Death vs. Dollars – is Our Health an Individual or a Collective Responsibility?

Join us Oct 10, 2023, 12 to 1:00 PM via Zoom.

How Important Is Our Community Health?

The League of Women Voters of the Bay Area (LWVBA) invites you to participate in a new series on Public Health Awareness. The goal is to raise awareness of the importance and value of the public health system to our communities as a vital part of the civic health continuum of the League in empowering voters and defending democracy, to highlight the social determinants of health, and to raise and potentially answer the question: is our health a matter of personal responsibility or a public, collective good?

This initial event introduces the history, role and scope of Public Health in the United States, where it is and where it should be.

Our expert speakers:

•   Dr. Sarah Rudman, Deputy Public Health Officer and Infectious Disease and Response Branch Director, County of Santa Clara Public Health Department

•   Kimi Watkins-Tartt, Public Health Director Alameda County, Co-Chair Bay Area Regional Health Inequities Initiative (BARHII)

Their discussion will include the public health definition, its goals and purpose, its role in the community, a brief history in the US, and how it is applied in Alameda and Santa Clara Counties. This presentation will also address the changing role of public health over time, how the departments have had to adapt to the changing policy environment, and what is seen as the future role of public health in the community, and any potential changes.