Global health policy remains important in election year

In a post on IntraHealth's "Global Health Blog," Rebecca Kohler, senior vice president of corporate strategy and development at IntraHealth, writes about an event held last week on the sidelines of the Democratic National Convention (DNC) that "focused on the vital role of women's health in foreign policy." She writes, "I was encouraged by the level of commitment to a robust global family planning program on the part of our U.S. Congresswomen and the convention delegates. But I also was inspired by the effective role the U.N. Foundation plays in informing, mobilizing, and activating Americans across the country about critical health and development challenges." Noting that the Kaiser Family Foundation's 2012 Survey of Americans on the U.S. Role in Global Health "shows that the more informed the public is about global health issues, and how U.S. foreign assistance is saving lives, the more likely they are to support increased funding for health beyond this country's borders," Kohler concludes, "Informed and activated Americans are a driving force for change, and the DNC advocacy event was a great reminder that despite the hyper focus on domestic issues during this campaign, people can and do care about global issues" (9/10).