; Whereas first responders who put themselves in harm’s way to protect and defend the public health are an imperative resource to the United States and its citizens; Whereas public health professionals are devoted to preventing other infectious diseases from spreading and to reducing the impact of the spectrum of longstanding and emerging global health threats in order to forestall and minimize the damage of future outbreaks; Whereas public health professionals play a key role in addressing the growing mental health crisis in the United States with approximately 50,000,000 people in the United States in 2022 having experiences mental illness, and more than 49,500 having committed suicide; Whereas public health professionals play a critical role in combating opioid addiction and opioid-related overdose deaths, which are devastating communities across the Nation; Whereas public health professionals are pivotal to combating antimicrobial resistance, which affects 2,800,000 people in the United States and leads to the deaths of at least 35,000 Americans and 1,700,000 individuals globally each year; Whereas public health professionals play a central role in reducing racial, ethnic, and geographical disparities in health and health care that erode the Nation’s strength, prosperity, and productivity; Whereas COVID–19 has intensified health disparities, disproportionately affecting communities of color and creating acute health care challenges in rural areas of the Nation; and Whereas public health professionals are among the heroic first responders who confront and work to prevent natural disasters and environmental hazards that present a persistent threat to the life, health, and safety of all individuals in the United States: Now, therefore, be it