It’s an exciting and
challenging place to be. As you explore our website, I hope you
sense our dedication to excellence and will share it with others
as together we educate and promote healthy communities.
Health Education and
Promotion (HEP) is one of 9 Divisions and Offices of Harris
County Public Health and Environmental Services (HCPHES). HEP seeks to
develop and implement strategies to change or modify behaviors
and environments to prevent disease and promote the health of
the population in Harris County. As HCPHES continues to develop
policy to ensure coordinated approach for priority public health
issues as noted in the
HCPHES Strategic Plan 2005-2010,
Health Education and Promotion will be able to
provide expertise in the development, implementation and
evaluation of evidence based interventions and/or methods.
This division’s success
requires the collaborative effort of a talented and dedicated
staff, our relationship with other HCPHES Divisions and support
from community partners. HEP is committed to:
Several of our staff are
Certified Health Education Specialists (CHES) indicating they
are qualified professionals who design, conduct and evaluate
activities that help improve the health of all people.
The scope of work for Health
Education and Promotion is cross-cutting in the health
department – skills are not limited to a single topic/issue. As
such our division's organization represents the variety of
sectors in which health education plays a role in impacting the
health of Harris County citizens--environmental health, school
health, community health. Health education interventions
can take place in diverse settings that include schools,
communities, health care facilities, worksites, and colleges and
universities.
Once again, I invite you to
visit HEP and HCPHES website to learn more about our commitment
to a healthy Harris County.
Linda E. Forys, EdM, CHES
Director, Health Education
and Promotion
lforys@hcphes.org
