The Rhode Island Department of Health has launched a new public awareness campaign called “Better State of Healthy,” timed to coincide with National Public Health Week.
The campaign features stories from public health professionals about the scope of RIDOH’s work and how to access the department’s resources and services. Materials include videos, social media content and a dedicated campaign microsite, with outreach available in multiple languages.
“Public health is often invisible when it’s working well, but it touches nearly every part of our daily lives,” said Director of Health Jerome Larkin, MD. “This campaign highlights the ways in which our work leads to a better state of healthy for our residents, and the dedicated staff behind that work.”
The campaign was developed after RIDOH conducted multilingual focus groups, community discussion sessions and a qualitative survey of more than 1,200 Rhode Islanders in English and Spanish. Prior research had found that many residents were unfamiliar with the department or unaware of the full range of services it provides.
RIDOH’s work includes ensuring safe drinking water and food, licensing healthcare professionals, inspecting healthcare facilities, screening for lead exposure, making vaccines available for children and working to prevent and control diseases.
As part of National Public Health Week, RIDOH will host an information fair at the State House rotunda on Tuesday, April 8, from 3 to 5 p.m. Staff will be available to share resources and answer questions.
More information is available at health.ri.gov/better-state-of-health.
