Illinois AHEC centers and host organizations engaged in a variety of activities during National Public Health Week, April 3-7. All the events were intended to draw attention to the importance of public health in our lives and communities.

South Central put in an appearance at Lake Land College’s 8th grade career conference, discussing job duties and skills, what classes to take in high school, college education and training, and average salaries. “We are excited to see a lot of students stopping by to learn about health care,” said South Central AHEC Director Gloria Przygoda. “Our future is bright!”

West Central AHEC did a self-care presentation for the Hancock County Health Department, and also teamed up with Memorial Hospital’s human resources recruiter to participate in the Carl Sandburg College Career Expo so that students could learn about entry-level positions available at Memorial.

Central Illinois AHEC joined with Illinois State University in sending a delegation of students to Springfield to take part in Student Advocacy Day on April 5, as the highlight of their week of public health-themed activities. Overall, the Springfield advocacy event, organized by the Illinois Public Health Association, drew more than 100 students from 11 different universities.

Also staging a weeklong series of celebratory gatherings was the UIC School of Public Health, whose events including a lunch with Dr. Arvind Goyal, medical director of the Illinois Department of Healthcare and Family Services; a federal career panel; screening of the documentary Aftershock, dealing with issues of maternal and child health; and a minority health conference keynoted by Dr. Linda Rae Murray. Additional events included a student poster competition, a food pantry drive, and a stairwell climb that doubled as an in-person scavenger hunt across the SPH building.

An important part of the week was the proclamation of National Public Health Week made by President Biden.  “Let’s choose to move forward, celebrating our dedicated public health professionals and making America more healthy, resilient, and just,” read the White House text.

Illinois AHEC hopes that the celebrations and activities this week left you energized and educated to support public health throughout the year.

National Public Health Week is an initiative of the American Public Health Association (APHA).