The Columbia-Boone County Department of Public Health and Human services celebrates Public Health Week April 7-13. The department is promoting this year's theme as "Public Health: Start Here, Better Health. Better Missouri."
The department will hold a series of events to honor of the nationwide event. Spokesperson Andrea Waner said it is important that everyone plays a small role in the community regarding public health.
"National Public Health Week is all about showing how individuals in communities can take small steps to improve their overall health," Waner said.
Missouri's Department of Health and Senior Services Communications Director, Ryan Hobart, says public health week is all about educating people about what public health does for the people all around the country.
"We are doing a lot of social media to promote National Public Health Week, to let people know about what kinds of services there are that we offer and also promoting some of the initiatives we're involved with," Hobart said.
Although Public Health Week ends Sunday, the department will continue to hold numerous events throughout April focusing on different types of health awareness and educating people. This includes health screenings and the "Plant a Row for the Hungry" event near the end of the month. National Public Health week will continue to occur the first week of April each year.
