COVID-19 may have taken centre stage for the past two years, but the North Bay Parry Sound District Health Unit says there is much more to public health than the pandemic.
They’re marking the inaugural Canadian Public Health Week, which runs through April 8, by highlighting the work that they do.
The Health Unit promotes and protects the health of over 125,000 residents within the district consisting of 31 municipalities, four unorganized areas, and nine First Nations communities.
Other areas of expertise include environmental health, nutrition, healthy schools, vision screening, sexual health, emergency preparedness, harm reduction and much more.
“Although much of the regular public health work was still completed despite the pandemic, the pandemic amplified many inequities faced by people within our district,” states a release. “In response, public health promoted campaigns to address priority areas such as housing and homelessness and food insecurity.”
The Health Unit says public health works upstream to create policies and opportunities to prevent people from getting sick or injured.
Not only do they look at an individual’s personal health but also at underlying social conditions that affect a person’s or a population’s health.
“Although the work of public health may not always be seen directly, it is seen through the health of our community,” says Dr. Jim Chirico, Medical Officer of Health at the Health Unit. “Public health works behind the scenes to help prevent the spread of illness. Public health staff are passionate about the work they do and strive to realize our vision of a healthy life for everyone in our district.”
For more information on what the Health Unit does, visit myhealthunit.ca.