History
Since 1989, the Wyoming Public Health Association (WPHA) has worked to ensure the public’s health in Wyoming. We have promoted and protected the public's health through program development, we have provided over 1500 contact hours of continuing education and professional development in our most recent annual conferences, and we have advocated on behalf of good state and local public health policy and legislation. We ensure the highest quality public health workforce; we build a strong collective voice for sound public health policies; and we work to ensure access to health care, protect funding for core public health services, eliminate health disparities and address other critical issues. Our core values include health, equity, diversity, dignity, empowerment, integrity, and knowledge for individuals and communities. We are “Promoting a Healthy Wyoming.”
Today, we represent nearly 135 members from 40 organizations in nearly all 23 counties of the state. The Wyoming public health workforce includes:
- Public health physicians and nurses
- Health educators and nutritionists
- Emergency responders
- Environmental health specialists, restaurant inspectors, and sanitarians
- Occupational health and safety professionals
- Scientists, researches and academics
- Social workers
- Epidemiologists and disease intervention specialists
- Public health veterinarians
Their work, with the support of our association and stakeholders – such as interested businesses and community leaders – helps to advance public health’s impact in the following ways.
- Saving money and improving quality of life. A healthy public gets sick less frequently and spends less money on health care, which means better economic productivity and an improved quality of life for everyone.
- Helping children thrive. Healthy kids attend school more often and perform better overall, and grow into healthy adults. Public health professionals strive to ensure that all kids grow up in a healthy environment with adequate resources, access to healthy and nutritious foods, healthy housing and comprehensive health care including dental and vision care.
- Reducing human suffering. Disease prevention and health promotion activities educate and make it easier for people to live healthy lifestyles and make the choices that help reduce cancer, heart disease and many other chronic illnesses. Public health also reduces the impact of disasters by preparing people for the effects of catastrophic events, such as hurricanes, tornadoes and terrorist attacks.