FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE – April 3, 2008

Local Public Health Departments Celebrate National Public Health Week

The 10 metropolitan area public health departments will be celebrating National Public Health Week  April  7th through the 13th, 2008. Following is a list of activities taking place during the week.

Cass County Health Department

• April 7th – 13th: Cass County Health Department will be celebrating its 70th birthday.

Clay County Public Health Center

• Tuesday, April 8th: A free skin cancer screening will be offered from 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. in the lobby of the Public Health Center.
• Friday, April 11th: Children’s Mercy Hospital staff will be available from 10:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. to share information on asthma and lead poisoning projects in the Northland.

Jackson County Health Department

• Saturday, April 5th: A health fair will be offered from 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. at the Independence Center Mall (in front of Dillard’s on the second level.) Health screenings for blood pressure, cholesterol, and body mass index will be available as well as information for child and adult health, traumatic brain injuries, and emergency preparedness.

Johnson County Health Department

• Wednesday, April 9th:
•  Johnson County Health Department is celebrating its 65th birthday from 2:00 p.m.  to  4:00 p.m. at the Olathe location, 11875 S. Sunset Drive, Olathe.
• Johnson County Health Department is teaming up with the Kansas Public Health Association to offer a legislative forum from 4:00 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. at the Johnson County Administration Building, 111 S. Cherry, Olathe.

Kansas City, Missouri Health Department

• April 7th – 13th:
• Information on public health careers and on cardiovascular disease will be on display in the Health Department building’s atrium.
• The Health Department will be participating in the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services “Just One” project, advising people to do just one thing every day for a “healthier you and cleaner environment”.

• Wednesday, April 9th, 8:30 am: The Kansas City Health Department is hosting a “Breakfast and Learn” sponsored by the Metropolitan Official Health Agencies of the Kansas City Area (MOHAKCA) Education Committee. This year’s theme is public health accreditation.

Leavenworth County Health Department

• April 7th – 13th: The Leavenworth County Health Department is sending letters and flyers to all schools, encouraging the schools to send them home with the students. The letters ask families to sign a pledge indicating what changes that they can make to improve the climate, the community, and public health. At the end of the week, the Health Department staff will pick up the pledge statements and draw names to win 20 Climate Kits (which include a Safe Alternative Cleaner kit, seeds, a hat, a weather radio, sunscreen, etc) and one 72-hour kit (which includes samples of things families should keep on hand for disasters like water, manual can opener, flashlight, battery powered radio, batteries, first aid kit, plastic bags, toiletries, diapers, storable food items).

Platte County Health Department

• April 7th – 13th: The Platte County Health Department will be working with local media during Public Health Week to educate the public regarding services and to inform the community about the move to the new Parkville facility which offers the opportunity to expand both services and population served.

Unified Government Public Health Department of Wyandotte County/Kansas City, Kansas

• Wednesday, April 9th: Environmental staff will be passing out compact fluorescent light bulbs and information to clients coming in to the Health Department.
• Thursday, April 10th: The Unified Government Health Department is hosting a guest speaker on Climate Change on April 10th.

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