It’s National Public Health Week, which recognizes the contributions of public health and highlights issues that are important to improving our nation's health. The American Public Health Association has organized the annual event in early April for over 25 years.
This year, NPHW recognizes community leaders as our health leaders and looks to celebrate the unique and joyful ways different cultures focus on health.
Lorne Carroll, a public health nurse with the Homer Public Health Center, said health isn’t just about doctors and getting check-ups or vaccines. Public health is a collection of all the things that determine the health of each individual and supporting organizations across a community.
"Someone's ability to reach their potential as an individual and a community member really depends upon not only the physical health of that particular community, but also the economic wellness, spiritual wellness, intellectual wellness, and all the other things that set the stage for each individual and family to reach their potential," Carroll said. "So if we don't have access to clean water and healthy, sustainable food systems, it would be a very different picture. That’s just one example."
Over the past few years, community connections were greatly impacted through physical distancing and isolation during the COVID-19 pandemic. And while the public health emergency order is scheduled to end in May, there are many public health issues to be addressed.
Each day this week focuses on raising awareness on a different theme. Monday, people were encouraged to look at community engagement as a vehicle to help promote and protect the health of everyone in the community. Tuesday, the focus is violence prevention.
"And then Wednesday, we'll be focusing on reproductive and sexual health. Then moving into Thursday, mental health. Rural health, which is a really important topic for us here in Alaska, on Friday. Accessibility on Saturday. And then food and nutrition will close us out on Sunday,” Carroll said.
Locally, MAPP — Mobilizing for Action through Planning and Partnerships — is a Homer-based health improvement coalition that looks to redefine health as wellness. Carroll said the group is engaging the public in evaluating the local public health system.
"MAPP’s Community Health Needs Assessment workgroup is hosting a series of focus groups that look to each of these essential services to answer the question, 'How are we doing with this essential service here on the southern peninsula? And what improvements or opportunities might we have as a community as we move into the future?'” he said.
To find out more about National Public Health Week, visit nphw.org. You can find out more about Homer’s community health needs assessment — which is slated to be completed this summer — by visiting MAPP’s website.
