National Public Health Week 2026

NRV Recovery Ecosystem
Written By NRV Recovery Ecosystem

April 6th-11th is National Public Health Week (NPHW). Every year during the first full week of April, NPHW serves as an opportunity to highlight priority issues in public health and celebrate public health work across the nation.

NPHW began over 30 years ago, and the American Public Health Association (APHA) organizes resources and events each year to help our communities learn about public health and shape our future together. 

APHA also chooses a theme each year to guide conversations throughout the month. This year’s theme, “Ready. Set. Action!,” reminds us that health improvements do not happen on their own- we must work together to shape the health of ourselves, our families, and our communities.

National Public Health Week

Public Health Efforts Help Us Address the Opioid Crisis

At the peak of the opioid epidemic in 2023, over 75,000 people across the US (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2026) and over 2,000 Virginians (Virginia Department of Health, 2026) lost their lives to opioid overdose. Since 2013, opioid overdose has been the leading cause of unnatural death in Virginia (Virginia Commonwealth University & Virginia Department of Health, 2025). These statistics highlight the profound impacts that the opioid crisis has on our communities and the logic behind the White House declaration of the opioid epidemic as a public health emergency in 2017. 

Interventions to address this crisis are key examples of public health in action. Communities have worked tirelessly for over 20 years to address the opioid crisis and save lives; peer Recovery Specialists, community health workers, scientists, healthcare providers, and advocates across the nation have found several public health interventions that reduce fatal overdoses and improve the health of their communities. Some examples of life-saving public health interventions include:

  • Harm reduction services

  • Peer support and counseling

  • Access to naloxone

  • Fentanyl test strips

  • Prevention and education efforts

These are just a few examples of public health in action; check out the Opioid Abatement Toolkit for other evidence-based strategies being used across Virginia.

Ready. Set. Action!

We all have a stake in addressing the opioid crisis and improving the health of our communities. Take a moment during NPHW 2026 to act in your community; support your local health department, thank a public health professional, or take some time to learn more about public health work in your community.

To learn more about local efforts, check out the NRV Recovery Ecosystem Facebook Page or the togethernrv Instagram. 

References

NRV Recovery Ecosystem
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