Recognizing April 7-13 as National Public Health Week

Floor Speech

Madam Speaker, I wish to recognize the week of April 7-13 as National Public Health Week. In 1995, former President William Jefferson Clinton proclaimed the first full week of April as National Public Health Week. Since then, the American Public Health Association has organized National Public Health Week and developed campaigns to educate the public, policy-makers and public health professionals about issues important to improving the public's health.

Public health efforts strive to prevent disease and promote good health in a variety of ways, including vaccination programs, regulation of prescription drugs, worker health and safety standards, access to clean water and air, and other educational campaigns. Public health includes professionals from many fields with the common purpose of protecting the health of a population.

My colleagues and I have no doubt seen the positive effects that public health awareness can bring to a community. 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. Healthy children are more likely to attend school and, as a result, improve their overall performance in education. Healthy parents can inform their children about positive wellness choices that will hopefully stay with them well into adulthood. 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.

The American Public Health Association has selected climate change as the theme of National Public Health Week 2008. Though the scientific realities and environmental impacts of climate change have been highly publicized in recent years, little has been said about the effects of climate change on public health. Extreme weather events such as hotter summers, colder winters, higher rainfall, and increased rates of natural disasters all aid in posing a greater risk to public health. Disease and injury, in addition to the negative effects of pollution and other modern environmental challenges, are all hazards to public health which must be explored and addressed as this issue continues to influence communities.

I commend the organizations and individuals in Chicago as well as nationwide for their work on the critical issue of public health. National Public Health Week is the ideal time to highlight the immediate and ongoing need for the promotion of and investment in public health activities that will safeguard our Nation's current and future well-being.

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