Mental health in the workplace is a major public health concern and the COVID-19 pandemic has shown that the struggles should be more openly discussed, with interventions and solutions for everyone. There are numerous initiatives and efforts to advance the awareness of improving the mental state of our workforce, but the challenges presented by the COVID-19 pandemic and remote work are yet to be fully addressed.
The understanding that people are experts of their own culture. Their experiences, knowledge, practices, and norms are valid and accurate.
Relatively little of our national conversation on health is about public health, which is right in line with our spending on public health; less than 3% of that spending goes toward governmental public health, i.e. public spending through federal, state, and local agencies and services provided by them.
Redlining. Highway expansion. Gentrification. Traffic safety. What do these built environment issues have to do with working towards equity in public health? The short answer is, everything. Learn how public health professionals can make a difference.
Reflecting on one’s own identity, catching one’s own implicit biases, and advocating for social justice in small and large ways is the work of a lifetime. These must be ongoing practices and won’t be fulfilled by completing any particular training. Yet, cultivating strategic skills that empower people and agencies to partner across sectors and engage in policy, systems, and environmental change is an important place to start.