Governor Murphy Issues a Proclamation Recognizing National Public Health Week 2019

The week of April 1-7, 2019 is National Public Health Week and the theme is “Becoming the Healthiest Nation: For Science, For Action, For Health”; Daily themes: Healthy Communities, Violence Prevention, Rural Health, Tech and Public Health, Climate Change, Global Health and Promoting Public Health Year-Round.

Since our nation’s earliest days, government has worked on behalf of citizens to protect the health of the public. Achievements in public health have greatly reduced the spread of infectious diseases and helped us identify and modify unhealthy behaviors. But guarding communities against public health risks remains a serious challenge. In this post-9/11 world, the threats of man-made disaster and bioterrorism are pushing the public health system to adapt and redefine itself. The appearance of deadly diseases such as Ebola, the reemergence of vaccine preventable diseases such as measles, and the opioid epidemic issue a new wake-up call as well.

So, what is public health? It is the air we breathe, the water we drink, the prevention of disease and the provision of healthcare programs. In New Jersey, the primary responsibility for public health lies within each of the municipalities. The legal mechanism to accomplish this task is through the powers and authority of the local Board of Health.

Each community has unique public health needs and requirements comprising individuals, community groups, public agencies, and private entities that are directly engaged in activities affecting the health of their residents.  Regardless of its governance and structure, regardless of where specific authorities are vested, or where specific services are delivered, everyone – no matter where they live – should reasonably expect the local health department to meet certain standards. In New Jersey, the State Department of Health has enacted “Public Health Practice Standards” to address these concerns and the diversity of community needs.

Historically, public health professionals have worked largely behind-the-scenes to improve the health and safety of American communities. Today, public health and its leaders are in the spotlight. Strengthening public health systems and organizations is an enterprise of unprecedented interest. We in public health must capitalize on this interest by seeking new opportunities to assess and improve the ways we deliver public health services in our state and our communities.

For many years until 2010, the state budget included significant funding for local health departments. The Legislature recognized that there should be funds provided to support certain locally identified public health needs.  Due to continuing budgetary constraints, this vital support, formerly called “Public Health Priority Funding,” was no longer provided, even though called for in New Jersey law (N.J.S.A.26:2F-1 et seq.)

The loss of support to local health departments resulted in annual budget cuts causing loss of preventative programs, loss of local staffing and a strain on local enforcement. Local budgets had to be supplemented out of local tax dollars.

Today, the public health community is asking the Governor and the Legislature to reinstate this vital, dedicated state funding so that we may efficiently address the continuing emergence of threats to public health while assuring the appropriate levels of community protection which New Jersey citizens deserve!

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