requires strong narrative and communication strategies. While this work can feel daunting, practical tools and resources exist to help public health practitioners articulate why public health matters and how we can create thriving communities. Join PHI's Berkeley Media Studies Group and PHI Center for Health Leadership & Impact on Wednesday, March 26, for this webinar to learn strategies to strengthen narrative power, including how to assess power dynamics and craft compelling, values-driven messages that inspire action.

Join PHI's Rise Up next month in San Franscisco on April 30, 2025, from 6:00–8:00 PM for their Evening of Impact. Hear directly from visionary Rise Up Leaders who are driving transformative change in their communities—expanding education, improving health care, and creating economic opportunities for women, girls, and gender-nonconforming people worldwide. Find more information and register:

Join PHI's Pacific ADA Center next Wednesday, March 19 for this free webinar, including livestream of Disabilities and Disasters, an event put on by research partners at New York University’s Complex Public Health Disasters Lab. The event will also feature a presentation about resilience and preparedness, data from Pacific region residents with disabilities about experiences during emergencies, an overview of the Pacific ADA Center’s work with the California Governor's Office of Emergency Services (OES) to increase accessibility at emergency shelter sites, and a panel of people with disabilities to share their experiences and insight into emergency preparedness. Register: https://lnkd.in/gr6vwQ8m

A new webinar series from PHI’s The Lotus Project explores strategies to address domestic violence among Asian American and Asian immigrant (AAAI) communities. The second session dives into the clinical implications of domestic violence among AAAI children and families, exploring the background and unique challenges of domestic violence and service access experienced within AAAI communities. Speakers also discuss how different forms of domestic violence impact physical and mental health, and strategies to prevent, support and advocate around this issue.

The consumption of cannabis cocktails—drinks infused with cannabis-derived compounds—is growing. PHI's Dr. Meenakshi Subbaraman, program director and biostatistician with PHI’s Behavioral Health and Recovery Studies, recently spoke with Newsweek on the growing demand for cannabis-infused beverages and their health effects. "Cannabis cocktails are a viable replacement for alcohol for some people, like those trying to cut down on alcohol. But alcohol and cannabis have really different effects, e.g., alcohol can be stimulating while cannabis usually isn't."