http://www.philly.com/r?19=960&32=3796&7=-1&40=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.philly.com%2Fphilly%2Fblogs%2Fpublic_health%2F What is public health - and why does it matter? Through prevention, education, and intervention, public health practitioners - including epidemiologists, health policy experts, municipal workers, and environmental health scientists - work to keep us healthy. But it’s not always easy. Here at The Public’s Health we’ll show you why. Stories and commentary on a wide range of contemporary, historical, and ethical matters will address the challenges that lie ahead for public health in the 21st century. en-us Thu, 31 May 2012 15:18:51 GMT 2012-05-31T15:18:51Z en-us http://www.philly.com/r?19=961&43=1003998&44=155568015&32=3796&7=1036978&40=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.philly.com%2Fphilly%2Fblogs%2Fpublic_health%2FSurprising-role-for-the-Post-Office-protection-against-bioterrorism-.html For nearly a decade, a little-discussed, perhaps ingenious plan has been in the works for the Postal Service to deliver life-saving antibiotics to homes in the event of a bioterrorist attack. Will it survive the bean counters? Thu, 31 May 2012 15:18:51 GMT cf4777367af118e3ea4a9beeb3d3f798 Jonathan Purtle 2012-05-31T15:18:51Z http://www.philly.com/r?19=961&43=1003998&44=155216685&32=3796&7=1036978&40=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.philly.com%2Fphilly%2Fblogs%2Fpublic_health%2FWhy-gay-marriage-is-healthy.html For starters, it helps protect against the homophobia whose social, economic, and political impact can be devastating to the physical and mental health of gay men and women. Tue, 29 May 2012 11:50:49 GMT ff2e4e34cdfe91c4b611b33c0d5ddca1 Michael Yudell 2012-05-29T11:50:49Z http://www.philly.com/r?19=961&43=1003998&44=153205035&32=3796&7=1036978&40=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.philly.com%2Fphilly%2Fblogs%2Fpublic_health%2FThe-Barnes-Foundation-a-monument-to-prevention-of-gonorrhea.html Something to keep in mind as you meander through the incomparable works of art at the Barnes Foundation: You are looking at the rewards of a successful gonorrhea prevention intervention developed in West Philadelphia. Fri, 25 May 2012 10:47:18 GMT 6101de392c9133637e08f95dbcfb276f Jonathan Purtle 2012-05-25T10:47:18Z http://www.philly.com/r?19=961&43=1003998&44=152432245&32=3796&7=1036978&40=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.philly.com%2Fphilly%2Fblogs%2Fpublic_health%2FShould-we-arrest-TB-patients-for-skipping-their-meds.html Reports last week of a San Francisco area man arrested on two misdemeanor counts for not taking his tuberculosis medication is shedding light on a little-known and rarely used public health policy — the power to arrest people who may endanger the public’s health. Tue, 22 May 2012 22:07:18 GMT 3a32f60d42e6177bb1bebd18c19310e2 Michael Yudell 2012-05-22T22:07:18Z http://www.philly.com/r?19=961&43=1003998&44=151826425&32=3796&7=1036978&40=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.philly.com%2Fphilly%2Fblogs%2Fpublic_health%2FHepatitis-C-A-silent-epidemic-you-can-help-stop-on-Saturday.html More than 3 million Americans are infected with the Hepatitis C virus, and half of them don’t even realize it. You could be one of them. Mon, 21 May 2012 15:31:25 GMT 4c0eebce371ba1d2294627623bc52042 Michael Yudell 2012-05-21T15:31:25Z http://www.philly.com/r?19=961&43=1003998&44=151464905&32=3796&7=1036978&40=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.philly.com%2Fphilly%2Fblogs%2Fpublic_health%2FRide-of-Silence-a-loud-cry-for-bicycle-safety-.html Textbooks will tell you that statistics are the basis for most public health decisions. In reality, it’s evocative displays of remembrance, solidarity, and outrage about lives lost that really get things done. Tue, 15 May 2012 14:50:42 GMT 6bf6b7f916880f778a2c752b9afb33a8 Jonathan Purtle 2012-05-15T14:50:42Z http://www.philly.com/r?19=961&43=1003998&44=151283765&32=3796&7=1036978&40=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.philly.com%2Fphilly%2Fblogs%2Fpublic_health%2FIts-Mothers-Day-Got-Breast-Milk.html My wife was nursing our 4-month-old daughter on a bench at a suburban mall near Boston when a stranger, a woman, approached and said: “That is disgusting!” Sun, 13 May 2012 12:35:03 GMT b59a814a883e4e4bb73f739ce941dc3f Michael Yudell 2012-05-13T12:35:03Z http://www.philly.com/r?19=961&43=1003998&44=150889775&32=3796&7=1036978&40=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.philly.com%2Fphilly%2Fblogs%2Fpublic_health%2FPhotoshopping-beauty-into-a-public-health-problem.html The fatter we get, the thinner we look in advertising. And our nation’s obesity crisis may eventually be coupled with anorexia and bulimia crises as well. Thu, 10 May 2012 18:42:09 GMT 1ddaa0dd2d19be7d381f222b3645d2ff Jonathan Purtle 2012-05-10T18:42:09Z http://www.philly.com/r?19=961&43=1003998&44=150544095&32=3796&7=1036978&40=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.philly.com%2Fphilly%2Fblogs%2Fpublic_health%2FCan-a-Bud-boycott-help-the-Pine-Ridge-Reservation.html Retailers in Whiteclay, Neb., sell more than four million cans of beer and malt liquor a year -- not to the town's 10 residents but to Indians on a reservation, a few hundred yards away, where alcohol is banned and one quarter of all children have fetal-alcohol syndrome. Should they stop? Thu, 10 May 2012 04:25:53 GMT 48fccbb4849a1c57460e3162453272fd Michael Yudell 2012-05-10T04:25:53Z http://www.philly.com/r?19=961&43=1003998&44=150328245&32=3796&7=1036978&40=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.philly.com%2Fphilly%2Fblogs%2Fpublic_health%2FLosing-your-job-may-mean-losing-your-health.html The relationship between employment status and health is well-documented – and it is something we should remind ourselves of during this ongoing downturn, and something that should motivate us to press for policies that increase jobs. Sun, 06 May 2012 10:59:19 GMT bc607e6096c97889437e08f8ac3fab1a Michael Yudell 2012-05-06T10:59:19Z http://www.philly.com/r?19=961&43=1003998&44=149946755&32=3796&7=1036978&40=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.philly.com%2Fphilly%2Fblogs%2Fpublic_health%2FBeyond-epidemic-The-Weight-of-the-Nation-points-to-an-obesity-era.html The causes of America's big problem are complex and thoroughly intertwined with our cultural, economic, and physical environments. And it's preventable. Thu, 03 May 2012 21:07:47 GMT 6d46b020c9ad93834e29022f0f3a5175 Jonathan Purtle 2012-05-03T21:07:47Z http://www.philly.com/r?19=961&43=1003998&44=146204555&32=3796&7=1036978&40=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.philly.com%2Fphilly%2Fblogs%2Fpublic_health%2FDog-doo-A-mound-of-public-health-trouble.html You don’t need a graduate degree in public health to know that dog doo is gross, but some scientific facts may make it even worse. A review. Wed, 02 May 2012 15:36:48 GMT 1b2a5d5a58450ea124ce829782af11a3 Jonathan Purtle 2012-05-02T15:36:48Z http://www.philly.com/r?19=961&43=1003998&44=149595365&32=3796&7=1036978&40=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.philly.com%2Fphilly%2Fblogs%2Fpublic_health%2FShould-we-care-about-one-mad-cow.html Are American eaters, who consume the most meat per capita in world, safe from mad cow disease? The answer is yes - but with some caveats. Tue, 01 May 2012 01:42:21 GMT 8357bb25200fa60aca2849ddf2cdff61 Michael Yudell 2012-05-01T01:42:21Z http://www.philly.com/r?19=961&43=1003998&44=149405275&32=3796&7=1036978&40=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.philly.com%2Fphilly%2Fblogs%2Fpublic_health%2FOutrage-at-the-latest-cuts-to-public-health-funding.html Good God, the horror that our government should work to improve the lives and health of its citizens! Sun, 29 Apr 2012 12:43:53 GMT 7ff597751fbe33d4cf00fcca63b7d13b Michael Yudell 2012-04-29T12:43:53Z http://www.philly.com/r?19=961&43=1003998&44=149105555&32=3796&7=1036978&40=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.philly.com%2Fphilly%2Fblogs%2Fpublic_health%2FQuakers-vs-PNC-Bank-on-the-mountaintop-.html William Penn wasn’t messing around when he founded the state of Pennsylvania in 1681, and Quakers aren’t messing around today as they get ready to walk across the state to protest PNC Bank’s financing of mountaintop removal coal mining. Fri, 27 Apr 2012 12:16:35 GMT 864623a3107f996d0d76e73ff3f43426 Jonathan Purtle 2012-04-27T12:16:35Z http://www.philly.com/r?19=961&43=1003998&44=149092875&32=3796&7=1036978&40=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.philly.com%2Fphilly%2Fblogs%2Fpublic_health%2FFunny-science.html "Life, Sex, Death (and Food): A Historical Look at the Science That Drives Us" - a performance by real comedians and real scientists (really together) - is tonight at the Philadelphia Science Festival in Old City. Thu, 26 Apr 2012 18:52:44 GMT 57c81f12e477687c8db631b5cecc73dc Michael Yudell 2012-04-26T18:52:44Z http://www.philly.com/r?19=961&43=1003998&44=148608675&32=3796&7=1036978&40=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.philly.com%2Fphilly%2Fblogs%2Fpublic_health%2FDisappointing-grades-for-sex-education-in-public-schools-.html Between 2008 and 2010, the percentage of schools teaching topics that are recommended in order to decrease rates of HIV and other sexually transmitted diseases declined in many states, including Pennsylvania. Tue, 24 Apr 2012 04:22:46 GMT 2e83e9a9c67ce8b8332f4ce153599629 Jonathan Purtle 2012-04-24T04:22:46Z http://www.philly.com/r?19=961&43=1003998&44=148337585&32=3796&7=1036978&40=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.philly.com%2Fphilly%2Fblogs%2Fpublic_health%2FJoin-us-at-the-Philadelphia-Science-Festival.html For a crowd, try today's science carnival on the Parkway. For scintillating discussion about public health, swig beer with us Tuesday night. For a hearty laugh, watch science and health historians collaborate with comedians on Thursday night. Sat, 21 Apr 2012 21:33:49 GMT f76c152930832ba62f0e54cd142f5fae Michael Yudell 2012-04-21T21:33:49Z http://www.philly.com/r?19=961&43=1003998&44=147969995&32=3796&7=1036978&40=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.philly.com%2Fphilly%2Fblogs%2Fpublic_health%2FOil-speculation-kills-on-two-wheels.html President Obama recently called on Congress to pass a package of regulatory measures to curb the illegal manipulation of oil prices. Maybe his plea would have been better received if he came at the issue from a public health perspective. Fri, 20 Apr 2012 00:11:07 GMT 6c552d951238aeab01942eba53b7f103 Jonathan Purtle 2012-04-20T00:11:07Z