Get Healthy: Thank you, Carson City

This column appears in the Nevada Appeal Wednesday health pages. It addresses topics related to the health of our community.Tomorrow is Thanksgiving, and we at Carson City Health and Human Services would like to take this opportunity to share our thanks and extend our gratitude to this community. We are blessed to have the opportunity to fulfill our mission to protect and improve the quality of life here in Carson City. Marena Works, director of Carson City Health and Human Services, is extremely thankful to our Community Partners who were instrumental in developing the Community Health Assessment and Community Health Improvement Plan. “We don’t work alone,” she said. “Our partners are vital for us, and health improvements are a community-wide effort.” The Public Health Preparedness Program at the Health Department would like to thank the community for enthusiastic participation in our annual flu vaccination exercise, as well as the school district, the senior centers and other agencies that support our immunization events. Angela Barosso, division manager, would also like to recognize the partnerships within the business community, such as the Chamber and Home Depot, which support preparedness education and outreach efforts. The Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion Division would like to give a “healthy & hearty thank you shout out” to all of the community organizations and individuals who have provided support and guidance and have strengthened our efforts in providing prevention education and health promotion to the citizens of Carson City, Douglas, Lyon and Storey counties.The Environmental Health Program thanks local restaurants for their continuing dedication to food safety. “During the holiday season, and always, we are thankful for food that is served safe in our community” says Dustin Booth, who manages both the Environmental Health and Epidemiology programs for the department. Animal Services is thankful for all the community members who adopt our dogs and cats and provide them their forever home. We also give special thanks for our volunteers who help us exercise, socialize and foster our furry friends. All of us at Carson City Health and Human Services would also like to extend our appreciation to other agencies and community partners who help us to provide services to those in need in our community.Finally, for many health department employees, our daily interactions with community members are the most rewarding part of our jobs, we wish to say thanks to those whom we serve. We enjoy working with each of you. Thank you for your support!Carson City Health and Human Services will be closed this Thursday and Friday so that our employees can spend the Thanksgiving Holiday with their families, but we will reopen and look forward to serving you during our normal hours next week. To learn more about our clinic and other health department services, check us out on the web at www.gethealthycarsoncity.org or “Like” our Facebook page at www.facebook.com/cchhs.