MIAMI-DADE COUNTY HEALTH DEPARTMENT SPRING 2004 ...

National Public Health Week: “Eliminating Health Disparities”
The Miami-Dade County Health Department (MDCHD) kicked off National Public
Health Week with an event for employees and community partners at Corporate
Park. MDCHD Administrator, Lillian Rivera hosted the event, which focused on living
a healthier lifestyle.
Also, included was a proclamation from Mayor Alex Penelas, Commissioner
Barbara Carey-Shuler and Commissioner Jimmy Morales proclaiming April 5 - 12
as National Public Health Week in Miami-Dade County.
A presentation by Denise West, Director of the WIC and Nutrition program
focused on the Department's award winning 5 A Day activities. Pascale Jean,
Worksite Wellness Coordinator taught the group how to determine serving sizes
for our meals.
The keynote speaker for the day was Dr. Spencer Baron. Dr. Baron, the chiropractic
physician to the Dolphins and the Marlins gave an exciting and informative
presentation called, "A Day in the Life of Bad Habits." The presentation focused
on things we do in our everyday life that can cause injury and what can be done to
prevent such injuries.
In a letter published in The Miami Herald in April, MDCHD Administrator Lillian
Rivera wrote about the National Public Health Week: “This year's theme is
''Eliminating Health Disparities.'' The department is working to close the gap in
health indicators in our community. One of the ways is by building two new health
centers. The first is in West Perrine. The first phase of construction is almost complete.
The second center is in Little Haiti and is in the final phase of securing construction
permits. Also, our Special Immunization Van will cover ''pockets of need''
in the county.
“The health department continues bio-preparedness efforts and has implemented
a systems approach for a unified response to acts of domestic terrorism involving
biological weapons of mass destruction. We are the lead agency in all inci-
From left to right: Paula Schimpf, Arelis Valero, Lillian Rivera,
Barbara Adkison, Karen Weller and Pascale Jean.
dents involving biological terrorism. To protect first-responders, the
Vaccinate Florida plan was implemented, and hundreds were inoculated
against smallpox,” wrote Rivera in her letter to The Herald.
CONTRIBUTING WRITER: BARBARA ADKISON
Suzzane Johnson, Dr. Spencer Baron and
Olga Connor.
Employees of MDCHD participated in the
National Public Health Week.
From left to right, Marylin Rey, from the
office of Mayor Alex Penelas, Lillian Rivera
and Olga Connor.
MDCHD Celebrates National Doctor’s Day
The Florida Department of Health (DOH)
recognized March 30 as National Doctor's
Day, a date held to celebrate the nation's
physicians and their dedication to the
physical well being of their patients, communities,
and country.
Florida joined the nation in applauding
these physicians who strive each day to
treat the sick, discover new cures, prevent
illness and set benchmarks for future
excellence in public health.
“Doctor's individual and shared efforts
make an immeasurable contribution to the
people of our state,” Florida DOH
Secretary John O. Agwunobi, M.D., M.B.A.
said. “ We offer our thanks to these physicians
for striving each day to uphold outstanding
public health in Florida.”
“Congratulations to all the doctors that
work in our Department for their dedication
to public health and the many physicians in
our community that provide medical care
through the Volunteer Health Care Provider
Program,” said Lillian Rivera, MDCHD
Administrator.
Many of these physicians provide medical
care on a voluntary basis to uninsured
individuals through
the Volunteer
Health Care
Provider
Program.
Established in
1992 as part of
the Florida
Legislature's “Access to Health Care Act,”
the program is designed to recruit and
retain qualified volunteers in order to
increase access to health care for
Floridians. With this program, the Florida
Department of Health partners with over
19,000 volunteers to provide primary and
specialty health care, as well as preventive
mental, dental, tertiary, and hospitalization
services; yet many volunteers are still
needed for a range of positions including
administration, computer specialists, photographers,
medical professionals, and
specialized practitioners.
National Doctor's Day has been held
annually since 1933 when Eudora Brown
Almond introduced the idea to commemorate
Dr. Crawford Long's landmark use of
general anesthesia in surgery nearly one
hundred years prior. Since then, the
United States House of Representatives
adopted a resolution in 1958 to memorialize
Doctor's Day, and in 1990 a resolution
was signed by then-President George
Bush to designate March 30 as “National
Doctor's Day.”
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