Health Department Hosts Statehouse Event Calling to Attention of Public Health

Public Health Day will be held from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. in the North Atrium and will feature State Health Commissioner Lindsay Weaver, M.D., FACEP, a “Case for Public Health as Good Business” by the Indiana Chamber of Commerce, “Public Health and Hospitals” from the Indiana Hospital Association (IHA). The Chamber and IHA will make announcements about their support of Health First Indiana, the state’s public health program with the goal of making sure every Hoosier has access to the core public health services they need to achieve their optimal health and well-being.

Additional features of the program include local health departments discussing partnerships in action, and public health heroes who are championing the biggest public health transformation in Indiana in decades will be honored at the event.

Also attending will be former state Sen. Luke Kenley and Dr. Judy Monroe, a former state health commissioner who serves as CEO of the CDC Foundation. Kenley and Monroe served as co-chairs for the Governor’s Public Health Commission, which conducted a months-long examination of Indiana’s public health system. The commission’s work was the foundation for Health First Indiana (HFI), the state’s initiative created by SEA 4, legislation passed by the 2023 Indiana General Assembly that provides funding so counties can determine the health needs of their communities and implement evidence-based programs based on prevention.

Attendees are encouraged to wear blue or gold to show their support for public health.

“The unprecedented Health First Indiana support has given local health departments new opportunities to create partnerships and improve health outcomes for Hoosiers,” said State Health Commissioner Lindsay Weaver, M.D., FACEP. “This event is a celebration of public health in Indiana as communities across the state come together to make a difference.”