A Message from President and CEO Richard J. Cohen, Ph.D., FACHE
Every year, during the first week of April, we take time to recognize National Public Health Week and raise awareness of the important work that has been done and still needs to be done to improve the health of communities across the nation. COVID-19 has created an unprecedented moment in our history and in the field of public health. And although we’re navigating new and difficult times, the innovations we’re creating today will more effectively and efficiently serve our communities tomorrow.
This year’s National Public Health Week theme, NPHW@25: Looking Back, Moving Forward, focuses on the foundation of public health in this country and looks forward to what’s in store for this evolving field.
Public Health Management Corporation (PHMC), like other public health institutes across the country, is thinking creatively about solutions and responding quickly to address new challenges and changing needs. In light of COVID-19, we’ve adjusted operational workplans to continue serving our clients and communities. We’re identifying new ways to support our frontline colleagues tasked with carrying the heaviest lift as they provide care to our clients in our Federally Qualified Health Centers, our residential and addiction treatment programs and all our direct client facing services. We’ve shifted to telehealth models for physical and behavioral health, community mental health and community engagement programs, all with a focus on care continuity. We’re collaborating with funders to ensure payment and reimbursements continue so that together we can serve our region’s most vulnerable without interruption. This innovative, boundary-extending work is leading to new ways of reaching communities and ensuring that those who need care receive it.
Like any other point in history, we won’t return to who we were before this crisis. We’ll be different, changed. The lessons learned during this time will inform who we are and how we interact with each other from here forward. For public health, nothing will be the same. COVID-19 has placed public health directly into the mainstream of society. People around the world have gained greater understanding and appreciation of the critical importance of public health and its impact on all of us.
We will forge ahead through this crisis. In partnership, we will work together to find new paths of service and care delivery. We will support all employees and public health professionals in their work and lift up our frontline heroes. We will bring together the forces of our collective human spirit to get through this together. And when we do, we’ll be smarter, stronger and better positioned to help those who need it.
Wishing you all a safe and healthy National Public Health Week as you navigate this crisis throughout your professional and personal lives. Thank you for your partnership and support. I look forward to seeing you soon.
