National Public Health Week 2023

Centering and Celebrating Cultures in Health

What is Public Health?

Public health promotes and protects the health of people and the communities where they live, learn, work and play.

While a doctor treats people who are sick, those of us working in public health try to prevent people from getting sick or injured in the first place. We also promote wellness by encouraging healthy behaviors.

Public Health is...

From conducting scientific research to educating about health, people in the field of public health work to assure the conditions in which people can be healthy. That can mean vaccinating children and adults to prevent the spread of disease. Or educating people about the risks of alcohol and tobacco. Public health sets safety standards to protect workers and develops school nutrition programs to ensure kids have access to healthy food.

Public health works to track disease outbreaks, prevent injuries and shed light on why some of us are more likely to suffer from poor health than others. The many facets of public health include speaking out for laws that promote smoke-free indoor air and seatbelts, spreading the word about ways to stay healthy and giving science-based solutions to problems.

Public health saves money, improves our quality of life, helps children thrive and reduces human suffering.

Some examples of the many fields of public health:

First RespondersRestaurant InspectorsHealth Educators
Scientists and ResearchersNutritionistsCommunity Planners
Social WorkersEpidemiologistsPublic Health Physicians
Public Health NursesSanitarians
Public Policymakers
Occupational Health and Safety Professionals


 

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National Public Health Week 2023 Daily Themes

Monday, April 3 - Community
 Whether virtual, physical or both, connection with community is vital to living your healthiest life. We must work together to ensure all communities have access and connections to affordable housing, education, food and transportation. 

Tuesday, April 4 - Violence Prevention
 Violence is an ongoing public health threat because it creates more obstacles to living a healthy life. When we understand the causes of violence in our communities, it gives us a better chance at creating effective prevention strategies. 

Wednesday, April 5 - Reproductive and Sexual Health
 We can work together and make sure everyone has the right and ability to access safe, affordable and individual care when making reproductive and sexual health decisions. 

Thursday, April 6 - Mental Health
 Each year, one in five Americans will experience mental illness. Mental health is public health. Prevention, early detection and treatment of mental health conditions can lead to improved physical and community health

Friday, April 7 - Rural Health
 Rural communities are some of the most vulnerable populations to public health threats. We can work toward a more robust, inclusive public health system that ensures everyone is reached. 

Saturday, April 8 - Accessibility
 We can close the health equity gap by reducing health disparities in health insurance, increasing physical accessibility to care, improving availability of appropriate care and building more inclusive public health programs and communities. 

Sunday, April 9 - Food and Nutrition
 Access to fresh, quality and nutritious food is the foundation to living a healthy life. We can work together to make sure our communities have that access and advocate for those communities who don’t. 

For more information go to www.NPHW.org 

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