by Ann Smith, Chief Nursing Officer
It’s Public Health Month and let’s all say a big collective THANK YOU to the public health departments in our community and nation for looking out for well-being all year long!
Whether it’s our local public health office or the nation’s Center for Disease Control, these important entities work tirelessly to protect our health and promote healthy living. Our hospital works closely with public health to help identify, track, and treat diseases that can become epidemics if not addressed early on. Our public health departments help to educate parents on the importance of vaccinations as the first bastion of protection against the spread of childhood diseases that threaten our families. They reach out to our community to promote awareness about the impact of alcohol, tobacco, and drug use. And they work with industry to help improve safety in the workplace.
Public health is our partner in making our community a safe place to live, work, and play. They monitor our environment, to ensure the water we drink and swim in is safe. They alert us to issues, whether environmental or man-made that can cause us harm and work with other agencies to solve the problem.
Much of the data used in research necessary to battle so many diseases is collected through public health departments.
Our community is a better place because of the wide range of activities that start with public health.