We Are All Public Health and last week showed the ways our work impacts our communities year round

Last week we celebrated National Public Health Week with public messaging and social media, as well as internal workshops, brown bag opportunities, and an agency-wide virtual town hall.

The American Public Health Association has recognized National Public Health Week for more than 25 years to acknowledge and celebrate the contributions of public health professionals. The week also highlights the ongoing work we do to address issues that are important to impacting the health of our state.

This year’s focus was Protecting, Connecting, and Thriving: We Are All Public Health, looking at how public health extends beyond health care, including environmental health factors such as pollution, food and water safety, and community relationships.

When we all come together to support public health — individuals, families, communities, and public health professionals — we can achieve common goals and have a positive impact on the lives of all Arizonans.

This year’s daily themes included Civic engagement, Healthy neighborhoods, Climate change, New tools and innovations, Reproductive and sexual health, Emergency preparedness, and the future of public health. The Arizona Department of Health Services (ADHS) makes progress in these areas year-round. Specifically:

Healthy neighborhoods
Our Lead Safety Program ensures kids living in areas with a high risk for lead exposure receive education and treatment if needed. The recently updated Arizona Health Improvement Plan articulates steps to create neighborhoods and environments that promote health and safety in the Social Determinants of Health Priority.

Climate change
We’ve been heavily involved with the Governor’s response to extreme heat and working closely with fellow agencies to plan and implement measures to keep Arizonans safe in the heat and other extreme weather hazards. Sign up for our excessive heat warnings ahead of the upcoming heat season.

New tools and innovations
We recently unveiled the innovative Arizona Social Vulnerability Index. This index presents a picture of the factors Arizona communities face as they pursue health, stories of community strength, and data to inform action. The AZSVI provides the Arizona public health workforce, health care providers, policy makers, and the public a tool to assess the factors impacting Arizona communities, with the aim of addressing disparities and fostering equity.

The Division of Licensing is working to restructure and evaluate the effectiveness of the work they are doing. The division is working to roll out innovative new tools like online registration for licensees and a revamped AZCareCheck for tracking licensed facilities and their surveys.

The future of public health
We are proud of the work public health does in Arizona. We are thankful to our team members as well as all our local, state, and national partners that make health and wellness for all Arizonans a priority.

By Sheila Sjolander|2024-04-08T11:40:24-07:00April 8th, 2024|Licensing, Preparedness, Prevention|Comments Off

About the Author: Sheila Sjolander

Sheila Sjolander is the Deputy Director of Public Health Services at the Arizona Department of Health Services. Sheila oversees the divisions of Prevention, Preparedness and Licensing, a team of more than 700 people working toward the vision of health and wellness for all Arizonans. Prior to her appointment as deputy director, she served as Assistant Director for Prevention Services for more than a decade. In her 22 years at ADHS, Sheila has been a dedicated leader in health improvement, strategic planning, and the state’s work to reduce opioid overdoses. She earned a Master of Social Work degree from Temple University, and received the Outstanding Achievement in Rural Women’s Health from the Arizona Rural Women’s Health Association in 2016, and the CHW Champion Award from the Arizona Community Health Worker Association in 2017.