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Health Education and Information

To promote, encourage, and contribute to the health of all people in Larimer County through information, education, advocacy, and community organization. This mission is accomplished by:

  • Assessing health needs of Larimer County populations
  • Planning, implementing, and consulting on health education programs
  • Serving as a resource to others in the delivery of credible and understandable health information
  • Evaluating the effects of health education
  • Working with local coalitions to address public health policies and issues.

Tobacco Education and Prevention

To reduce the burden of disease and suffering of the people in Larimer County caused by tobacco-use by: reducing initiation of tobacco use by youth; promoting cessation of tobacco use among youth and adults; reducing exposure to environmental smoke; and eliminating the disparities in tobacco use among specific populations.

Adolescent Health/Pregnancy Prevention

To serve the reproductive health education needs of teens and adults in Larimer County through assessment of needs, clinical service referral, and educational programs to prevent or reduce unplanned pregnancy and sexually transmitted disease.

Frequently Asked Questions

  1. What is a health educator?
    A health educator is a health professional who has been trained to plan, implement, and evaluate programs which promote healthy behaviors. A health education professional should have a degree from a college or university such as a BS/BA in Health Science, Health Education, or Public Health. A master's degree or higher such as MA, MPH, PhD are other credentials. A Certified Health Education Specialist is an additional credential of a qualified professional.
  2. What do health educators do?
    Health educators design and prepare health education materials. They work with community groups to plan and implement health programs. They provide public presentations , convene community groups for gathering information, and design and present public health information programs. Health educators train staff and volunteers. They write grants and proposals for programs. They work with the news media and community organizations to carry out community health promotion campaigns. Health educators advocate for health by serving on committees, task forces and panels, organizing coalitions and task forces.
  3. Where do I get information on health topics?
    There are many Internet sources of credible health information. A good place to start is the Centers for Disease Control website (www.cdc.gov), the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment (www.cdphe.co.state.us) and throughout the Larimer County Health Department website. The National Library of Medicine (www.nlm.nih.gov) has multiple links to consumer health information and is also the home of MEDLINE, a web-based medical literature system (www.pubmed.gov). These websites will link you to other credible health information websites. In addition, health statistics related to Larimer County disease rates, birth and death statistics and local health surveys are available. HealthInfoSource is a local website that contains information organized by topic.
  4. How is the Health Education program funded?
    Funding for most programs comes from a variety of sources including Federal, state and local grants and Larimer County taxes.

    Related Internet Sites

    Health Information

    Communicable Disease:

    Health Education Professional Standards and Credentialing:

    General health topics:

    Health Statistics

    Contact Information

    Health Education Supervisor / Public Information Officer:
    Jane Viste, M.P.H.
    498-6750
    Send E-mail

    Tobacco Education and Prevention Supervisor:
    Janna West Kowalski, M.S.
    498-6749
    Send E-mail