Lt. Gov. Barbara O'Brien to Lead Walk for Health on April 3
March 28, 2007, Denver - From immunizations to annual
health exams to breathing clean air, health and environment
professionals throughout the state are working for a
healthier Colorado. In keeping with Gov. Bill Ritter's
desire to make Colorado the healthiest state in the nation,
Lt. Gov. Barbara O'Brien will lead a walk on April 3 to help
promote National Public Health Week, April 2-8. This year's
Colorado theme is Working Together for a Healthier You!
"This year I want to take the opportunity during public
health week to bring attention to the thousands of
Coloradans who are working to improve the health of our
citizens and the environment in which we live," said Lt.
Gov. O'Brien. "From walking more, to maintaining a healthy
diet and to physical activities outdoors, there are many
simple lifestyle changes that people can make to improve
their health."
A variety of activities are planned throughout the state to
mark the observance, including a midday walk from the Denver
Health headquarters to the west steps of the state Capitol
where a noon ceremony will feature remarks from the
Lieutenant Governor and Jim Martin, executive director of
the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment.
The walk again is being organized by Denver Health and will
involve employees from that agency, as well as other local
health departments and the Department of Public Health and
Environment. Members of the public also are invited to
participate in the walk.
Martin said, "Many of the leading causes of death and
disability are preventable. Tobacco use is the leading cause
of preventable death in Colorado. Further, obesity and lack
of physical activity and unhealthy eating are significant
risk factors for the chronic diseases that are the leading
causes of death. There is nothing I would like more - as
executive director of public health in Colorado and in
keeping with Gov. Ritter's Colorado Promise - than to see
the state's childhood immunization rate for preventable
diseases continue to increase and see our obesity rate
decrease."
The public health system places emphasis on educating those
who live and work in Colorado about the benefits of adopting
healthy lifestyles, including avoiding tobacco use,
screening for early detection of disease, eating healthy and
getting regular physical activity. Maintaining a high level
of public health requires a coordinated effort among the
many public health service providers.
The state health director explained that this work is done
in Colorado by 15 local public health departments (serving
24 counties), 39 county public health nursing services
(serving 40 counties), and 15 environmental health offices
working in cooperation with the Department of Public Health
and Environment.
Martin said, "The department is committed to continuous
improvement in the quality of our air, water and land, to
protect and enhance the quality of life for current and
future generations of Coloradans." Examples of the major
areas of responsibility handled by Colorado's public health
agencies include the following:
Preventing Diseases and Epidemics
- working to make certain all Colorado children,
regardless of family income, are immunized against
preventable diseases that can be life threatening
- tracking disease outbreaks to curtail any further
spread and to provide medicinal protection to exposed
persons, if necessary
- keeping track of reportable diseases, ranging from
whooping cough to measles and meningitis, in order to
better control infectious diseases
- registering all cancer cases diagnosed in the state
to watch for any correctable trends
- informing Coloradans about how to protect themselves
and their families from animal- and insect-borne
diseases such as rabies, plague and West Nile virus
- conducting newborn screening to provide for the
detection of genetic conditions that can lead to
permanent mental and physical disabilities, if not
identified and treated early
Growing Healthy Babies and Families
- providing basic foods to low-income mothers and
their children through the Women, Infants and
Children (WIC) program while also subsidizing food
provided to low-income children and seniors at
day-care centers and at facilities that care for the
elderly
- helping expectant mothers take better care of
themselves and to live healthier lifestyles so they
will deliver healthy babies
Safe Food
- inspecting restaurants and other food
outlets throughout the state to make certain the
food they are selling is safe and the premises
are clean and properly maintained
- making certain milk produced and sold in
Colorado is safe
- making certain unsafe foods are taken off
Colorado grocery shelves and out of home
pantries and freezers during a national recall
Clean Water
- establishing and maintaining drinking
water standards
- working to make certain the water in
Colorado's streams, rivers and lakes is
protected from pollution
- cleaning up hazardous waste spills and
sites to prevent groundwater contamination
and other environmental damage
Clean Air
- controlling industrial pollution,
smoke from fires, and automobile
emissions to keep Colorado's air clean
and to protect the health of its
citizens by reducing particulate and
carbon monoxide levels
- launching a new effort to reduce
ozone levels that have begun to build
along Colorado's Front Range
- working with Colorado residents to
make better nutrition and increased
physical activity a regular part of
their daily activities to help protect
them from a variety of illnesses
- promoting and assisting with smoking
cessation and prevention of smoking
initiation
Injury Prevention
- encouraging Colorado residents
of all ages to make it a habit to
protect themselves from
unintentional injuries through a
variety of measures: using and
properly installing car seats and
child booster seats; wearing helmets
when bicycling, skiing and
snowboarding; helping children to be
more observant pedestrians; and
helping senior citizens and their
families learn how to make homes
safer in an effort to prevent falls
Linking People to Health Services:
- providing Coloradans with
information on how to select the
best nursing home or
assisted-living facility for
themselves or for a family
member
- assisting low-income
families of children with
special needs to find needed
medical care for those children
- providing mammograms and
other cancer tests for
low-income Colorado men and
women
Nutrition Education and Counseling
- working with the state's
restaurants and other
food-service establishments
to encourage the offering of
healthier, more nutritious
food and to make it easier
for patrons to take a
portion of servings home
- working with the state's
schools to increase physical
activity among students and
teachers More information
can be obtained by logging
onto the Department of
Public Health and
Environment's Web site at
http://www.cdphe.state.co.us.
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