Thank you, public health staff and leaders

Each county in the Kansas City metropolitan region and some larger cities have a local public health department dedicated to detecting, controlling and preventing communicable diseases. Health departments also offer a wide range of wellness programs, such as child immunizations.

The region’s 11 health departments have a history of working together. Ongoing coordination is especially important in the bistate region, as many people may live in Missouri and seek medical care in Kansas, or vice versa. This makes regional cooperation a necessity to protect public health, especially in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Public health staff work every day to strengthen our communities by preventing illness and improving health using science-based interventions. From food safety to immunizations, disease surveillance, maternal and child health to injury and violence prevention, our local public health departments address core public health needs and the root causes of diseases.

Thank you to the region’s local public health staff and leaders, and rural health department partners, for your service and ongoing commitment to the health and wellbeing of our communities.

Pictured: MARC staff delivered cookies to the region’s public health departments to say thank you for their work to keep our communities safe.