2024 annual report

Woman smiling at two schoolchildren who have walked up to her public health table

2024

ANNUAL
REPORT

In 2024, the Big Cities Health Coalition (BCHC) and its members met both hopeful and troubling developments in public health. While overdose deaths began to level off and even decline in many areas, the disproportionate impact among older Black men has continued. City health departments also kept close watch on H5N1, a virulent new strain of bird flu.

We are committed to building on this year’s progress, tackling ongoing challenges, and ensuring our members have the support they need to protect and promote the public’s health.

WHO WE ARE

The Big Cities Health Coalition (BCHC) is a forum for the leaders of America’s largest metropolitan health departments to exchange strategies and jointly address issues to promote and protect the health and safety of the 61 million people they serve.

Together, these public health officials directly affect the health and well-being of nearly one in five Americans.

OUR MISSION & VISION

View MEMBERS

Letters from Leadership

Raynard Washington, PhD, MPH
Health Director
Mecklenburg County Public Health
BCHC Board Chair, April–December 2024

Philip Huang, MD, MPH
Director and Health Authority
Dallas County Health and Human Services
BCHC Board Chair, January–March 2024

BOARD LETTER

Chrissie Juliano, MPP
Executive Director

BOARD LETTER

EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR LETTER

Strength in Numbers

87

LETTERS

to members of Congress and the Administration written and/or signed by BCHC

1,500

articles and media appearances

featuring BCHC experts, across national and local outlets, with a reach of >4 million

1,800

DOWNLOADS

of BCHC’s two messaging playbooks by end of 2024

Thought Leadership and Advocacy

JANUARY

Over the last couple of years, CDC has hosted BCHC’s Senior Deputies cohort in Atlanta to facilitate engagement across the cohort and with deputies at CDC’s centers. Being on campus provides a unique opportunity to explore priority strategies with subject-matter experts and Center directors. On this trip, we engaged with experts from the Office of the Director, the Infrastructure Center and the Injury Center.

BCHC holds a media briefing with the American Lung Association to urge the Biden Administration to release FDA rules to eliminate menthol cigarettes and flavored cigars. BCHC later joins 120 organizations to place a full-page ad in the Washington Post supporting this same measure.

Our blog series highlighting how big cities are investing their Public Health Infrastructure Grants begins with the story of Shelby County Health Department’s partnership with a local university to make achieving advanced degrees more possible for health department staff.

FEBRUARY

Our members and staff gather in Washington, DC, to share strategies, meet with federal health leadership, and participate in NACCHO’s Hill Day.

March

BCHC’s Board of Directors issues a statement strongly supporting the MMR vaccine as our best defense against measles and expressing alarm at the Surgeon General of Florida’s lack of support for this well-established recommendation.

VIEW FULL TIMELINE

In the news

In 2024, BCHC appeared in more than 1,500 media stories as cited experts on issues such as vaccine-preventable diseases, drug overdose prevention and response, and menthol restrictions. Check out these featured stories:

Check out these featured stories:

Financials

Support And Revenue	Total
Grants & contributions	$234,520
Federal grants	$1,546,617
Membership dues	$365,352
Other revenue	$32,953
Interest	$16,597
Net assets released from donor restrictions
Total support and revenue	$2,195,679

Support And Revenue	Total
Grants & contributions	$234,520
Federal grants	$1,546,617
Membership Dues	$365,352
Other revenue	$32,953
Interest	$16,597
Net assets released from donor restrictions
Total support and revenue	$2,195,679

Funders + Partners

The Big Cities Health Coalition is grateful for support from the following funding partners.

BCHC also received funding from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) through Strengthening Public Health Systems and Services through National Partnerships to Improve and Protect the Nation’s Health (NU38PW000033) and subcontracts with the Association of State and Territorial Health Officials (ASTHO) and National Association of County and City Health Officials (NACCHO).

BCHC works in tandem with many organizations and wishes particularly to acknowledge close partnership in 2024 with our funders and the following:

American Public Health Association (APHA)
Association of Public Health Laboratories (APHL)
Association of State and Territorial Health Officials (ASTHO)
Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids
CDC Foundation
Council of State and Territorial Epidemiologists (CSTE)
de Beaumont Foundation
National Association of County and City Health Officials (NACCHO)
Prevention Institute
Public Health Communications Collaborative (PHCC)
Safe States Alliance
Trust for America’s Health (TFAH)
Urban Health Collaborative at the Dornsife School of Public Health at Drexel University.

We thank our members for sharing many of the photos we have used to illustrate this report.