“Public health is about creating conditions under which people can be healthy,” said Crag Blakely, Ph.D., M.P.H., dean of the UofL School of Public Health and Information Sciences. “This involves many factors like housing, education, community design, transportation and our environment.”

The goal of this year’s National Public Health Week (NPHW), an initiative of the American Public Health Association is to build momentum around – a vision to create the healthiest nation in one generation as individuals, groups and communities work together so that everyone has the opportunity to be healthy.

Local events are listed below:

April 3-8, Annual food drive of non-perishable food items to be donated to the Salvation Army. Collection sites on UofL’s Belknap campus and Health Sciences Center campus.

April 3-9, Tweet-A-Thon: Messages will be tweeted throughout the week from the SPHIS account @ulsphis using the hashtag #NPHW.

April 4, Gratitude lunch: The SPHIS SGA is offering a free lunch from 11a.m.-2p.m. to any public health student or employee who writes a “thank you” note to a public health professional. SGA will deliver the notes along with a sticker or button.

April 5, ‘This is public health’ tent: Public health students and the school’s Office of Student Services will serve as host at a tent on UofL’s Belknap campus from 10a.m.-12:30p.m. They will distribute fruit and public health information to students, faculty, and staff.

April 6, NPHW trivia night: Teams of five will compete to answer a mix of questions about public health and topics related to current events, entertainment, science, etc. Prizes and food will be part of the evening’s events from 6:30-8:30p.m. Participants are asked to donate a non-perishable food item at the door in support of the school’s NPHW Salvation Army Food Drive.

April 8, Neighborhood clean-up: With supplies donated from Project Brightside, the SGA is hosting a community clean-up from 9a.m.-noon in areas surrounding the school in advance of the Gray Street Farmers Market opening day, May 18.

April 9, Out of the Darkness campus walk: SPHIS has organized a team for the for suicide awareness from 3-5p.m. Everyone is welcome to join.  

For more complete event information, visit the .

The (SPHIS) Student Council is joining the , and other groups to host a panel discussion and training on Wed., April 6 from 7:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. at The Avenue – Cardinal Towne, 325 W. Cardinal Blvd.

Panelists will include representatives from the Kentucky Harm Reduction Coalition, the Louisville Metro Police Department Narcotics Unit, BRICC Coalition and Metro Council District 6. A licensed Narcan instructor from the local chapter of Young People in Recovery will train students on use of the opiate antidote Narcan (naloxone), which can be used to reverse an opioid overdose.

This training builds on other intervention activities of UofL students to address a variety of public health issues. A number of medical, nursing and public health students have opted to become state certified HIV testers, and some have trained to help Louisville Metro Department of Public Health and Wellness with the needle exchange program designed to reduce the spread of HIV and blood-borne diseases.

Among other National Public Health Week activities are an Instagram contest and lunch and learn discussion with Brandy Kelly Pryor, PhD, associate professor in the SPHIS Department of Health Promotion and Behavioral Sciences and director of the Louisville Metro Department of Public Health and Wellness Center for Health Equity. Find the complete listing of events on the .

Photo provided by .