The Maryland Department of Health Celebrates National Public Health Week 2018
The Public Health Services Administration Works To Keep Marylanders Safe And Healthy—Every Minute, Every Hour, Every Day, For Everyone
Baltimore, MD (April 2, 2018) – The Maryland Department of Health Public Health Services Administration (PHS) joins the American Public Health Association in celebrating National Public Health Week 2018, April 2-8.
National Public Health Week gives the public an opportunity to hear about the many important programs and services provided by the State to protect individuals and families in our communities.
“It is an honor and a privilege to serve with the thousands of public health professionals who work tirelessly to keep the people of Maryland healthy and safe,” said Maryland Department of HealthDeputy Secretary for Public Health, Howard Haft MD, MMM, FACPE.
Public health providers and programs respond to the health needs of all Marylanders through the prevention and treatment of disease and injury, emergency preparedness and response activities, and by increasing access to care, clean air, safe drinking water, and food sources. And most importantly, they save lives.
The Maryland PHS administration is one of the most highly ranked in the nation. PHS oversees 10 administrations with approximately 1,054 employees; 24 local health departments with approximately 3,000 employees; and a $557.3 million-dollar budget. PHS administrations include:
- The Anatomy Board
- The Laboratories Administration
- The Office of the Chief Medical Examiner
- The Office of Controlled Substances Administration
- The Office of Health Care Quality
- The Office of Population Health Improvement
- The Office of Preparedness & Response
- The Prevention and Health Promotion Administration
- The Vital Statistics Administration
- The Maryland Primary Care Program
Some major PHS achievements over the last year:
- 9.1 million public health tests conducted by the State Public Health Lab
- 75,230 Maryland newborns tested for more than 50 treatable hereditary and developmental disorders
- Identification of a variant influenza A virus (H3N2v) that was transmitted from pigs to humans
- Identification of imported papayas as the source of a national salmonella outbreak
- Designation as the antibiotics resistance reference lab for the mid-Atlantic region
- Provided 459,500 breast and cervical cancer screening examinations
- Served 7,080 individuals through the Maryland AIDS Drug Assistance Program
- Dissemination of drug overdose data for prevention and intervention purposes
- 116,940 family planning and reproductive health visits for 73,675 clients across 78 clinics
- Implementation of innovative health systems and population health improvement plans
Throughout the week, the Department will highlight critical public health programs and services that improve the health of Marylanders every minute, every hour, every day, for everyone.
Please join us in observing National Public Health Week 2018 and become part of creating a strong public health system for all Marylanders. You can follow us at: https://www.facebook.com/MarylandDHMH/, https://twitter.com/MDHealthDept, or by following #MDPHW.
###