PHMC proudly celebrated National Public Health Week! Each year, the week serves as a chance to honor all our public health colleagues who show up for us every day, to recognize how public health improves our daily lives, keeps our families safe and strengthens our communities, and to shine a light on the important work being done across PHMC every day.
PHMC’s celebrations included a National Public Health Week breakfast hosted by PHMC subsidiary Pennsylvania Public Health Association (PPHA). The Ready, Set, Action – Navigating Public Health Together event brought together changemakers, leaders and innovators in public health to strengthen our collective efforts statewide.
Attendees heard from keynote speaker Palak Raval-Nelson, Ph.D., M.P.H., Health Commissioner for the Philadelphia Department of Public Health. And a panel of experts from Jefferson Health, Clarifi, Food Trust, and United Way participated in a discussion on HR1 Considerations for Public Health, moderated by United Way’s Erin Morton.
Philadelphia Councilmember At-Large Dr. Nina Ahmad supported the week by introducing a Resolution during City Council’s weekly session on Thursday to recognize April 6 through April 12, 2026, as “National Public Health Week.”
Kristine Gonnella, Managing Director of Strategy and Development for PHMC and Executive Director of PPHA, provided public commentary during the resolution.
“For more than 50 years, PHMC has been a leader in public health advocacy, action and program delivery,” she said in her remarks. “Our decades-long work with the City of Philadelphia serves as a testament to the importance of meaningful partnership and unyielding commitment to the needs of our communities. Public Health is foundational to a thriving, healthy city.”
Thank you to the incredible public health workers, at PHMC and beyond, who advocate for policies and practices that promote health for all and provide critical services that support our communities’ abilities to live, grow and thrive.
