[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 154 (2008), Part 4]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 5824]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




         RECOGNIZING APRIL 7-13 AS NATIONAL PUBLIC HEALTH WEEK

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                          HON. DANNY K. DAVIS

                              of illinois

                    in the house of representatives

                        Thursday, April 10, 2008

  Mr. DAVIS of Illinois. Madam Speaker, I wish to recognize the week of 
April 7-13 as National Public Health Week. In 1995, former President 
William Jefferson Clinton proclaimed the first full week of April as 
National Public Health Week. Since then, the American Public Health 
Association has organized National Public Health Week and developed 
campaigns to educate the public, policy-makers and public health 
professionals about issues important to improving the public's health.
  Public health efforts strive to prevent disease and promote good 
health in a variety of ways, including vaccination programs, regulation 
of prescription drugs, worker health and safety standards, access to 
clean water and air, and other educational campaigns. Public health 
includes professionals from many fields with the common purpose of 
protecting the health of a population.
  My colleagues and I have no doubt seen the positive effects that 
public health awareness can bring to a community. A healthy public gets 
sick less frequently and spends less money on health care; this means 
better economic productivity and an improved quality of life for 
everyone. Healthy children are more likely to attend school and, as a 
result, improve their overall performance in education. Healthy parents 
can inform their children about positive wellness choices that will 
hopefully stay with them well into adulthood. Public health prevention 
not only educates people about the effects of lifestyle choices on 
their health, it also reduces the impact of disasters by preparing 
people for the effects of catastrophes such as hurricanes, tornadoes, 
and terrorist attacks.
  The American Public Health Association has selected climate change as 
the theme of National Public Health Week 2008. Though the scientific 
realities and environmental impacts of climate change have been highly 
publicized in recent years, little has been said about the effects of 
climate change on public health. Extreme weather events such as hotter 
summers, colder winters, higher rainfall, and increased rates of 
natural disasters all aid in posing a greater risk to public health. 
Disease and injury, in addition to the negative effects of pollution 
and other modern environmental challenges, are all hazards to public 
health which must be explored and addressed as this issue continues to 
influence communities.
  I commend the organizations and individuals in Chicago as well as 
nationwide for their work on the critical issue of public health. 
National Public Health Week is the ideal time to highlight the 
immediate and ongoing need for the promotion of and investment in 
public health activities that will safeguard our Nation's current and 
future well-being.

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