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What is public health?
Who is public health?

Public health is the science of protecting and improving the health of people and their communities. This work is achieved by promoting healthy lifestyles, researching disease and injury prevention, and detecting, preventing and responding to infectious diseases.

What is Public Health? - CDC Foundation

Public health prevents disease and injury. In the medical field, clinicians treat disease and injuries one patient at a time. Public health works with communities and population to identify the causes of disease and disability and implement largescale solutions.

What is Public Health? - APHA


The 10 Essential Public Health Services

The 10 Essential Public Health Services describe the public health activities that all communities should undertake:

Some examples of the many professionals in public health:

  • Health educators
  • Scientists and researchers
  • Restaurant inspectors
  • Nutritionists
  • Community planners
  • Social workers
  • Epidemiologists
  • Public health physicians
  • Public health nurses
  • Occupational health professionals
  • Public policymakers
  • Sanitarians

Awareness Days/Weeks

 

National Public Health Week

National Public Health Week - APHA

First full week of April each year.

Safe + Sound Week

Safe + Sound Week - OSHA

A nationwide event to raise awareness and understanding of the value of safety and health programs that include management leadership, worker participation, and a systematic approach to finding and fixing hazards in workplaces.

International Overdose Awareness Day

International Overdose Awareness Day

International Overdose Awareness Day is a global event and aims to raise awareness of overdose and reduce the stigma of a drug-related death. August 31st each year

National Preparedness Month

National Preparedness Month

National Preparedness Month (NPM), provides an opportunity to remind us that we all must prepare ourselves and our families now and throughout the year. Each September

National Food Safety Month

National Food Safety Month

National Food Safety Month was created in 1994 to heighten the awareness of food safety education. Each September

Get Ready Day

Get Ready Day - APHA

Helps Americans prepare themselves, their families and their communities for all disasters and hazards, including pandemic flu, infectious disease, natural disasters and other emergencies.

Held the third Tuesday of each September

Prescription Drug Take Back Day

 

Prescription Drug Take Back Day - DEA
The National Prescription Drug Take Back Day aims to provide a safe, convenient, and responsible means of disposing of prescription drugs, while also educating the general public about the potential for abuse of medications.

Great American Smokeout

Great American Smokeout - ACS 

Encourage smokers to use the date to make a plan to quit, or to plan in advance and quit smoking that day. Third Thursday of November each year

World AIDS Day

World AIDS Day

An opportunity for people worldwide to unite in the fight against HIV, show their support for people living with HIV and to commemorate people who have died. December 1st each year.


Events

American Public Health Association (APHA) Annual Meeting

APHA Annual Meeting

Early November each year, location moving to major cities around the US. 


Organizations

American Public Health Association (APHA)

https://www.apha.org/

Student and other discounted memberships available. Green discount available.

Publishes American Journal of Public Health 12 issues per year, The Nation’s Health newspaper 10 x per year.


Local Websites

South Dakota Department of Health (SD DOH)

South Dakota Department of Health 

City of Sioux Falls Health Department

Sioux Falls Health Department 


Training and Educational Websites

 

TRAIN Learning Network

TRAIN is a national learning network that provides quality training opportunities for professionals who protect and improve the public’s health.



CDC TRAIN Learning Network 

 


Data Websites

United States Census Bureau

 

The Census Bureau's mission is to serve as the leading source of quality data about the nation's people and economy.

US Census Bureau 

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Wonder

WONDER online databases utilize a rich ad-hoc query system for the analysis of public health data. Reports and other query systems are also available.

CDC WONDER 

National Cancer Institute (NCI) Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results Program (SEER)

The Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) Program provides information on cancer statistics in an effort to reduce the cancer burden among the U.S. population.

NCI SEER Program


Above are links to agencies, organizations and other websites that provide information and resources. The South Dakota Public Health Association exercises no control over the content of these sites and provides the links for informational purposes only.

Promoting Health. Preventing Disease. Protecting South Dakotans.

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