BECOMING THE HEALTHIEST NATION (AND COUNTY) BY 2030

NEW CITY, NY - - Rockland County Executive Ed Day and County Health Commissioner Dr. Patricia Schnabel Ruppert today announce the start of National Public Health Week, April 3 – April 9. The theme, "Healthiest Nation By 2030," raises awareness of what public health is, why it is essential, and how it impacts everyone's life.

Public health protects us and makes our community a safe, healthy place to live in. The Health Department's role is to help prevent disease, illness, and disability; protect the environment; protect health, and provide necessary care to the people of Rockland County. For example, the Health Department monitors the water we drink, the air we breathe, the restaurants we dine at, the community pools we swim in, and the summer camps our children attend. Public health laws mandate immunizations, seat belts and car seats, and other preventive measures. The Health Department provides information on preventing diseases, managing our illnesses, and where to go for help, and helps to control diseases like rabies, tuberculosis (TB), flu, sexually transmitted infections (STIs) and HIV. We work with community partners to put policies and practices into place to build a safe and healthy community through several community-based grants including Creating Healthy Schools and Communities, Creating Breastfeeding Friendly Communities, and Local IMPACT.

Rockland County has recently ranked 2nd in New York State for healthy living in 2017 in the annual County Health Rankings, up from 3rd in 2016. The rankings are issued by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and the University of Wisconsin Population Health Institute. "Rockland County has ranked one of the top five counties in New York State for overall health since 2011, a tribute to all the wonderful work done by our Health Department staff, as well as to our successful partnerships with community and faith organizations, health care providers, schools, worksites, and municipalities. We still have much work to do, however this report shows that we are taking important steps towards achieving our goal of keeping all Rockland County residents healthy and safe," said Dr. Ruppert. The full report can be viewed online at www.countyhealthrankings.org.

Our County Health Department helps to lay the foundation that puts healthy choices within reach, whether through research, data collection, health education, policy change, or direct services. Creating the healthiest nation, and county, is also up to each one of us. We need to make the choices that improve our own health and support efforts to make the healthy choice the easy choice for everyone in our community. "I'm proud of the Health Department's expertise and commitment to making Rockland a healthier county for all. I encourage our residents to take advantage of the many programs and services that our Health Department offers," said County Executive Day.

Learn more about your Health Department www.rocklandgov.com/health, and follow us on Facebook www.facebook.com/rockhealth and Twitter www.twitter.com/rockhealth for important health information delivered right to you. Visit www.nphw.org/ for more information about National Public Health Week.