Get Ready for Flu blog series to focus on preparedness among vulnerable populations

Next week marks a first for the APHA Get Ready for Flu Blog: Not only will we be marking this year's celebration of National Public Health Week, which will be held April 2-8, we will also be posting special daily blog entries tied to the week’s activities.

National Public Health Week 2007, organized by the American Public Health Association, is aimed at helping communities become more prepared, especially those who are most at risk. Because being more prepared can help you no matter the emergency -- be it a hurricane, flood or pandemic influenza -- we knew this would be a great fit for our Get Ready for Flu blog readers.

Each day of National Public Health Week will have a special theme, and so will our special week of blog entries. Monday will focus on the needs of mothers with children, Tuesday will look at local food banks, Wednesday will highlight hourly-wage workers and employers, Thursday will examine schools and Friday will address the needs of people with chronic health care conditions.

If you are in Washington, D.C., on April 2, you can come help APHA launch National Public Health Week at the National Press Club. The kick-off will feature a panel discussion with nationally recognized moderator and former NBC correspondent Bob Hager. Panel participants will include the Department of Health and Human Services Assistant Secretary for Health, Admiral John O. Agwunobi, MD, MBA, MPH., Dr. Julie Gerberding, Director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) along with additional representatives from the CDC and the American Red Cross. The audience will also hear from leaders of areas affected by recent public health emergencies. Everyone is invited to the kick-off, but RSVPs to kaitlin.sheedy@apha.org are appreciated. Results of a national poll, which was commissioned by APHA and suggests that almost 90% of the general public say that they have not taken enough steps to prepare for a public health crisis and know they could do more, will be released at the event.

Kaiser Family Foundation will also be web casting the kick-off, so if you can't be here in D.C., you can catch it online afterward. If you want to be a part of a National Public Health Week event in your community, check our online event calendar for local activities.

Stay tuned for next week’s special blog series!