Public Health: Promoting Wellness in Your Community

By Diane Lee, Public Information Officer, Garrett County Health Department

The Garrett County Health Department joins others across the nation in celebrating Public Health Week during April 3-9, 2023.

Public health promotes and protects the health of people and the communities where they live, learn, work and play. While a doctor treats people who are sick, those working in public health try to prevent people from getting sick or injured in the first place and promote wellness by encouraging healthy behaviors.

From conducting scientific research to educating about health, people in the public health field work to assure overall conditions exist which allow people to be healthy. That can mean vaccinating children and adults to prevent the spread of disease or educating people about the risks of alcohol and tobacco. Public health sets safety standards to protect workers and develops school nutrition programs to ensure kids have access to healthy food.

Public health works to track disease outbreaks, prevent injuries and shed light on why some of us are more likely to suffer from poorer health than others. The many facets of public health include speaking out for laws that promote smoke-free indoor air and seatbelts, spreading the word about ways to stay healthy and giving science-based solutions to problems.

“Public health is more than just health departments,” said Garrett County Health Officer Bob Stephens. “Any individual or organization who takes action to prevent disease and promote wellness are partners in public health. This includes sanitation workers who keep our community clean and disease free, veterinarians who prevent diseases spread by animals, restaurant workers who prepare and serve safe food, and many more. We thank everyone who works to promote a healthy future.”

Public health saves money, improves our quality of life, helps children thrive, and reduces human suffering.

Some examples of the many fields of public health include: