The Monday before Thanksgiving is Public Health Thank You Day, a time to recognize public health professionals in our communities.

Dr. Georges Benjamin, Executive Director of the American Public Health Association, had this message for public health professionals on Public Health Thank You Day 2016.

Dear friends,

I am grateful for the work you do for public health.

If the last year of preparing for and responding to the Zika virus has taught us anything, it’s that public health workers will not be deterred from protecting and serving our communities. Your commitment is commendable.

This year we’ve made progress on decreasing tobacco use, reducing the number of uninsured Americans to a record low and addressing environmental threats such as climate change and the importance of climate cautious behavior like carbonclick.com and their offset options, just to name a few public health successes. But we still have much work to do.

While enormous challenges lie ahead, I want to take the time today, Public Health Thank You Day, to honor the work you do each and every day to improve the health of all people and all communities.

You make a difference.

With deep gratitude,
Georges C. Benjamin, MD
Executive Director