The New Mexico Department of Health (NMHealth) is celebrating National Public Health Week April 1-7. During this week the department is also taking time to recognize the public health contributions of its staff across the state.
Source: New Mexico Department of Health
The theme of this year’s Public Health Week is Protecting, Connecting and Thriving. Public health is more than just health care. It’s the steps we take to make sure our neighborhoods and environment are free from pollution. It’s making sure our food and water are safe to eat and drink. It’s also the relationships we foster in our communities. When we all come together to support public health, all of us — individuals, families, communities and the public health field — can achieve the goals of public health.
“The department is determined to reach our ‘North Star’ goal of making New Mexico the healthiest state in the nation by 2040,” said Public Health Division Director, Dr. José Acosta. “Working collaboratively with partners across the state, we aim to address public health issues facing New Mexico including, chronic diseases, gun violence, drug addiction and overdoses, and maternal and child health.”
NMHealth provides many resources to support New Mexicans with their health care challenges. The department offers services, tools and information to help people make informed choices to lead healthier lives and build stronger communities.
Here are some of the ways New Mexico’s public health offices across the state can help keep residents healthy:
- Women, Infants and Children (WIC) is the special supplemental nutrition assistance program that identifies health and nutritional risks for mothers and their children. Enrolled parents and guardians get nutrition education and receive monthly food benefits for high nutrient foods.
- Children’s Medical Services (CMS) coordinates medical care for eligible children and youth with Special Health Care Needs (CYSHCN) ages 0-21. It also manages the Newborn Genetic Screening Program and the Newborn Hearing Screening Program.
- The Preventive Medicine Clinics at local public health offices provide testing/treatment for tuberculosis and sexually transmitted infections, and breast and cervical cancer screening in addition to family planning services and immunizations;
- Disease Prevention concentrates on the prevention and control of infectious diseases with outreach, surveillance, outbreak response, testing/treatment, contact follow-up, and referrals for sexually transmitted infections, tuberculosis, HIV/AIDS and more. The team provides harm reduction counseling, facilitates needle exchange/disposal to reduce disease transmission, and Narcan training/dispensing for opiate overdose prevention.
- NMHealth’s Health Promotion Teams work statewide with community groups, coalitions and councils to support initiatives related to healthy lifestyles and environments, health policies and local projects.
To learn more about how NMHealth can help you stay healthy visit: nmhealth.org.
To learn more about National Public Health Week visit nmph.org.
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