Celebrating Public Health Thank You Day

The Monday before Thanksgiving marks Public Health Thank You Day, a chance to express appreciation for those on the front lines of public health.

Family medicine and public health are inextricably linked. Comprehensive care, including preventive care, is a key pillar of primary care. Likewise, preventive care, in the context of population health, is a key pillar of public health.

It should be no surprise, then, that family physicians often serve as health officers for their communities. That’s certainly true in all corners of Washington — literally: Asotin County in the southeast, Clark County in the southwest, Clallam County in the northwest, and Pend Oreille County in the northeast all rely on family medicine doctors as their health officers. So do many other jurisdictions in between.

Half of the four regional medical officers — a group created by the state legislature in 2021 and administered by the Washington State Department of Health — are family physicians too.

We pause today to offer our gratitude to not only those physicians but all of the staff and leadership whose work, though largely unseen, keeps Washingtonians safe. Thank you!