Join Sampson County Health Department in celebrating 25 years of National Public Health Week (NPHW) from April 6 – April 10. This 25th anniversary is an opportunity for us to highlight some of the greatest public health successes and to celebrate what makes public health so vital. It’s also a time for us to reflect on important lessons learned and on missed chances to improve health for everyone.
Each day of NPHW will focus on one public health topic highlighting current challenges, how we can make an impact, and how we can reduce inequities. These topics are crucial to moving forward and creating the healthiest nation.
NPHW 2020 Daily Themes and COVID-19:
• Monday: Mental Health — advocate for and promote emotional well-being. COVID-19 is causing heightened levels of stress. In particular, isolation, quarantine, and separation from loved ones can be highly stressful. Many people in public health and health care sectors, as well as those working in affected industries, are shouldering a significant mental health burden. Reach out and check on your loved ones and community members.
• Tuesday: Maternal and Child Health — ensure the health of mother & babies throughout the lifespan. Research to date finds pregnant women and young children do not seem to be more susceptible to COVID-19. If anything, women (in general) may have a survival advantage over men (In China, 2.8% of infected men have died, compared to 1.7% of women). Still, pregnant women and children are considered “at-risk populations” and need some special support during this pandemic.
• Wednesday: Violence Prevention — reduce personal and community violence to improve health. Increased stress can lead to increased aggression, feeding a cycle of violence especially in communities already under strain. And, as APHA member Elena Ong writes in a Public Health Newswire post, “Since the first case of the new coronavirus was reported in Wuhan, China, in December, there’s been a surge in reports of micro aggressions, discrimination and violent attacks against people who look Chinese or Asian.” Much of the stress people are feeling as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic is linked to fear fed by misinformation. Help counteract the “infodemic” of bad and troubling information by sharing the World Health Organization’s myth-busters, available through www.who.int.
• Thursday: Environmental Health — help protect and maintain a healthy planet. One of the few silver linings of the COVID-19 pandemic, air pollution, particularly CO2 levels, have diminished in Italy due to dramatic lifestyle changes. However, changes in people’s lifestyle patterns can have unexpected consequences on our environment. For now, remain vigilant in recycling plastics. If you are sick, dispose of soiled items by double-bagging in secured containers with lids. Continue to advocate for increased funding to improve our water infrastructure and adequate funding to support public health workers in monitoring, preparing for and responding to the health effects of climate change.
• Friday: Education — advocate for quality education and schools. Schools at all levels should be engaged in active surveillance and communicate with their state and local public health departments should a person display possible COVID-19 symptoms. Distance learning is more necessary now than ever, heightening the need for access to technology and high-speed internet. Schools are often the source of daily nutrition for students in low-income families and are now called on to find ways to distribute meals and maintain social distancing. Reach out to your local school system to see if volunteers are needed, whether for meal distribution, online learning support or other tasks. If you’ve found yourself suddenly at home with your school-aged children, CDC has advice on how to talk to them about COVID-19, at www.cdc.gov/coronavirus.
• Saturday: Healthy Housing — ensure access to affordable and safe housing. During the COVID-19 quarantine, people are spending even more time in their homes than usual. For those living in unsafe environments, problems like mold and secondhand smoke exposure can worsen existing health conditions. Refer to CDC’s Protect Your Home page which is still useful now, in the midst of the pandemic. The National Center for Healthy Housing’s Fact Sheets, Checklists and Guides page, at nchh.org, offers links on ways to keep your home safe, the costs of home upkeep and seasonal maintenance checklists.
• Sunday: Economics — advocate for economic empowerment as the key to a healthy life.
One of the most dramatic reactions to COVID-19 has been the stock markets and the underlying industries they represent. It appears clear that many industries and their employees will suffer a significant financial hardship. On an individual level, the burden of being out of work and (potentially) hospitalized for an extended period of time can have disastrous impacts on financial health. You can advocate for paid sick leave and a living wage by urging your members of Congress to prioritize public health infrastructure and paid sick, family and medical leave in any future legislation to address the COVID-19 pandemic.
Sampson County Health Department is proud to support National Public Health Week and Public Health Month during April. The Health Department is operating on a limited basis Monday – Friday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. during the COVID-19 pandemic. Patients will be seen by appointment only and the public is encouraged to call 910-592-1131 before walking in without an appointment.
Remember, Public Health is “Everywhere – Everyday – Everybody.”