The Healthiest Nation in One Generation

We would like to take this opportunity to share a link to a site created by the American Public Health Association which is encouraging Americans to make our country the healthiest in the world within one generation. Contrary to popular belief, the United States lags far behind most other industrialized nations in numerous measurements of health and well-being, and it will take concerted effort to turn those numbers around.

Were you aware that the U.S. ranks 46th in terms of life expectancy in the world---far behind Europe, Japan, Jordan, and South Korea?

How is it that a baby born in the United States is more likely to die before his or her first birthday than a child in any other industrialized nation in the world?

Why is almost 1 out of every 20 adults in Washington, DC---the nation's capital---HIV-positive?
Why do more than 10 million American children lack health insurance?

How does one American under the age of 29 contract HIV every minute?

These are questions of enormous import and gravity, and even as I write this post, the city of Worcester is planning to lay off most of its public health nurses, dismantling the public health infrastructure of the second largest city in Massachusetts.

The Amherst Public Health Department's mission is to to promote the health and well-being of our community with special emphasis on eliminating health disparities. We fulfill this mission through our core functions: assessment, assurance, promotion, and policy development, and we will continue to do so, no matter the economic climate. Please let us know how we can be of service to you, and thank you for continuing to visit our blog.