Public Health Week, April 1-7, puts focus on issues

The state Department for Public Health is working to promote National 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.”

The state health department, the Kentucky Health Department Association, the Kentucky Public 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/.