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Research!America and Partners Applaud Public Health Heroes for Keeping Us Safe 24/7


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Research!America and Partners Applaud Public Health Heroes for Keeping Us Safe 24/7

Public Health Thank You Day — November 25, 2013

NewMediaWire via WebWire

ALEXANDRIA, Va.—November 21, 2013 — On the Monday before Thanksgiving, Research!America and our partners urge Americans to pay tribute to public health professionals who work around the clock to protect our health. Public Health Thank You Day honors unsung heroes who keep our drinking water safe and air clean, develop vaccines, track and investigate infections, and protect us from natural and man-made threats. These everyday heroes include our health inspectors, environmental health scientists, public health researchers, sanitation workers and many other dedicated workers.

“Professionals throughout the public health system work 24/7 to protect Americans from health threats,” said Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Director Thomas R. Frieden, MD, MPH. “The recent federal shutdown was a stark reminder of how much we rely on these professionals day in and day out to detect outbreaks, respond to health emergencies and promote health every day. Their dedication reflects their scientific ethic as well as their continuing commitment to serving the public.”

The CDC and local and state health departments protect Americans from innumerable unseen threats through health surveillance, front-line disease detection, research to improve prevention and much more. In the recent multistate salmonella outbreak, the CDC and regional and local professionals worked relentlessly to stop the spread of the illness. During influenza season they detect, diagnose and vaccinate; during natural disasters, such as last year’s Superstorm Sandy, they provide emergency assistance and medical care to those in need.

“All those who work tirelessly behind the scenes to ensure the health of our families and friends should be commended for their commitment,” said Mary Woolley, president and CEO of Research!America. “We can never anticipate our next health threat, yet we can feel more confident thanks to public health professionals who are poised to protect us in time of need. In fact, we can’t afford not to have them at the ready — now, more than ever, we must increase funding for public health research to ensure that the CDC and other federal agencies have adequate resources to get the job done.”

Research!America’s 2013 Public Health Thank You Day partners include the Campaign for Public Health Foundation, the American Public Health Association, the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health, the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, the American Association Public Health Dentistry, the University of Alabama at Birmingham School of Public Health, the Ohio State College of Public Health, the Society for Public Health Education, the University of North Carolina Gillings School of Global Public Health, and the National Alliance for Hispanic Health.

More information and materials can be found at www.publichealththankyouday.org.

About Research!America

Research!America  is the nation’s largest nonprofit public education and advocacy alliance working to make research to improve health a higher national priority. Founded in 1989, Research!America is supported by member organizations representing 125 million Americans. Visit www.researchamerica.org.

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