For Immediate Release

Thursday, March 29, 2018

Contact: John Guilfoil
Phone: 617-993-0003
Email: john@jgpr.net

Andover Public Health to Celebrate National Public Health Week

ANDOVER — The Andover Health Division announces that it will celebrate National Public Health Week along with the American Public Health Association (APHA) next week.

This year, National Public Health week runs from April 2-8. It aims to strengthen the profession of public health, foster understanding, engagement and support for key public health issues, and directly influence public policy to improve global health.

“The public health department is responsible for so many important guidelines and programs to keep our communities healthy and vibrant,” said Andover Public Health Director Thomas Carbone. “We hope the community will join us in celebrating all that the public health field does for residents by learning more about the profession this week.”

The field of public health ranges from physicians, nurses, and first responders to health educators, restaurant inspectors, social workers and sanitarians. This also includes board of health members who volunteer their time, as well as residents who serve on advisory committees and task forces that play an important role in public health.

The Andover Health Division would like to highlight the many duties that the department and its public health practitioners routinely oversee. These include:

• Inspecting local swimming pools at hotels, athletic clubs and apartment condominium complexes to ensure proper chemical levels and adequate safety measures are in place. Inspections and water quality testing occur at local beaches as well.
• Licensing residential, day or sports camps and to ensure they meet state and local regulations.
• Ensuring landlords are in compliance with the state sanitary code relating to rental property.
• Ensuring a suspect animal is tested for rabies if there is an exposure to either a human or domestic pet. Follow up for a human exposure is conducted by the public health nurse.
• Assisting in emergency preparedness by working with police, fire, public works, and other departments to provide education to residents, prepare for a strong and efficient response to threats to public health, and assist the community in recovery after an emergency.
• Providing child and adult immunizations, blood pressure and cholesterol screenings, surveillance and follow-up on communicable diseases, including Tb. Public Health nurses provide education and information on emerging diseases and new innovations in public health like the new vaccine for shingles, Shingrex. They also conduct routine outreach and educational programs promoting healthy lifestyles like exercise, balanced meals, cancer prevention and ensuring good health care for all.
• Reviewing subdivisions and housing proposals for compliance with septic and sewer regulations as well as other environmental concerns but also with health-related opportunities in mind. For example, encouraging developers to plan for walking opportunities to local destinations, ensuring there are safe spaces for children to play outside and making sure that sources of pollution nearby will not compromise residents’ health or safety.

As part of National Public Health Week, the Andover Public Health Division will be hosting a cholesterol and glucose screening clinic on Thursday, April 5 from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. at the Town Offices, 36 Bartlet St. Screenings are available by appointment only. Residents can call 978-623-8640 to schedule their test. The cost of the test is $10 and no fasting is required.

Additionally, Andover Public Health will be releasing a series of short videos on a different subject each day:

• Monday – Green Your Routine: Tips on Reducing Your Carbon Footprint
• Tuesday – The 5 R’s of Recycling
• Wednesday – Eat Local, Buy Local
• Thursday – Exercise
• Friday – National Walk to Work Day

All of the videos will be available on the Andover Health Division’s Facebook and Twitter pages.

For more information about National Public Health Week, visit nphw.org.

###