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Susan Koch-Weser announces candidacy for Milton Board of Health

I am excited to announce my candidacy for a seat on the town’s Board of Health, which has statutory oversight our town’s Public Health Department. I have over 25 years of public health experience and am an Associate Professor in the Department of Public Health and Community Medicine at Tuft University School of Medicine. I have a doctoral degree from the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health where I learned to collect, analyze, and act on health data.

Milton is served by an excellent Health Department and Board of Health and I would be honored to join. The work of the Health Department includes adopting and enforcing health regulations, monitoring and containing infectious diseases, providing preventive health programming and environmental protection, and preparing for public health emergencies. Many people don’t understand the extent of the duties and responsibilities of a public health department. As a result, many public health departments—including Milton’s—have been underfunded and underappreciated. COVID has raised awareness of just one aspect of the vital work of public health, but there is so much more that goes into protecting and promoting community health.

Milton is a diverse community and frequently lands on “best of” lists of places to live. To be best, we must work for the health and wellbeing of all our residents. That means we must identify the particular needs and challenges faced by different populations, and tailor programs so that everyone—including our most vulnerable citizens—has access to the information, services, programs, and community assets that will help keep them well. This is the core work of public health.

If elected to the Board of Health, I will:

Bring technical expertise in data collection and analysis
Support the development of grant-funded health promotion programming that will benefit our entire community
Examine and address health disparities
Actively engage with community members to ensure everyone has a voice in health programming

My family has called Milton home for the past 18 years. My sons Peter and William attend Milton High School and Pierce Middle School. My husband, John Rhee, worked to bring rowing to Milton Landing. I have been a steering committee member of the Milton Substance Abuse Prevention Coalition, on the board of Discovery Schoolhouse, and a member of the town’s Return to School Task Force and the Milton Youth Task Force. It has been a wonderful experience to raise a family here and to enjoy the town library, schools, parks, and sports.

I am dedicated to Milton and believe that my public health expertise and passion make me the right candidate for the Board of Health. I ask for your support and your vote on April 26th. To learn more about my campaign visit: www.susanhealth.org