Monday: Healthy Communities
For Science
It's clear: People's health, longevity and well-being are connected to their communities — the places we live, learn, work, worship and play. For example, national health officials report at least 4 million U.S. households are home to children who are being exposed to high levels of lead, and about 6 million U.S. homes are considered substandard. Exposure to air pollution is linked to serious respiratory conditions such as asthma, and millions of Americans still get their drinking water through lead pipes. Communities of color often face greater community health risks — such as poorer air quality — and have fewer health-promoting opportunities — such as safe places to walk — than their white counterparts.
For Action
Defend the critical role of strong public health systems in creating healthier communities and urge decisionmakers to make health a priority in all policymaking. Work across sectors and outside of traditional public health circles to expand health-promoting opportunities. For example, help employers organize flu shot clinics, partner with transportation planners to expand safe biking and walking opportunities, or work with environmental justice groups to reach particularly vulnerable residents. Apply a health equity lens to ensure your efforts reach those most in need.
For Health
Smart local policies that prioritize health can make a difference. For instance, research shows that well-maintained sidewalks can encourage physical activity and that safe biking networks lead to more cycling and fewer injuries among bicyclists. Rates of preventable deaths — such as deaths from heart disease, diabetes and cancer — typically go down in communities where local public health spending goes up. Other research finds that deaths from cardiovascular disease, diabetes and the flu decline significantly in communities that expand their networks in support of population health goals. And removing leaded drinking water serviece lines would save billions of dollars in future health and productivity. Where people live — not just how they live — impacts their health, income, education and life expectancy.
Tuesday: Violence Prevention
For Science
National data show gun-related deaths are on the rise: between 2015-2016, the U.S. was home to nearly 27,400 homicides and nearly 45,000 suicides involving guns. Those numbers are the highest documented levels in a decade. About one in four women and one in nine men experience some form of intimate partner violence, and one out of every six American women has been the victim of rape or attempted rape. In 2016, 676,000 victims of child abuse and neglect were reported to local officials. Not all communities face the same rates or kinds of violence. For example, black people are three times more likely to be killed by police than white people.
For Action
As public health professionals, violence prevention, including gun violence, is most assuredly part of our jobs. Urge policymakers to provide research funding that's on par with the nation's gun violence epidemic, and call on lawmakers to pass commonsense measures that reduce the risk of gun deaths and injuries. Work with local colleges and universities on ways to prevent sexual violence, such as offering bystander intervention training, and ways to better help victims of sexual violence, such as offering trauma-informed services. Learn about community-based strategies for creating the kinds of safe, stable and nurturing environments that help prevent child abuse and neglect. Advocate for community-driven solutions that identify and target the root of violence and don't criminalize entire communities.
For Health
Much more study is needed, but research already shows commonsense gun safety laws can make a difference. For example, researchers found that in the years following Connecticut's permit-to-purchase handgun law, firearm homicides went down 40 percent. (See the Connecticut study and much more in APHA's American Journal of Public Health, which has committed to making all of its gun research open access). More traditional, public health-based interventions can make a difference, too. Home-visiting models have been shown to significantly reduce the risk of child maltreatment. Community-led models can be especially effective when it comes to violence prevention. The innovative Cure Violence model — which takes methods typically associated with disease control and applies them to violence prevention — has resulted in significant drops in local gun violence.
Wednesday: Rural Health
For Science
Rural communities face a range of health disparities, from higher burdens of chronic disease to limited access to primary care and prevention services. When compared to people living in urban areas, rural Americans face a greater risk of death from the five leading causes of death — heart disease, cancer, unintentional injury, chronic lower respiratory disease and stroke. Suicide rates are also higher in rural America than in urban areas, with that gap growing steadily since the early 2000s. The opioid addiction and overdose crisis has hit rural communities especially hard — the rate of fatal overdoses is higher in rural communities than in metropolitan ones. Complicating matters, rural residents are often more likely to face social determinants that negatively impact health, such as poverty, transportation barriers and lack of jobs that pay well.
For Action
Support telemedicine, school-based health centers and other efforts that connect rural residents to medical and supportive services. Partner with community stakeholders to overcome transportation barriers to care, such as coordinating ride-sharing services or helping residents navigate transit services. Advocate for supportive and evidence-based public health policies, such as easier access to naloxone and continued coverage for mental health and addiction care. Advance partnerships that target the social determinants, such as increasing job training opportunities, growing local employment, and helping children achieve academic success.
For Health
Studies show there are effective ways to tackle the biggest health problems facing rural communities. For example, telemedicine can expand access to care for people without a prior connection to a provider, with no increases in clinical misdiagnosis and errors. Research also shows that increasing access to naloxone can reduce opioid overdose deaths, and that thanks to the Affordable Care Act's Medicaid expansion, about 1.6 million Americans struggling with substance use disorders have gained insurance coverage. Direct care efforts such as school-based health centers also return promising results for children's health and academic achievement.
Thursday: Technology and Public Health
For Science
New technologies are quickly transforming the public health landscape. For example, state environmental health tracking programs are using spatial analysis and visualization methods to help predict people’s hazardous exposure risks. Organizers are building online learning communities where public health practitioners worldwide can swap best practices. National health officials use GIS mapping to track a range of serious health conditions — such as diabetes, heart disease and HIV — and use that information to deepen our understanding of the social determinants of health. In the nation’s public health labs, workers use state-of-the-art technology to rapidly detect, trace and contain disease outbreaks. And in health departments across the country, workers have taken to social media to educate and advocate within their local communities.
For Action
Support public health funding levels that allow the field's workers to leverage the latest technology on behalf of population health. For example, the ACA's Prevention and Public Health Fund provides millions of dollars each year to CDC's Epidemiology and Laboratory Capacity for Infectious Diseases agreement, which helps public health labs upgrade and maintain their equipment and technology and has been critical in scaling up laboratory response. Support and make time for workforce training efforts that teach public health practitioners how to use and deploy new technologies in their community health efforts. Embrace social media as a health improvement and advocacy tool.
For Health
Technology can be a potent public health tool. For example, evaluations of the free Text4baby app, which provides personalized text messaging services for pregnant women and new moms, finds that participants have higher levels of knowledge about issues such as staying healthy during pregnancy, safe newborn sleep and infant feeding. In addition, researchers found that Text4baby helped women, especially those without health coverage, access health services. Evidence is also beginning to emerge on the potential of health- and activity-tracking mobile apps in encouraging healthy behavior changes. However, ethical concerns remain on how to balance the benefits of new technologies and the massive amounts of data they generate with people's right to keep their health information private.
Friday: Climate Change
For Science
Tapped as one of the greatest threats to public health, climate change is expected to have — and is already producing — serious impacts on people’s health and well-being.
Climate change:
- is linked to more frequent and extreme natural disasters, such as hurricanes, flooding and drought;
- is expected to negatively impact food security, water and air quality; and
- exacerbates the risks of vector-borne diseases, such as West Nile virus and Lyme disease.
Like so many health threats, climate change is also expected to disproportionately impact already-vulnerable populations, such as the elderly, young children, families living in poverty and people with chronic diseases. On a more global scale, researchers warn that climate change will likely result in forced migration and civil conflict.
For Action
Stand up for science! Despite what some American leaders are saying, the science is clear: climate change is real, it's happening and human activities are a main cause. Call for adequate funding to support public health workers in monitoring, preparing for and responding to the health effects of climate change. Support policies that help mitigate and prevent worsening climate change, such as rules that reduce greenhouse gas emissions and partnerships that reduce people's reliance on cars. Such actions also can have positive co-benefits for health, such as improving air quality and encouraging active commuting. Make sure equity is a centerpiece of climate and health actions because climate impacts are not evenly distributed across communities and will likely worsen existing inequities. APHA’s Climate Change, Health, and Equity: A Guide for Local Health Departments is designed to help local public health departments integrate climate change and health equity into practice.
For Health
Health departments across the country are already busy preparing for the impacts of climate change, many of them participating in CDC's Climate-Ready States and Cities Initiative and embracing CDC's five-step Building Resilience Against Climate Effects, or BRACE, framework. Health departments using the BRACE framework are reporting a variety of success stories, such as launching new vulnerability assessments and working across sectors to reduce emissions. Addressing climate change also comes with new opportunities to save lives and improve health. For example, a 2018 brief from APHA and The Lancet (PDF) reports climate change is encouraging sectors and communities to begin the shift away from fossil fuels and toward renewable, clean energies. On the policy side — a key component of tackling climate change — research shows that smart policy can have big effects. For instance, federal officials estimate that reducing power plant emissions could prevent thousands of premature deaths and provide billions of dollars in public health benefits.
Saturday and Sunday: Global Health
For Science
America's health and the world's health are fundamentally connected. Consider that during the H1N1 flu pandemic, the virus quickly traveled around the world and a global effort was required to track its movements and eventually contain the disease. Across the world, communities still struggle with preventable and often-neglected diseases. For example, while global measles deaths have massively decreased since 2000, the vaccine-preventable disease is still common in many developing countries, affecting about 7 million people in 2016. Malaria — a preventable condition often described as a neglected disease — caused 435,000 deaths worldwide in 2017. The World Health Organization's top 10 threats to global health include: pandemic flu, cholera, violent conflict, malaria, malnutrition and natural disasters.
For Action
Support continued funding for U.S. global public health efforts, such as USAID's global health programs in maternal and child health, family planning, nutrition, HIV/AIDS, malaria, tuberculosis, neglected tropical diseases and health systems strengthening, and CDC's work to advance the Global Health Security Agenda. Call on U.S. and world leaders to protect health workers and facilities during violent conflicts and hold those accountable who purposefully target health workers. Participate in World Health Day! The global health event takes place on April 7, the last day of this year's National Public Health Week observance.
For Health
U.S. global health investments have provided a wealth of positive returns. At CDC, for example, global health security efforts have helped countries scale up their emergency and medical countermeasure capacities, which means the world is better prepared to stop outbreaks before they spread. U.S. support is also critical in advancing new technologies and treatments, including those for malaria, tuberculosis, HIV and Ebola. Such support is critical because treating diseases that primarily impact low-income nations offers little commercial incentive for the private sector. Investing in global health is good for the U.S. economy, too. Research shows that in 2015, 89 cents of every U.S. government dollar directed to global health research and development was invested in the U.S., putting billions of dollars into the American economy.
