PHERN Helps Changemakers End the Pandemic, Advance Equity, Build a Public Health System for the Future

The American Public Health Association (APHA) and the Alliance for Disease Prevention and Response (Alliance), in collaboration with Community Commons, has launched the Public Health and Equity Resource Navigator or PHERN. PHERN is a new web-based platform that aims to help changemakers find information and resources to end the pandemic, advance equity, and build a resilient, robust, sustainable public health system for the future. On PHERN, users can explore over one thousand curated resources that have been selected to cover key and emerging public health topics with an equity and antiracism lens. Over the coming months, PHERN will continue to grow, curating new resources, topics and sectors.

PHERN was created in response to pressing challenges facing public health and our nation. Initially, PHERN is focused on supporting an equitable COVID-19 response and recovery by: 

1. Spreading good science about COVID-19, COVID-19 vaccines, and public health measures;
2. Supporting assessment of COVID-19 impacts;
3. Sharing strategies, stories, resources, and best practices to help end the COVID-19 pandemic and promote equity;
4. Advancing equity in COVID-19 response and recovery efforts; and
5. Promoting modernization, transformation and resilience of our public health system.

A Focus on Equity and Systems

PHERN centers equity, and emphasizes shifting systems for health and equity. Highlighted on PHERN’s topic pages is narrative that provides an equity and systems lens. Moreover, resources, tools, and stories selected for PHERN are biased towards action, helping users see opportunities to co-design healthier, more equitable communities.

Designed to promote multi-sector stewardship

Content on PHERN is designed with public health leaders and practitioners, and decision-makers at the state, local, tribal, and community levels in mind–as well as healthcare workers; community health workers; community organizers; students, educators, school boards, districts, and administrators; researchers; data experts and analysts; community benefit professionals; and community stewards and change-makers. More broadly, PHERN promotes a multi-sector approach by lifting up content for a variety of sectors with a role in advancing public health and equity.

Curated around priority topics

PHERN curates content around important and timely public health topics which are identified through a collaborative process with APHA and Alliance stakeholders. PHERN topic pages frame issues, lift up key themes, and provide a tight set of recommended resources, tools, and stories that users can filter by sector. A first set of topics are now available (and more are coming soon). Explore some favorites below!

All the resources on PHERN are also available here on Community Commons. You can find them in the PHERN Library and throughout the site. Learn more about PHERN and Community Commons Spaces.

APHA and the Alliance

The American Public Health Association is a national organization with a 150-year perspective, a broad-based member community, and the ability to influence policy to improve the public’s health. During the COVID-19 pandemic, APHA saw the need to move quickly and efficiently in new and virtual ways to address the pandemic and improve public health and equity. In response, they built the Alliance for Disease Prevention and Response (the Alliance), a cross-sectoral national effort to manage COVID-19, prevent future pandemics and advance health.

>> More about APHA, the Alliance and PHERN