Thank a public health professional this week
April 4-7 is National Public Health Week. For the past two years, I’ve had the honor and privilege of helping to convene regular calls with public health leaders from across Western North Carolina working collaboratively in COVID-19 response and recovery. Listening to them reminds me how fortunate we are to have a robust public health system in our region.
When I came to Western North Carolina more than 20 years ago to serve as medical director at the Buncombe County Health Department, a mentor described public health work as something that touches almost every aspect of our lives, but that no one sees. Every time we eat out, drink from the tap, stay in a hotel, drop a child off at preschool, jump in a public swimming pool, or find affordable clinical care, public health has been involved behind the scenes to ensure our safety. Many of us enjoy the product of public health’s work as we receive important health information and live our lives in safer and healthier environments.
Our public health workers are always there, looking out for us.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, public health professionals were the first to inform us about the virus and how to safely manage it. They braved unknown risks in the early days of testing. And they led the rollout of vaccines throughout our region. Despite diminished resources, relentless work hours, and even threats to their own personal safety, public health workers came together in unprecedented ways. The regular calls among public health professionals across Western North Carolina along with representation from NC Health and Human Services increased from monthly to almost daily to share information, testing and vaccination resources so that more people were protected, and our region’s pandemic supplies did not go to waste.
As I continue to talk with our region’s public health leaders, I can clearly see that the individuals who work in public health do not do it for glory, prestige or praise. And they certainly are not in it for the money. Simply put, public health workers do their work because they care deeply for the people in the communities around them.
Now more than ever, we need a strong public health system. We all want economic recovery, and that means ensuring businesses can operate safely and that we have a healthy workforce. We want our loved ones to remain part of our lives, and that requires access to accurate health information and access to care. And we need a trusted, vigilant resource to help us prepare for the next health threat. Public health workers play those roles in every community in Western North Carolina.
Our public health workers have always supported us. Now it’s time to support them. During Public Health Week, please thank a public health professional in your community, and remind others about the vital role they play and the value they bring to us all, even when we do not notice.
Susan Mims, MD, MPH, is the CEO of Dogwood Health Trust
