Centering and Celebrating Cultures in Health
April 3-9, 2023 has been designated National Public Health Week and it’s coming up fast! This week is a great time to celebrate our communities and cultural connections in ways that support our health and improve the quality of our lives. It’s important for students to understand they can help keep their communities healthy, safe and strong by prioritizing and protecting their own health and the health of others.
Teachers can highlight National Public Health Week by creating a theme for the week focused on one of the topics listed below. Another hands-on activity could be to have your class brainstorm as many healthy activities as they can think of. Give each student a copy of that list and ask them to track their own healthy behaviors for the entire week. Follow up with lots of positive reinforcement and you just might help turn that healthy behavior into a healthy habit. For more information and ideas check out WWW.NPHW.org.
Community Whether virtual, physical or a combination of both, connection to community is vital to living your healthiest life. We must work together to ensure all communities have access and connections to affordable housing, education, food and transportation.
Violence Prevention Violence is an ongoing public health threat. It creates challenging obstacles to living a healthy life. When we better understand the cause of violence in our communities, we have a better chance of creating effective prevention strategies.
Mental Health Each year, one in five Americans will experience mental illness. Mental health is public health. Prevention, early detection and treatment of mental health disorders can lead to improved physical and community health.
Rural Health Rural communities are some of the most vulnerable populations to public health threats. We can work toward a more robust, inclusive public health system that reaches everyone.
Accessibility We can close the health equity gap by reducing disparities in health insurance, increasing accessibility to care, improving availability of appropriate care and building more inclusive public health programs and communities.
Food and Nutrition Access to fresh, quality and nutritious food is one foundation to living a healthy life. We can work together to ensure all communities have access to healthy foods and advocate for those who don’t.
Remember April 22nd is Earth Day!
Your friends at Coordinated School Health would like to remind you to celebrate Earth Day 2023.
Whether you are:
- Taking the time to work on a recycling project to reduce waste.
- Promising to quit smoking/vaping to improve your health.
- Walking to school instead of driving to get exercise and save gas...and exhaust.
- Unplugging yourself from electronics for your own mental health.
- Committing to some other challenge for the good of your community.
There are many little (and not so little) ways we can contribute to our own health while at the same time making the earth a better place for all of us. Happy Earth Day!
The OPI is committed to providing reasonable accommodations to people with disabilities. If you need a reasonable accommodation, require an alternate format, or have questions concerning accessibility, contact the OPI ADA Coordinator, 406-444-3161, opiada@mt.gov, Relay Service: 711.
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