Public Health Programs & Projects

   Why is Public Health Important?

Public Health Saves Money and Improves Quality of Life.

A healthy public gets sick less frequently and spends less money on health care; this means better economic productivity and an improved quality of life for everyone.

Improving Public Health Helps Children Thrive.

Healthy children become healthy adults. Healthy kids attend school more often and perform better overall. Public health professionals strive to ensure that all kids grow up in a healthy environment with adequate resources, including health care.1

Public Health Prevention Reduces Human Suffering.

Public health prevention not only educates people about the effects of lifestyle choices on their health, it also reduces the impact of disasters by preparing people for the effects of catastrophes such as hurricanes, tornadoes and terrorist attacks.

Public Health Research and our Planning Partners coordinate essential services and programs that protect and promote people’s health and their environment to support and create healthier communities.

Many problems such as poor diets, inadequate wages and lack of physical exercise require community partnerships to effect change. Hence, one of the Essential Services is to mobilize community partnerships to identify and solve health problems. One example is the PAN Committee (Physical Activity and Nutrition) which meets to come up with the best ways to improve nutrition and physical activity in our communities.

Our Current Programs and Projects Include:

• Physical Activity and Nutrition – Local Level
• Healthy Eating Active Living – State Level
• Local Lead Action Committee
• Childhood Lead Poisoning Prevention Program – State Level
• Public Health Emergency Regional Preparedness Coordination and Planning
• Community Needs Assessment
• Education and training for health officers
• Development of Regional Resource Directory
• Continued development of an effective partnership and broad constituency to address pressing public health issues
• Information and referral services
• Community Emergency Response Program/Citizen Corps

1Olds, D.L. (2002). Prenatal and infancy home visiting by nurses: from randomized trials to community replication. Prevention Science, 3(3):153-72.