Orange County health dept. recognizes National Public Health Week

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In recognition of National Public Health Week, from Monday, April 3 to Sunday, April 9, the Florida Department of Health in Orange County (FDOH-Orange) 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 its mission to promote, protect and improve the health of Florida residents and visitors.

“The DOH Orange staff is proud to serve this community as we celebrate national public health week. It is an honor to serve our community with a large array of quality public health programs and services. We invite citizens and visitors to become more engaged in public health efforts and community health promotion in their communities,” said Dr. Kevin Sherin, director for the FDOH-Orange.

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 Florida 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.

Also in celebration of Public Health Week, FDOH-Orange will host its annual Public Health Heroes Award Ceremony. This ceremony will be the kickoff to DOH-Orange’s 80th birthday celebration and will recognize public health heroes within the organization and from the community. These are public health professionals who go above and beyond to improve the health of those around them.

#ThankAPublicHealthPro on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram can be used to recognize a public health professional in the area during National Public Health Week.

For more information about National Public Health Week, visit www.nphw.org. For more information about the different programs and services offered at DOH-Orange, visit orange.floridahealth.gov or call 407-858-1400.