A day in your life with public health

0

At 5:30 a.m. you’re awakened by your alarm and you head for the shower to begin your day.

Thanks to public health, the water is clean and safe. After waking your kids up, you go to the kitchen and breakfast consists of milk, whole grain cereals and fresh fruit thanks to WIC, a specialized program for women, infants and children. We provide this program.

After breakfast, you head to the car and put the baby in her car seat and buckle everyone else in. We provide education about seat belt and car seat safety.

You drop the kids off to daycare, which requires mandated vaccines protecting your children from 16 deadly diseases. We provide the immunizations.

You get to work and notice the new “No Smoking or Vaping” sign. Public health provides education about the harmful risks of using tobacco and of second-hand smoke, and offers resources to quit.

For lunch, you and some co-workers decide to checkout a new local restaurant. Your local health department inspects and licenses food establishments.

Upon arriving home, you notice that your neighbor’s dog has been bitten by a raccoon. The dog is trapped so we can test it for rabies.

After dinner, your family heads outside. Your kids put on their helmets before riding their bicycles. Public health in collaboration with Ohio’s “Put a Lid on it” campaign has helped provide helmets to over 9,000 children; 75 percent of bike-related fatalities would be prevented with a helmet. Helmet use can reduce the risk of head injury by 85 percent and severe brain injury by 88 percent.

That evening you turn on the news, you hear about severe flooding in neighboring areas. Public health provides communication during weather or public health outbreak events.

Modified from A Day in the Life of Public Health by the Colorado Department of Health

https://www.wnewsj.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/22/2019/06/web1_CC-Health-District-1.jpg

By Clinton County Health Dept.

No posts to display