MAYOR RAS J. BARAKA  JOINS UNIVERSITY HOSPITAL IN CELEBRATING NATIONAL PUBLIC HEALTH WEEK

NEWARK, N.J. — This year for National Public Health Week, April 4-10, University Hospital took part in the LIVE Twitter chat, #NPHWChat hosted by the American Public Health Association. Newark Mayor Ras J Baraka supported it with a proclamation recognizing National Public Health Week.

University Hospital endeavors to partner with communities and improve health care for generations to come. Located in Newark, NJ – the state’s largest city, UH strives to provide high-quality, equitable, and safe healthcare to its patients, families, and surrounding communities. National Public Health Week is just one of the initiatives to improve communities, reduce inequities, and bridge healthcare gaps.

“University Hospital is working to extend care beyond our campus into houses of worship, residential buildings, and other neighborhood settings,” said Dr. Chris Pernell, Chief Strategic Integration and Health Equity Officer at University Hospital. “These are places that community members see as socially and culturally accessible which hold value in their lives – and this is an asset-based approach to community engagement.”

The Proclamation Reads:

WHEREAS:  NATIONAL PUBLIC HEALTH WEEK was created in 1995 by the American Public Health Association to educate the public, policy makers, and public health professionals about issues important to improving PUBLIC HEALTH; and

WHEREAS: U.S. life expectancy dropped from 2014 to 2017 in the longest sustained decline since the Great Recession and only began to rise again in 2018. It dropped again in 2020 by a full year, the largest such since 1943. Significant differences in health – obesity, economic inequalities, mental health, and drug and tobacco use are factors. Newark residents suffer these burdens along with “food deserts” that lead to poor nutrition as well as issues created by the COVID-19 pandemic; and

WHEREAS: PUBLIC HEALTH professionals are working to help communities prevent, prepare for, withstand, and recover from a full range of disease outbreaks, and educate residents on how they can live healthy lives. They establish and maintain today’s disease surveillance and control systems; and

WHEREAS: PUBLIC HEALTH is more than addressing and preventing health issues. In Newark, we regard violent crime and the tragedy it creates as a PUBLIC HEALTH issue. It was also central to our response to COVID-19, to both protect our residents and ensure the stability of Newark’s economy; and

WHEREAS: As Mayor of Newark, I recognize NATIONAL PUBLIC HEALTH WEEK and thank University Hospital for its efforts to educate Newark residents about the importance of PUBLIC HEALTH and health in their own lives, and urge residents to support the week’s theme: “Public Health is Where You Are.”

NOW, THEREFORE, I, RAS J. BARAKA, MAYOR OF THE CITY OF NEWARK, NEW JERSEY, do hereby recognize:

NATIONAL PUBLIC HEALTH WEEK

and I urge all residents, employees, and visitors in the City of Newark to join me in this special tribute to NATIONAL PUBLIC HEALTH WEEK

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About University Hospital

University Hospital is part of one of the nation’s leading academic medical centers and is the Level 1 Trauma Center for Northern New Jersey. Located at University Heights in Newark, University Hospital is a principal teaching hospital of Rutgers Biomedical and Health Sciences and a regional resource for advanced services across many medical specialties. For more information about University Hospital, please visit www.uhnj.org.