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the florida department of health kicked off April by celebrating
National Minority Health Month,
an observance dedicated to promoting health equity
the theme "advance health equity now" uniting our communities to improve
health outcomes is a call for unified action across the state
statistics from our state health assessment reveal how important it is to
recognize and work toward health equity in florida
in 2009 black men were more likely than white and Hispanic men to
die of prostate cancer
in 2010
43 percent of blacks 29 percent of Hispanics and
25 percent of whites were obese, and in 2011 black and
hispanic infants were more likely to die than white infants
state surgeon general and secretary of health Dr. John Armstrong emphasized
the importance of health equity at a statewide kickoff webinar on Tuesday,
April 2nd. "Health equity means providing all people the highest possible
level of health
It means breaking down barriers to health in all of our communities
and working together
to make Florida
the healthiest state in the nation."
DOH's office of minority health has a strategic agenda set for the rest
of this observance
as well as year-round efforts to make Florida the healthiest state in the
nation
"Our office of minority health
is poised to do just that.
First,
by ensuring that all of our departments programs and services
for children
adults
and families
are seeing through the lens of health equity.
we know that the path toward better public health is
paved with community collaboration
and the office of minority health's approach
to health equity is no different."
The department also participated in national public health week
with the 2013 theme of "public health is return on investment.
Save lives save money."
this focus emphasizes the crucial role of prevention and keeping
Floridians healthy.
Dr. Armstrong emphasized the high return on investment of good oral
health when he visited Leon county health department's Molar Express. This
kid friendly train-themed dental facility serves medicaid eligible
children
"Molar Express is just one example of how your Florida Department of Health delivers
health services
across our counties.
last year with more than 13,000
visits
and 46,000 services
the Molar Express provided dental care
to nearly 6,000 kids in Leon County
Think of the Sun,
shining on 6,000 smiles
That's a much brighter future in the sunshine state.
these observances demonstrate two ways that the Florida department of Health
seeks to protect, promote
and improve the health of all people in Florida
through integrated state county and community efforts