Our Mission, Vision, Values and Priorities
Mission and Vision…
The VISION of the New Mexico Public Health Association is of New Mexico as a place where the resources, socioeconomic conditions, and environment exist in which ALL people can be healthy.
The MISSION of the New Mexico Public Health Association is to promote public health practice, policies, and systems that support health equity in New Mexico.
We accomplish our mission by providing a forum for sharing research and practices,
and serving as a base for leadership development, networking, and action.
What we believe…
The New Mexico Public Health Association is a private, non-profit membership association of individuals and organizations committed to the values of social justice, equity, inclusion, collaboration, and seeking the common good, and to carrying out our mission and goals with integrity, honesty, transparency, cultural humility, and passion.
We believe that:
Ø Health is a state of complete physical, mental, spiritual, and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity. (World Health Organization definition)
Ø The mission of public health is to "fulfill society's interest in assuring conditions in which people can be healthy." (Institute of Medicine, Committee for the Study of the Future of Public Health, Division of Health Care Services. 1988. The Future of Public Health. National Academy Press, Washington, DC)
Ø All human beings have a right to the resources and conditions necessary for health and well-being, as stated in Article 25 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Health equity is the term we use to describe equal access for all people to those necessary resources and conditions.
Ø Human diversity is an asset and must be honored, respected and protected. It is unjust and unacceptable for any human being to be subjected to exclusion or discrimination based on identification with any racial or ethnic group, national origin, language, gender, sexual orientation, physical ability, age, or religious or spiritual beliefs.
Ø Health is determined primarily by socioeconomic and environmental factors, including poverty (level and distribution of income), racism, social and cultural exclusion, education, employment and job security, early childhood development, food security, housing, the quality of the physical environment, and access to health services. These factors in turn influence the range of behavioral choices available to individuals. This means that the search for solutions to health problems and disparities must include the analysis of socioeconomic and environmental factors to inform the development of policies and programs to prevent those problems.
Ø People working together in collaboration with shared leadership are stronger and more effective than single individuals in creating and maintaining positive change in policies, practices, and paradigms. Creating and maintaining the conditions for promotion and protection of health is a collective responsibility with roles for government, community organizations, businesses and individuals.
Ø Communities and tribes have a right to decide which policies and programs will best serve their members. This requires meaningful and equal participation in research that involves communities and tribes, as well as in policies or program development that impact health.
Ø A delicate and ethical balance must be maintained between the rights of individuals and the health and safety of the community in which they live.
Ø The use of the criminal justice system as a response to unhealthy and unsafe behaviors must be critically examined in order to prevent unintended consequences. Public health approaches involving effective education, treatment, and harm reduction programs are desirable first steps.
Ø In seeking the common good, the health and well-being of human beings and the planet we inhabit holds precedence over the financial and political interests of individuals or corporations.