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CORVALLIS, Ore. - The two-day Oregon Public Health Association Conference will be held Oct. 10-11 at Oregon State University's LaSells Stewart Center. Researchers and public health officials will tackle some of the most pressing health issues facing Oregonians.

Topics to be addressed include national public health accreditation,  how to incorporate public health in coordinated care organizations,  Latino engagement in public health projects, and alcohol consumption and unprotected sex risk factors among college students. A full schedule can be viewed here.

 "At a time when our entire nation is focused on health costs, public health and prevention are more important than ever," said Charlie Fautin, president of the Oregon Public Health Association and public health administrator for Benton County. "Record registration for this year's conference is a reflection of how committed Oregonians are to creating model solutions to health system challenges."

Mike Bonetto, health policy adviser for Gov. John Kitzhaber, will open the conference with a keynote address on "Public Health and Health Care Reform: Identifying the Opportunities and Obstacles," at 9:30 a.m. on Monday, Oct. 10. Patricia Butterfield, dean of the College of Nursing at Washington State University will discuss "Household Environmental Health Risks to Rural Children: Risks and Perceptions of Risk," at 9:30 a.m. Tuesday, Oct. 11.

"We look forward to continued partnerships with private and governmental public health agencies active in OPHA to help develop the public health workforce necessary to create a healthy Oregon one community at a time," said Marie Harvey, chair of the conference program committee and associate dean for research and graduate programs in the college.

The conference is open to the public and media are welcome to attend. For registration information, go to http://www.oregonpublichealth.org

The conference is sponsored by Conference of Local Health Officials, Kaiser Permanente Community Fund, NorthWest Health Foundation, OHSU Foundation, and the OSU College of Public Health and Human Sciences.