In recognizing National Public Health Week, officials in Carson City have designed an innovative approach to getting its message out, turning to the use of signs along a local walkway.
Dubbed "Trail to Good Health" several signs will spout up along a mile-long section of the Carson City Freeway multi-use path from Northridge Drive to College Parkway. The signage will be up through the week of April 1-7 and are designed to message users about public health and ways to improve on it, personally and community wide.
Here's a news release from the Carson City Health and Human Services agency:
Carson City Health and Human Services Celebrates National Public Health Week April 1-7, 2013
Carson City, Nev. – Carson City Health and Human Services spends 52 weeks each year promoting public health and working to fulfill our mission to protect and improve the quality of life for our community. However, the first week of April, National Public Health Week, is the time for public health to take center stage. During this week, CCHHS joins with other health departments and organizations around the state and across the country to spotlight the diverse programs and services the make up the broad field of public health.
This year, CCHHS has chosen to promote public health through the Trail to Good Health. A collaboration between CCHHS and the Parks and Recreation Department, the Trail to Good Health features a one-mile-long section of the Freeway Multi-use Path from Northridge Drive to College Parkway.
Along that stretch of trail, signs will be displayed during National Public Health Week, April 1-7, to highlight facts about public health, as well as important information about ways that citizens can improve their own health, as
well as the health of the community.The hope for this project is not only that community members will see the signs and think about all the different aspects of public health, but also that citizens will be encouraged to get out and walk the trail.
Walking has been shown to have important health benefits. Marena Works, director of Carson City Health and Human Services, hopes that people will come out and enjoy the trail during National Public Health Week.
Works quoted Mark Twain, who once said, ”Twenty years from now, you will be more disappointed by the things you didn’t do than by the things you did do.” She then issued an invitation to the community, “Come walk with us and discover the role of public health in your daily life.”
Since 1995, when the first full week of April was declared National Public Health Week (NPHW), communities across the United States have observed NPHW as a time to recognize the contributions of public health and highlight issues that are important to improving our nation.
This year's theme, "Public Health is Return on Investment: Save Lives, Save Money," focuses on the economic benefits of prevention and healthy lifestyles. The 2013 NPHW theme was developed by the American Public Health Association to highlight the value of prevention and the importance of well-supported public health systems in preventing disease, saving lives and curbing health care spending. This year, we hope you'll join us in championing the work of public health and its significant return on investment.
For more information about the “Trail to Good Health” National Public Health Week Project, please contact Cortney Bloomer, Health Educator, at (775) 887-2190. For information about National Public Health Week, visit www.nphw.org.