Public Health Week, April 1-7, puts focus on issues
Public Health Week, April 1-7 this year. The week is an annual observance that focuses on critical public-health issues to raise awareness and help
people live longer, healthier lives.
“In some way, public health touches everyone, every day in Kentucky,” said Health Commissioner Stephanie Mayfield, M.D., said in a news release. She noted efforts to expand public health’s influence in
Kentucky, including health departments’ work to obtain national accreditation and find opportunities
for improvement within existing programs at a time of continuing budget cuts.
“We know that investing in
prevention and public health can make an enormous difference and it’s the right
direction for Kentucky to move in to address poor health outcomes,” Mayfield said. “Many premature deaths could be prevented by making healthy choices
like not smoking, maintaining a healthy weight, eating right, staying active,
and the getting recommended immunizations and screening tests.”
Health Association and local health departments will be sponsoring community
events that promote taking the simple preventive steps that lead to better
health and lead to a healthier Kentucky. For more information about National Public
Health Week, visit http://www.nphw.org/about. More information about Kentucky public health
can be found at. http://chfs.ky.gov/dph/.