Montgomery County proclaims National Public Health Week; HHS details ongoing services and preparedness

Montgomery County leaders on April 8 proclaimed National Public Health Week and used the observance to underscore investments in the county's health services and emergency preparedness.

The county counciland County Executive Mark Elrich read a proclamation recognizing the national week and thanking public health staff. "Science is what must rule the day, not some random person posting inaccurate, random information that's preying upon our fears and anxieties," Council Member Gabe Albenaz said as he introduced the proclamation, urging support for public health workers.

Dr. Nina Ashford, chief of public health services for the Department of Health and Human Services, outlined the agency's scope: maternal and child health home visitation that screens more than 1,600 mothers and infants annually; nurses and health room technicians in all 211 county schools and work that keeps 78% of children who visit a school health room in class; environmental health inspections of restaurants, pools and other public facilities; mobile clinics serving thousands of uninsured residents and children; dental programs; immunizations and infectious disease tracking; a tuberculosis clinic; and public-health emergency preparedness exercises.

"When public health works well, you often don't even know that we're here," Dr. Ashford said. She added that HHS and the countyas a whole are working to reduce disparities and to maintain health equity: "We will continue to follow the science. We will continue to focus on eliminating disparities, we will continue to focus on achieving health equity," she said.

County Executive Mark Elrich noted the county's efforts during the COVID-19 pandemic to source personal protective equipment and help distribute supplies to hospitals. He said county staff and medical workers played a key role in preserving care during those months and reiterated an appeal for decisions grounded in evidence rather than politics.

The proclamation cites the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention definition of public health and highlights social determinants of health such as access to care and economic stability. It calls for residents to recognize public health professionals during the week and for ongoing support of core public-health infrastructure.

The council presented the proclamation to HHS staff and to public health workers who attended the ceremony; the county noted the department comprises more than 2,000 employees in an integrated health system.