CHENANGO COUNTY — National Public Health Week is April 4 though 10, 2022. Since its founding in 1955, this initiative has become an important movement to highlight issues that can improve the health and happiness of the community and the nation. It also serves to highlight critical issues to help people lead healthier and happier lives. This year, we would like to celebrate the power of the community in realizing this vision.

Chenango County has tightly connected partnerships, strong community leaders, and community members that care about the health of its residents.

Throughout the ups and downs of COVID-19, we have built strong collaborative partnerships with school districts, large businesses, medical providers, hospitals, fire departments, nonprofit organizations, small businesses, daycare providers, retail businesses, law enforcement agencies, banks, emergency management, restaurants, gyms, churches, dentists, grocery stores, local government officials, community organizations, and others.

As a result, we were able quickly and effectively communicate important information about COVID-19 to the entire community.

On behalf of the thousands of residents of Chenango County, we would like to say thank you to our many community partners.

What is Public Health?

The purpose of Public Health is to protect and improve the health of an entire population. It is different from a medical approach, which focuses on individuals. For example, a medical doctor working with a patient with heart disease might prescribe medication, suggest a special diet, or perform certain tests. In contrast, a Public Health approach tries to figure out how many people have heart disease, who is vulnerable to the disease, or what policies or programs might improve or prevent heart disease.

Public Health is often misunderstood and undervalued. If it is working, people aren’t getting sick, and so it tends to be invisible. Our work intersects with the community; Partnering with others makes it possible to achieve a shared goal together.

Meaningful partnerships between the Health Department and the community are incredibly important. Thanks to our community partnerships, we are building a safer community and providing much needed health services and programs.

Improvements to health are not just consequences of government intervention, but are created from the actions of individuals, communities, and organizations.

For more information about Public Health Week go to: nphw.org/

Persons with questions or requiring additional information may contact the Chenango County Health Department at (607) 337-1660.

-Information provided by the Chenango County Health Department