Whereas the week of April 3, 2017, through April 9, 2017, is National Public Health Week; Whereas the theme for National Public Health Week in 2017 is Healthiest Nation 2030 , with the goal of making the United States the healthiest nation in one generation; Whereas according to the National Academy of Medicine, despite being one of the wealthiest nations in the world, the United States ranks below many other economically prosperous and developing countries with respect to measures of health, including life expectancy and the rate of infant mortality; Whereas the life expectancy for the United States population declined for the first time in more than two decades, and the leading causes of deaths are among the most common, costly, and preventable of all health problems; Whereas there is a significant difference in the health status, such as that relating to obesity, poor mental health, and infectious disease, of people living in the healthiest States compared to people living in the least healthy States; Whereas despite having a high infant mortality rate compared to other economically prosperous and developing countries, and the death rate varying greatly among States, overall, the United States was making steady progress, until recently, with the infant mortality rate reaching a historic low of 5.8 infant deaths per 1,000 live births in 2014; Whereas opioid-involved deaths have more than quadrupled since 1999, requiring a comprehensive strategy across a range of sectors, including robust efforts to prevent substance misuse disorders; Whereas the percentage of adults smoking cigarettes in the United States, the leading cause of preventable disease and death in the United States and accounting for more than 480,000 deaths each year, decreased from 20.9 percent in 2005 to 15.1 percent in 2015; Whereas the value of a strong public health system is in the air we breathe, the water we drink, the food we eat, and the places where we all live, learn, work, and play