Your Health: Celebrating National Public Health Week
City-County Health District is celebrating National Public Health Week during April 1 – 7, 2024. As we celebrate the contributions of our staff who work to protect and improve the health of all people and places in Barnes County, I want to share today about the role of public health in our community.
Our vision is Health and Well-Being for All. Connection with community is vital to living your healthiest life. Local communities are so much more than the physical place, it is also the people. Local public health works to ensure that members of our community have access and connections to support health and well-being for all. For some residents, this is nursing services or recovery support, while other community members access nutrition assistance. Our work in local public health is not done on our own. Local public health partners within our community to provide and improve services, acknowledge problems and work together to find solutions. Our local partners include other healthcare professionals, educators, elected and government officials, faith leaders as well as community members.
We can’t overlook that our community is also made up of the places within it. Local public health works to take care of the places within our community – our staff work to protect our physical environment from the effects of secondhand smoke to ensuring appropriate septic systems are in place. Public health advocates for a healthy environment – with access to safe places to be active.
If you are familiar with our staff, we have a registered nurses, home health aides, and a physical therapist, who provide in-home skilled nursing care. Our staff visit the community members in their home, to provide the support and medical services so that they can achieve their best health and well-being. Our staff can also connect clients to other services, we now have a social worker on staff who supports this as well. In addition, we have a school nurse works primarily in the Valley City Public Schools. She provides health education and health screenings, supporting the health and well-being of the VCPS staff.
In addition, local public health can offer customized programs based on the needs of the community and/or grants available. We are fortunate to have two programs that are offered in North Dakota, regardless of the county you live in. Our staff offer HealthTracks, which provides wellchild visits and screenings to individuals who are enrolled in ND Medicaid. This program supports our rural community by ensuring that youth enrolled in ND Medicaid have access to screenings and as well as access to other health services. To learn more, call 845-8518. Local public health offers WIC. Eligible clients receive individualized food packages and learn about healthy eating. To learn if you qualify, call 845-8518.
We are also fortunate to work alongside behavioral health providers in our community to support the mental health of our community members. Each year, one in five Americans will experience mental illness. Mental health is public health. Prevention, early detection and treatment of mental health conditions can lead to improved physical and community health. The ongoing partnership between behavioral health providers and public health staff is a priority. Behavioral health includes the emotions and behaviors that affect your overall well-being. Behavioral health is sometimes called mental health and often includes substance use.
As we celebrate National Public Health Week during April 1-7, 2024 I wanted to share a special thank you to our staff who work to protect and improve the health of all people and places in Barnes County.