April 4, 2022. Reno/Sparks, NV – The Washoe County Health District is celebrating National Public Health Week, April 4-10, 2022, and is showcasing services it provides to the entire community.
“Public Health is much more than just the COVID-19 response,” said Kevin Dick, District Health Officer in Washoe County. “The Health District works in the background on major things that affect our lives, including the food we eat, the water we drink and the air we breathe. We are constantly helping children with vaccinations, young mothers with reproductive health, providing other low-cost sexual health services for those that need it most and working to limit communicable disease outbreak, among many other things.”
Many of the services you don’t see are overseen by the Health District. Those services include:
- Birth and death records
- Food inspections at restaurants, special events
- Safe drinking water program
- Air quality measurements
- Pool and spa inspections
- Childcare facility inspections
- Immunizations
- Chronic disease prevention
- Communicable disease
- Community Health Needs Assessment
- Community Health Improvement Plan
- Septic and well records
- Air pollution permitting & compliance
- Family planning and teen health
- Women, Infants & Children (WIC)
- Public Health emergency preparedness
- Emergency medical services oversight
- Tuberculosis control and prevention
- And many more. Go here.
Find more Public Health Week info on the WCHD Facebook page
The value of public health, according to the American Public Health Association, is while a doctor treats people who are sick, those working in public health try to prevent people from getting sick or injured in the first place. Public health also promotes wellness by encouraging healthy behaviors.
The Health District serves all residents in Washoe County and reports to the District Board of Health, which features members of the Reno City Council, Sparks City Council, Washoe County Commission and a designee from each of those entities. One member is also a physician licensed to practice in Nevada
The Health District has four divisions that provide services to the community: Air Quality Management, Community and Clinical Health Services, Environmental Health Services and Epidemiology & Public Health Preparedness. It also has an Administrative Health Services division that serves the organization.
“The breadth of services the Health District provides often go unnoticed,” Dick said. “Public health is about protecting the health of the people where they live, learn, work and play. Public health saves our community money by reducing healthcare expenses, improves our quality of life and helps children thrive. I want to thank the staff at the Washoe County Health District for their service and sacrifice for public health.”
For more about the Washoe County Health District, visit our website: www.WashoeCounty.gov/health.
The Washoe County Health District is nationally accredited by the Public Health Accreditation Board and has jurisdiction over all public health matters in Reno, Sparks, and Washoe County through the policy-making Washoe County District Board of Health. The District consists of five divisions: Administrative Health Services, Air Quality Management, Community and Clinical Health Services, Environmental Health Services and Epidemiology & Public Health Preparedness. More info can be found here.