National Public Health Week Celebrated April 2-8, 2018

National Public Health Week will be celebrated in Garrett County, and across the nation during the week of April 2-8. This observance provides the opportunity to recognize the contributions of public health and to highlight issues important to improving our nation’s health.

The public is invited to show their support for public health by joining the Garrett County Health Department and the Garrett County Commissioners in the commissioners meeting room at 4 p.m. on Monday, April 2^nd, for the signing of the National Public Health Week Proclamation. This year’s observance will focus on our collective power to change our future together by celebrating the power of prevention, advocating for healthy and fair policies, sharing strategies for successful partnerships, and championing the role of a strong public health system.

“Public health promotes and protects the health of people and the communities where they live, learn, work and play,” said Garrett County Health Officer Bob Stephens. “We try to prevent people from getting sick or injured in the first place, and we promote wellness by encouraging healthy behaviors.”

The Garrett County Health Department is offering a Step Challenge during Public Health Week as a way of empowering participants to take charge of their own health and increase their fitness.

“One week of increasing exercise is not going to make a big difference in your health,” said Amy Ritchie, Registered Dietitian at the Health Department, “but it is definitely a step in the right direction. If you can do it for one week, you can keep walking until it really does make an improvement in your health.”

The challenge is for total steps throughout the day. When steps are logged at MyGarrettCounty.com/steps throughout the week, participants earn online trophies for different levels of steps per day. Earning at least seven trophies qualifies participants for a free day pass to swim at CARC if they print out their log from the website and turn it in at the Garrett College CARC booth at the Garrett County Health Fair on Saturday, April 14.  Visit MyGarrettCounty.com/steps for more complete information and to register.

For more information about Public Health Week, or the Step Challenge, call 301-334-7730 or 301-895-3111.

By Diane Lee, GCHD Public Information Officer