Making changes to become a healthier society is the theme of National Public Health Week, happening April 3-9. Locally, the University of Louisville School of Public Health and Information Sciences (SPHIS) Student Government Association, along with the UofL Chapter of the Kentucky Public Health Association have organized events around improving the community’s health – from hosting a food drive to cleaning up neighborhoods.
“Public health is about creating conditions under which people can be healthy,” said Crag Blakely, Ph.D., M.P.H., dean of the UofL School of Public Health and Information Sciences. “This involves many factors like housing, education, community design, transportation and our environment.”
The goal of this year’s National Public Health Week (NPHW), an initiative of the American Public Health Association is to build momentum around Generation Public Health – a vision to create the healthiest nation in one generation as individuals, groups and communities work together so that everyone has the opportunity to be healthy.
Local events are listed below:
April 3-8, Annual food drive of non-perishable food items to be donated to the Salvation Army. Collection sites on UofL’s Belknap campus and Health Sciences Center campus.
April 3-9, Tweet-A-Thon: Messages will be tweeted throughout the week from the SPHIS account @ulsphis using the hashtag #NPHW.
April 4, Gratitude lunch: The SPHIS SGA is offering a free lunch from 11a.m.-2p.m. to any public health student or employee who writes a “thank you” note to a public health professional. SGA will deliver the notes along with a sticker or button.
April 5, ‘This is public health’ tent: Public health students and the school’s Office of Student Services will serve as host at a tent on UofL’s Belknap campus from 10a.m.-12:30p.m. They will distribute fruit and public health information to students, faculty, and staff.
April 6, NPHW trivia night: Teams of five will compete to answer a mix of questions about public health and topics related to current events, entertainment, science, etc. Prizes and food will be part of the evening’s events from 6:30-8:30p.m. Participants are asked to donate a non-perishable food item at the door in support of the school’s NPHW Salvation Army Food Drive.
April 8, Neighborhood clean-up: With supplies donated from Project Brightside, the SGA is hosting a community clean-up from 9a.m.-noon in areas surrounding the school in advance of the Gray Street Farmers Market opening day, May 18.
April 9, Out of the Darkness campus walk: SPHIS has organized a team for the Out of the Darkness campus walk for suicide awareness from 3-5p.m. Everyone is welcome to join.
For more complete event information, visit the SPHIS website.