[United States Statutes at Large, Volume 130, 114th Congress, 2nd Session]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]

 
Proclamation 9416 of April 1, 2016

National Public Health Week, 2016

By the President of the United States of America

A Proclamation

During National Public Health Week, we join together to enhance public
health--the foundation of our security and well-being--here at home and
around the world. By supporting health professionals and embracing our
obligations to promote public health and protect our planet, we can
uphold our shared responsibility to preserve the promise of a happy and
healthy life for our children and grandchildren.

Ensuring all Americans have access to quality, affordable health
insurance is imperative for maintaining our public health, and I am
proud that 6 years after I signed it, the Affordable Care Act has
extended the peace of mind that comes with health coverage to 20 million
Americans. First Lady Michelle Obama's Let's Move! initiative is
encouraging more physical activity and nutritious food choices for our
Nation's youth, engaging parents and kids in the work of building
stronger, healthier communities. To spare more American families
heartbreak, I have proposed over 1 billion dollars in new funding to
address prescription opioid abuse and heroin use, a public health issue
that has taken a devastating toll on too many. We are also striving to
promote mental health as an essential component of overall health,
helping ensure access to mental health care and services and working to
prevent suicide. And because public safety is a critical component of
addressing public health, I announced new, commonsense steps this year
to help address our country's epidemic of gun violence and keep our
neighborhoods safe.
Just as we must sustain a healthy world today, we must do everything in
our power to preserve it for those who will inherit it. Climate change
has a profound impact on our public health, contributing to intensified
smog, an extended allergy season, the spread of diseases into new
regions, and greater and more acute incidence of asthma. Last year, the
White House hosted a Summit on Climate Change and Health to expand
awareness of the real threat a changing climate poses to our health and
to focus on vulnerable groups who may face more serious challenges
adapting to climate change. No community is immune to this reality, nor
can any nation cordon itself off from climate or the air we share. That
is why last year, along with nearly 200 countries from around the world,
the United States negotiated the Paris Agreement--the most ambitious
climate change agreement in history that commits all participating
parties to putting forward climate targets of growing stringency to
reduce global greenhouse gas emissions. Adopting this agreement for an
international framework builds on domestic actions we have already taken
to invest in clean energy, reduce our carbon emissions, and transition
to a cleaner, healthier, and more sustainable future.
Like the threat of climate change, other public health challenges--like
infectious diseases--cannot be addressed by any one nation alone. In an
increasingly interconnected world, we face new trials that demand
international attention. My Administration is working with our
international partners to combat antibiotic-resistant bacteria. We also

[[Page 3144]]

launched the Global Health Security Agenda, which aims to strengthen all
countries' public health systems and stop the spread of disease
outbreaks by ensuring nations from around the world have the capacity to
prevent, detect, and respond to biological threats to our health and
safety. Already, this cooperation is helping us confront the spread of
the Zika virus.
America is built on the notion that we are our brothers' and our
sisters' keepers, and that we all have certain obligations to one
another. Never is that idea truer than when ensuring the health of the
world our children will live in long after we are gone. This week, let
us treat every child as if they are our own by accepting our
responsibilities to leave them with a healthier, cleaner planet than we
have, and let us continue reaching for a brighter, more secure future
for all the world's people.
NOW, THEREFORE, I, BARACK OBAMA, President of the United States of
America, by virtue of the authority vested in me by the Constitution and
the laws of the United States, do hereby proclaim April 4 through April
10, 2016, as National Public Health Week. I call on all citizens,
government agencies, private businesses, non-profit organizations, and
other groups to join in activities and take action to improve the health
of our Nation.
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this first day of April,
in the year of our Lord two thousand sixteen, and of the Independence of
the United States of America the two hundred and fortieth.
BARACK OBAMA