Public Health Thank You Day

What even is it? Let's make it constructive.

Apparently, this week marked the celebration of Public Health Thank You Day. 

I’m not even sure what that is.  I think I first heard of it last year, from within one of the lowest points of my depths of public health unemployment.  

Many of my friends, colleagues, and contacts who are also public health professionals also appear to be unsure about Public Health Thank You Day, although we have some vague wooly positive feelings towards people who want to say “thank you” to us for conducting tasks that they don’t seem to understand either.

Can anyone out there provide any background on who came up with #PHTYD and its goals? Please get in touch. It would be great to use it to be constructive together with the public health workforce.

Image: Public Health Thank You Day, from American Public Health Association’s social media toolkit

Celebrations

This year, I celebrated Public Health Thank You Day by continuing to work towards developing community among beleaguered public health professionals. Some day in the future, I dream of celebrating Public Health Thank You Day in a world where public health looks like this:

💡 Public health professionals feel healthy and are fulfilled by their work. They are inspired and motivated by the values of their profession.

📈 Public health professionals are well-paid, feel secure in their jobs, and appreciate opportunities for professional growth and flexibility.

🔗 Workplaces are healthy; managers are supportive; employees feel trusted.

🎉 New entrants into the profession are treated with respect and decency.

🦉 Public health is recognized and valued as a powerful force for good.

Until then, I will keep speaking out about the challenges we face and continue to build community among the public health workforce.  

What are the changes you want to celebrate for Public Health Thank You Day in the future? Let’s chat in the comments.

Changes and action

Being thanked is very pleasant, but can we go further? Next time you see one of those posts, whether it’s from an individual or an institution, please consider asking the poster what they are going to actually DO to work towards improving current conditions among the public health workforce? Call attention to some of the challenges that we need to work to overcome?

I’ll paste below some of the text I posted as comments. All are welcome to share and adapt to their own purposes and use out there on social media. Seek out the voices celebrating #PHTYD all over LinkedIn and ask what actions they are taking for the public health workforce, and how we public health professionals can get involved to offer our support?

❝You’re welcome! It’s great to be seen and to be appreciated.

But what this #publichealth professional really wants to know is what you, your colleagues, your institution, and people throughout your networks are are going to DO to work towards improving conditions for the public health #workforce.

👏🏿Will you speak out in support of those of us who are yet again unemployed?

👏🏼Will you lobby for funding for stable jobs?

👏Will you advocate for professional development opportunities?

👏🏽Will you work towards eradicating toxicity and dysfunction in our workplaces?

👏🏾Will you call attention to job applicants being mistreated?

Please tell us how, and invite us to join you. There’s so much work to be done for the #PublicHealthWorkforce.❞