SIDNEY — National Public Health Week is being recognized this week, April 4-10, throughout the nation. The theme for this year is “Healthiest Nation 2030.”
The theme’s goal is to encourage people to change their health, which in turn, ensures conditions that will give everyone the opportunity to be healthy.
The Sidney-Shelby County Health Department has outlined how this goal can be achieved.
• Build a nation of safe, healthy communities: Health must be a priority in designing communities, from healthy housing to parks and playgrounds. Walking and biking must coexist with cars and public transportation. communities need lower levels of violence and crime so everyone can safely live, work, learn and play. Support farmers markets and local businesses that value health, such as retailers that don’t sell tobacco.
• Help all young people graduate from high school: Education is the leading indicator of good health, giving people access to better jobs, incomes and neighborhoods. Call for policies that start with early school success and lead to higher on-time high school graduation rates. Be a champion for the school nurses to be daily in all schools. Become a mentor — each person can make a difference.
• Social justice and health: Everyone has the right to good health. Barriers must be removed so everyone has the same opportunity to improve their lives and their health. Demand a fair allocation of community resources.
• Provide quality health care for everyone: The main focus of the health system must shift from one that treats illness to one that equally emphasizes prevention.
• Strengthen public health infrastructure and capacity: Strong and consistent funding levels are necessary for the public health system to respond to both everyday health threats and also unexpected health emergencies. Support more funding for key public health agencies so they can strengthen the public health workforce and a major source of funding for state and local programs.
• Strengthen public health in all counties: Provide programming based on the need in the county, provide evidence based programs and assure that health department staff is superior public health professionals.
For more information, visit National Public Health Week, www.nphw.org/2016.
