During National Public Health Week, the Kane County Health Department joins with communities around the country to recognize public health’s contributions and highlight issues that are important to improving our nation’s health.  This year’s theme is “Healthiest Nation 2030.” Each day during NPHW, from April 6 through April 10, has its own theme, and on Wednesday, April 8, the theme is Building Momentum.

The Health Department is working toward the goal of improving our residents’ health by working with the Kane County Division of Transportation and the Kane County Development and Community Services Department, together called the Kane County Planning Cooperative.

The members of the cooperative have joined forces on a number of projects with the recognition that transportation and land use planning all have an effect on our residents’ health. With this in mind, a health component was included in the Kane County 2030 Land Use Plan. With thoughtful land-use planning, we design neighborhoods that promote physical activity and provide access to fresh fruits and vegetables, the keys to reducing obesity and preventing chronic disease.

Across the nation, influential leaders, companies and organizations are taking important steps in line with creating the healthiest nation: just look at recent actions by CVS, America’s major food and beverage companies, the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and the American Planning Association. On the third day of NPHW 2015, the public health community will outline major recent changes and what they mean for our health. While the outcomes of these changes will play out over many years ahead, these are significant shifts that demonstrate these are significant shifts that demonstrate momentum is building around a higher commitment to our nation’s public health.

The Health Department is observing NPHW all week long. The next two daily themes will be:

• Thursday, April 9, Building Broader Connections: In the work to become the healthiest nation, we can’t do it all on our own. We have to expand our partnerships to everyone that has an impact on our health. Remember to check our Website on Thursday for a new way to become involved in the effort to make Kane County residents healthier. You can add your support to the dozens of partners in the local public health system that are working together to make this a reality!
• Friday, April 10, Building on 20 Years of Success: 2015 is APHA’s 20th anniversary for coordinating National Public Health Week, and the accomplishments of the public health community over the last two decades are significant.

To learn more about how Kane County Health Department is working to improve the health of all of the county’s residents please visit  www.kanehealth.com. For more information about National Public Health Week, visit www.nphw.org.

Read the Series

• Monday: How Kane County Is Raising the Grade
• Tuesday: How Your Zip Code Affects Your Well-Being
• Today: Improving Health by Building Momentum