The past two years have shown us: Public health is critical. That’s why Frontier Nursing University (FNU) is excited to be a part of the 27th National Public Health Week, celebrated April 4-10.
We know public health is more than a single topic; it’s countless issues and practices that help every American to live as long and as well as they can. This year, we’re joining the American Public Health Association in their celebration: Public Health is Where You Are. The COVID-19 pandemic and ongoing public health crisis of racism in the U.S. have shown us it’s now more important than ever to come together and support well-being and health equity in our communities.
Over the past year, there are many things the FNU community has done to support health equity in our communities. Several alumni and students are already making an impact in their home communities and recognizing where the need is greatest. We’ve created content on the importance of advocacy. FNU provided educational sessions for nurse-midwives and nurse practitioners focusing on antiracism, quality improvement, health equity and substance use disorders. Additionally, our new Versailles, Ky. campus became a COVID-19 vaccination site for our local Kentucky community, Woodford County.
These initiatives and actions fit our mission, which is to provide accessible nurse-midwifery and nurse practitioner education to prepare competent, entrepreneurial, ethical, and compassionate leaders in primary care to serve all individuals with an emphasis on women and families in diverse, rural, and underserved populations.
How can you get involved?
Celebrate and reinforce gratitude for public health. Look for ways to strengthen our communities, locally and globally. Name and dismantle racism in your community. Hold accountable those responsible for climate change. Urge your elected leaders to prioritize families by advancing policies for paid sick leave and a living wage, and to protect public health workers by ensuring public health authority. Work to make sure health and wellness are not just available, but accessible to everyone in your community. There are countless ways to make your voice heard and become part of the movement for public health.
Follow FNU on social media as we’ll share some facts and information on each day’s theme:
- Monday: Racism: A Public Health Crisis
- Tuesday: Public Health Workforce: Essential to our Future
- Wednesday: Community: Collaboration and Resilience
- Thursday: World Health Day: Health is a Human Right
- Friday: Accessibility: Closing the Health Equity Gap
- Saturday: Climate Change: Taking Action for Equity
- Sunday: Mental Wellness: Redefining the Meaning of Health
You can also check out APHA’s toolkit for other ways you can keep the momentum going in your community. We encourage you to send the sample proclamation to your local and state representatives.
Let’s join together to work toward a brighter, healthier, equitable future.
Dr. Tia Brown McNair is the Vice President in the Office of Diversity, Equity, and Student Success and Executive Director for the Truth, Racial Healing, and Transformation (TRHT) Campus Centers at the American Association of Colleges and Universities (AAC&U) in Washington, DC. She oversees both funded projects and AAC&U’s continuing programs on equity, inclusive excellence, high-impact practices, and student success. McNair directs AAC&U’s Summer Institutes on High-Impact Practices and Student Success, and TRHT Campus Centers and serves as the project director for several AAC&U initiatives, including the development of a TRHT-focused campus climate toolkit. She is the lead author of From Equity Talk to Equity Walk: Expanding Practitioner Knowledge for Racial Justice in Higher Education (January 2020) and Becoming a Student-Ready College: A New Culture of Leadership for Student Success (July 2016 and August 2022 Second edition).