From a listening session on climate change and health for public health workers to a “Songs and Snuggles” event for babies and their caregivers, the Division of Public Health & Community Services is celebrating National Public Health Week.
The week started on Monday with a short speech and warm welcome from Public Health Director Bobbie Bagley in front of City Hall. Bagley emphasized the necessity of treating racism as a public health crisis.
“Racism shapes where and how people live, and what resources they have,” Bagley said. “It directly affects the physical and mental health of people of color. Racism affects all of us.”
Nashua Mayor Jim Donchess also read a proclamation on behalf of the city and led a walk with residents.
In the proclamation, Donchess shared the city's main health priorities, as outlined in the Nashua Division of Public Health & Community Services' latest Strategic Plan.
Donchess said the Division has identified five health priority areas, and they are "behavioral health, chronic disease, maternal and child health, public health emergency preparedness, and communicable disease.”
The focus on communicable disease is a new priority for the division, a priority that emerged largely because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Meet up with Our Story NH and NHPR during Nashua’s public health week
On Thursday evening, as a part of the Public Health Week, Our Story NH will be at the Nashua Public Library for a pandemic storytelling session from 4-7 p.m. Our Story NH aims to create and share stories from across the state of Granite Staters’ experiences and feelings about life before, during, and after the pandemic.
Those interested can sign up for a 20-minute appointment. Our Story staff will speak with participants, who can either write or tell their story or have it recorded. Participants can then choose to share their story with the media, and NHPR reporter Alli Fam will also be at the library that evening.
