About NPHW

National Public Health Week: 
ClimateChange: Our Health in the Balance

Virginia Commonwealth University is proud to celebrate National Public Health Week. This year, the focus of NPHW is climate change and how it may cause extreme weather events and changes in rainfall that increase the risk of death and disease. These effects and impacts vary by region and location – creating differing public health threats and challenges across the country and around the globe.

Why "Climate Change?" Climate change impacts human health not only by region, but as a result of the relative vulnerability of different populations. Children, the elderly, the poor, and those with chronic health conditions are considered the most susceptible to the negative health impacts of climate change, and any strategies for managing climate change impacts should take their unique challenges and needs into account.

Over the past year, the American public’s concern about climate change has reached an unparalleled level. The media reports new scientific findings on a daily basis and local, state and national policy-makers have made it clear that serious real climate effects are a matter of when, not if.

The public health community can help make the connection between the way we lead our lives, our impact on the planet and the planet’s impact on our health. By highlighting these links, we can help Americans make choices and lead lifestyles that are healthy for them, their families, their communities and the climate. Doing so will help communities prepare to manage and lessen the impacts of climate change.

Since 1996, the American Public Health Association has organized National Public Health Week and developed campaigns to educate the public, policy-makers, and public health professionals about issues important to improving the public’s health. By making climate change the theme for 2008, the public health community is changing how society addresses this unprecedented challenge.