Amid the networking events, health walks and seminars traditionally organized during National Public Health Week (NPHW), the Colorado School of Public Health teamed up with the Public Health Alliance of Colorado to launch a virtual celebration for NPHW 2009. Efforts started two weeks prior to NPHW with a soft launch of the National Public Health Week Colorado Facebook page. The School targeted the soft launch to student leaders and public health advocates throughout the state in order to gain support and collect content. Shortly following the soft launch the School and Alliance sent out a series of E-mails about NPHW and the Facebook page, which now includes fans from across the state.

The Facebook page was the platform for the week’s events including a seminar on the 2008 Salmonella outbreak in Alamosa, CO, a networking event for public health professionals and Denver’s National Start Walking Day rally. The School, the Public Health Alliance and page fans contributed daily content including personal videos, "This is Public Health" sticker photos and the latest public health headlines from across the country. In particular, the page was home to the daily NPHW Colorado e-cards. Students, faculty, staff and professionals throughout Colorado received an e-Card each day featuring the NPHW daily theme. Recipients were encouraged to forward the cards to their friends and family as a way to increase the importance of public health in our nation, community, workplace, school and home.

As this year’s NPHW concludes, the School and Alliance will use the Facebook page to build awareness and affinity among public health professionals and students. Once next year’s theme is released, the organization will update the page with information on events and planning for 2010.

Additional News from Colorado’s NPHW Celebration
Tobacco Free Campus: On Monday, April 6, the University of Colorado Denver Anschutz Medical Campus, home to the Colorado School of Public Health, joined the University of Colorado Hospital and The Children’s Hospital in instituting a tobacco-free policy campus wide. This new policy will be phased in during the next six months with a complete ban commencing on October 31, 2009. 

Admitted Students Visit Campus: On Monday, April 6, the Colorado School of Public Health welcomed it newly admitted class of students to campus for an open house. The event included a prospective student panel, small group meetings with faculty and staff, tour of campus and preventive medicine grand rounds.  

Walk for Health: Public Health went public in Downtown Denver during the National Start Walking day rally, hosted by the American Heart Association. Public health representatives attended the noon rally with "This is Public Health" T-shirts, NPHW signs and "This is Public Health" stickers in hand to promote public health on the popular 16^th Street outdoor mall.

For more information, please visit the Colorado School of Public Health at http://publichealth.ucdenver.edu, or the Public Health Alliance of Colorado at www.publichealthalliance.org. Photos from the week’s events are available on the NPHW Colorado Facebook page.