Canton City Health Commissioner

James M. Adams, RS, MPH

As the Health Commissioner of Canton City Public Health, I only need to look at the national public health logo for inspiration to perform my duties. “Prevent, Promote, Protect.” Though only three words, these are large challenges for any public health worker.

Prevent: Whether our department is preventing disease through inspection standards, environmental controls, or health education, it’s a big job. Some public health practices have surprisingly changed little since we became a department in 1849. Yet modern health science and technology have allowed us to become more efficient in gathering data for health surveillance, more timely in our laboratory analyses, and more accurate in our record keeping for example.

Promote: The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention tells us that over 50% of life threatening conditions are caused by our own behavior: tobacco and alcohol use; diet; inactivity; hygiene. Health promotion includes more than education. Working with other organizations and agencies to determine and then implement strategies to reduce barriers for healthful living choices is an important role for our department.

Protect: Clean air, childhood immunizations, STD tests and treatment, and many other duties are a continued effort to protect our residents from health threats. Should a health emergency erupt in our community, we are preparing to protect our residents with all of our skill. It is a major responsibility to respond to epidemics or terrorist acts.

As you read through our web-site, it is easy to forget for whom we provide programming. Public Health is a complex endeavor involving the collaborative efforts of trained professionals, community groups, concerned citizens, and you to make our community a healthy place for healthy people. This programming is for you, the citizens and visitors of this great community. It is my hope that you will be able to use the information on this web site to empower your decisions to better health in a healthy community.

You may view the Health Commissioner Biography at any time.