ODPHP Director

The declaration of the COVID-19  public health emergency officially ends on May 11, 2023. This moment reflects the progress that has been made throughout the acute phase of the pandemic – including decreasing rates of deaths and hospitalizations. Still, many challenges continue. As we transition to the next chapter of public health, it’s imperative that we carry forward and apply all that we have learned from the past few years to ensure optimal recovery, improved health and well-being, equity, and enhanced resilience.

This month RDML Paul Reed introduces the first in a new video “vlog” series exploring individual and community recovery and resilience. In this installment, he sat down with National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) Chair, Dr. Maria Rosario Jackson for a discussion on the vital role played by the arts and culture in establishing enhanced resilience and aiding us in recovery from stressors such as the pandemic. As Dr. Jackson so eloquently refers to it – the practice of living “more artful lives”.

Heart disease has the potential to affect all people. The persistent myth that it is primarily a “men’s disease” simply isn’t true. In fact, heart disease is the leading cause of death for women in the United States. Yet only about half of women recognize this. Heart disease accounts for about 1 in 5 deaths among women every year as compared to 1 in 4 deaths in men. About 1 in 16 women age 20 years and older have coronary artery disease, the most common type of heart disease.

Health and Well-Being Matter is the monthly blog of the Director of the Office of Disease Prevention and Health Promotion. This month, RDML Paul Reed welcomes Victoria Brown, Deputy Chief of Staff at the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) and her perspectives on HUD’s approach to building robust communities in the context of the recently released Federal Plan for Equitable Long-Term Recovery and Resilience. HUD’s investment in local entities and its intentional focus on promotion of what the Vital Conditions for Health and Well-Being framework calls “civic muscle” is akin to a melding of needs, interests, resources, and tools, despite presumed agency: what's come to be known as “shared stewardship”.