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This week is National Public Health Week, and Buncombe County Government has a dedicated team of public health workers who make the wellbeing of the community their mission.
How Does Buncombe County’s Health and Human Services Division of Public Health promote public health year-round?
Here are only some of the many ways that our health department promotes public health:
- Making Public Health a Priority: health improvement initiatives to lengthen the lifespan; reducing and preventing communicable infections and disease through vaccinations, prevention education, and early screening and interventions; enforcing environmental health laws and policies to promote community safety in pools and food establishments; focusing on health at every level by taking a lifespan approach – from high-risk pregnancy supports, infant nutrition and breastfeeding services, and nurse-family partnerships through the first years of life to aging in-place and community-based health service initiatives.
- The Quality and Planning team, though small, is incredibly impactful. They are essential in ensuring that our Public Health Department delivers services of the highest caliber. The Quality Assurance (QA) team operates behind the scenes, diligently ensuring compliance and driving continuous process improvement. Their unwavering dedication and commitment to excellence are vital to the overall success of our Public Health initiatives. Together, we are making a substantial difference in our community’s health and well-being.
- Championing Climate Resilience: analyzing the impact of climate change on physical and mental health; emergency preparedness and crisis response for natural disasters such as Hurricane Helene; researching climate action to address the disproportionate impacts of climate change on low-income neighborhoods and communities of color; enforcing environmental health laws for safe, clean drinking water.
- Advancing Health Equity: increasing access to resources and opportunities for health for all people, regardless of socioeconomic, racial, geographic, or disability-related disparities; bringing health services out to the community through mobile clinics, health fairs, and outreach events; offering free and low-cost health services for employees and the public – including free and low-cost prevention and disease screenings; utilizing health literacy techniques and language access services to reach and educate diverse populations.
- Strengthening the Public Health Workforce: building a strong, resilient workforce through training and quality assurance; making investments in education and training for a diverse workforce that is better equipped to address health inequities – including foundational public health training; managing health department accreditation processes to ensure ongoing operations; utilizing an academic health department model to invest in education and training partnerships which strengthen the local public health workforce.
- Amplifying Voices for Public Health Advocacy: cross-sector community health coalitions drive change through advocacy for trauma-informed and equity-centered policies and practices; monitoring and analyzing community health data to recommend strategic community-level interventions; cross-sector partnerships to address and prevent community violence; increasing equitable access to resources through addressing social and environmental determinants of health.
What Is National Public Health Week?
For the last three decades, the American Public Health Association has organized communities during the first week in April to observe National Public Health Week (NPHW). This year NPHW runs from April 7 – 13 and gives us all an opportunity to recognize the contributions of public health and highlight issues that are important to improving our community’s health.
Each year there is an overarching theme for NPHW, and 2025’s theme is: It Starts Here – which touches on the ways that public health starts with each of us making a difference in the places we live, work and play. Each day of NPHW has a specific topic to organize around, this year they are: making public health a priority, championing climate resilience, advancing health equity, strengthening the public health workforce and amplifying voices for public health advocacy.
How Can We Support Public Health Every Day?
Send some love to your public health peers when you see them.
"When I browse the list of public health services you are responsible for administering, I am in absolute awe of the numerous ways we are directly affecting people’s everyday life," County Manager Avril Pinder said. "From helping to keep people safe at restaurants to giving our children vital immunizations and from providing free STI testing to nutrition programs, it’s a marvel the multiple ways your work is helping people have the information and resources they need for healthy lifestyles."
To celebrate, also find ways to stay informed and engaged with our community – see infographic.
The late Paul Farmer, a beloved public health pioneer and champion for community health work, once said, “With rare exceptions, all of your most important achievements on this planet will come from working with others—or, in a word, partnership.” We cannot effectively tackle public health challenges alone; it takes our whole community.