DOH-Duval Celebrates Public Health Week - The Florida Way 

Contact:
Heidi Moore
CHD16MediaRequests@flhealth.gov

904-253-1010

Jacksonville, Fla. – This week is National Public Health Week and the Florida Department of Health in Duval (DOH-Duval) is giving Floridians an inside look at some of the careers behind public health and the dedicated professionals who do them. Each day, the department will highlight a different area of public health including epidemiology, emergency preparedness and response, environmental health and public health nursing. These fields and many more help the department carry out our mission to promote, protect and improve the health of Florida residents and visitors.

“I am very proud of the diverse, talented team of professionals here at DOH-Duval that work in the priority areas in Duval County such as Healthy Families and Healthy Babies, Healthiest Weight, Behavioral Health, Access to Care, and Health Equity”, said Kelli Wells, MD, Director of DOH-Duval.   “Public Health Week is an opportunity for professionals and organizations throughout Duval County to have a focused discussion about issues in these areas and develop solutions that empower community members to enjoy improved health outcomes”.

In keeping with the National Public Health Week’s mission of promoting healthier living and achieving the goal of “healthiest nation by 2030”, DOH-Duval will host the first annual “Creating a Healthier Jacksonville” Public Health Conference on April 6, 2017. The conference will feature local and national best practices on a variety of issues impacting our community: mental health, violence, sexual health, partnerships, and getting to results. 

Last year, the department was the first state in the nation to receive national accreditation as an integrated department of health through the Public Health Accreditation Board (PHAB). Accreditation by PHAB signifies that the department, including the state health office and all 67 county health departments, is meeting national standards for ensuring essential public health services are provided in the community.

For the next two years, the department will focus on several key areas to improve health in our state including increasing childhood vaccination rates, achieving health equity in all communities, developing a high quality trauma service, reducing HIV infection rates, reducing infant mortality rates, decreasing inhaled nicotine use and decreasing licensure processing time for health care professionals.

The many public health employees at DOH-Duval work diligently to provide excellent care in the areas of chronic disease prevention and community health promotion. The DOH-Duval programs cover the areas of women’s’ health, pediatric health, behavioral health, vaccinations, disease control and surveillance and HIV/STD prevention.

Use #ThankAPublicHealthPro on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram to recognize a public health professional in your area during National Public Health Week.

For more information about National Public Health Week, please visit www.nphw.org. For more information about the different programs and services offered at DOH-Duval please visit DUVAL.FLORIDAHEALTH.GOV or call 904-253-1000.

About the Florida Department of Health 

The department, nationally accredited by the Public Health Accreditation Board, works to protect, promote and improve the health of all people in Florida through integrated state, county and community efforts.

Follow us on Twitter at @HealthyFla and on Facebook. For more information about the Florida Department of Health, please visit www.FloridaHealth.gov.