It Starts Here: Reflections from National Public Health Week

This week is the 30th anniversary of National Public Health Week (NPHW), when the American Public Health Association APHA unites communities nationwide to recognize public health contributions and address key health issues. Every year, NPHW is a week of engaging discussions with leading public health experts to examine lessons learned, emerging challenges, innovations that will shape the future of public health. Each day of NPHW focuses on a different key topic in public health.   

The 2025 National Public Health Week theme, "It Starts Here," focuses on how each of us can make a difference in our nation’s health, and highlights steps that we can take on the individual, community/neighborhood, city/state, and national levels. This year’s 5 key topics are:  

1. It Starts Here: Your Health is Our Mission  

2. Climate Action Starts Here: Championing Resilience for Health  

3. Health Equity Starts Here: Optimizing Health for All  

4. Advocacy Starts Here: Amplifying Voices for Public Health  

5. The Future of Public Health Starts Here: Strengthening the Public Health Workforce 

Let’s take a look at these key topics: 

1. It Starts Here: Your Health is Our Mission. Public health plays a vital role in improving community well-being and life expectancy. Individual and collective action can advance public health through efforts like promoting mental health, strengthening communities, and building a stronger, more inclusive public health system and workforce. Everyone—from individuals to national leaders—can and should contribute to a healthier future for all! 

2. Climate Action Starts Here: Building Resilience for Health. Climate change poses serious threats to physical and mental health, especially for marginalized communities. But bold, equitable actions can build resilience and protect public health through solutions like transitioning to clean energy, improving disaster preparedness, supporting sustainable food systems, and expanding affordable, energy-efficient housing. 

3. Health Equity Starts Here: Optimizing Health for All. Health equity means that everyone has a fair and just opportunity to achieve optimal health, regardless of factors like race, income, location, or disability. Individuals, communities, and governments can take action—from voting and community engagement to adopting inclusive policies and addressing systemic racism—to reduce health disparities and build more resilient, equitable societies. 

4. Advocacy Starts Here: Amplifying Voices for Public Health. Individual and collective advocacy have the power to shape healthier communities. Individuals can take action by engaging in grassroots efforts, voting, and speaking with decision-makers, while communities can support advocacy training and uplift local voices. At broader levels, governments must prioritize public health funding, address systemic issues like racism, and protect the right to advocate for health policies. 

5. The Future of Public Health Starts Here: Strengthening the Public Health Workforce. We critically need to strengthen and diversify the public health workforce to effectively address current and future health challenges.  Through action at all levels—from individuals advocating and mentoring, to communities and governments improving training, protection, and career pathways—we can build a resilient, inclusive, and well-equipped public health system capable of serving diverse communities nationwide 

How CHaSCI is addressing the key priorities of NPHW:  

• Makes health our mission: Following RUSH’s Anchor Mission Strategy, CHaSCI engages in policy advocacy and training projects to invest in and strengthen the communities we serve on the West Side of Chicago—building resilience in areas like housing, food security, and access to medical care. We also equip health care and social work teams to address the social determinants of health, support the integration of social care into healthcare systems, and advocate for payment for social care services. 

• Optimizing health for all: health equity is at the center of everything we do at CHaSCI! Our trainings in the CHaSCI Care Model and community health worker core competencies highlight the life expectancy gap in Chicago and the work that it will take to close the gap. Our model emphasizes the importance of cultural competency, person-centeredness, and seeking the voices of community members to inform social care programs. 

• Amplifying voices for public health: CHaSCI advocates for policies that fund public health programs and workforces, especially focusing on reimbursement for social care services through Medicare and Medicaid through our Coalition for Social Work and Health. CHaSCI also supports local, state, and national-level policies affecting social determinants of health such as housing, food security, community investment, and more.  

• Strengthening the public health workforce: CHaSCI engages in leadership and collaborations to support career development of community health workers, direct care workers and social workers through training, continuing education, and policy advocacy. Our AmeriCorps program also provides career development opportunities for 4 entry-level social care professionals each year.  

Why it matters 

Because they both focus on addressing social needs, the fields of public health and social work go hand in hand! Both fields address non-medical factors that directly impact the well-being of individuals and communities—factors like poverty, housing, education, and access to healthcare—from different angles: social workers and other social care providers work directly with target populations, while public health offers the tools and data needed to understand systemic issues and design effective interventions. This collaboration strengthens both fields, allowing for more holistic, proactive approaches to improving lives and addressing the root causes of social and health-related challenges. 

As the political landscape around us continues to change, it’s more important than ever for the fields of social work and public health to work together toward the common goals of achieving health equity and improving the nation’s health. This year’s NPHW theme reminds us that “It Starts Here”—all of us can leverage our current positions and connections to advance health in some shape or form. CHaSCI is proud to work at the intersection of health care, social care, and public health, and we’ll to continue making connections between these fields as we continue our work to improve the nation’s health through social care.