Robin Iszler, Emergency Preparedness and Response Program Representative
Link to video of public health professional Robin Iszler: https://vimeo.com/1074770102
This Public Health Week, HHS is highlighting employees who make a difference in their communities with the work they do to help North Dakota become the healthiest state in the nation.
Robin’s career in public health
Robin Iszler has worked in the public health field for over 30 years. She began her public health career at Central Valley Health District in Jamestown, N.D., where she held various roles until 2022 when she retired. In 2023, Robin joined the Emergency Preparedness and Response (EPR) Unit in HHS. She works in the Medical Reserve Corps (MRC) Leadership Program as a program representative and devotes her time to training MRC volunteers.
Why she loves it
Robin joined the EPR team because of her previous working relationship with the section.
“Taking proactive steps to ensure community safety before, during and after a disaster is important for successful outcomes,” she says. “This has always interested me since I was involved in several floodings and disease outbreaks during my career, and the training and guidance I received from EPR was valuable in helping our community respond.”
Robin says her favorite part about working in EPR is providing training and guidance to other communities and individuals, so they are prepared to handle emergencies and disasters.
“This work is important to protect our local communities during times of large-scale disasters and events. People need to understand prior to a disaster where they can turn for support. Our goal is to help communities by practicing types of disasters and maintaining resources for assistance.”
Community in public health
Robin has been involved with helping her community increase walking opportunities and create a health and safety fair for kids.
“These types of events bring people together to learn who the health department is,” says Robin.
According to Robin, public health is a silent partner in the community, meaning when things are going well, the public does not hear about it, but when there is uncertainty with health, it becomes more known.
“I can’t tell you how many times people said to me: ‘I didn’t know public health did that,’” says Robin. “In order to be credible, we need the public to know who we are at all times by increasing our presence in the community.”
Public health advancements
Robin says when looking back over her career, there have been many public health advancements.
“During the late 1990s and throughout the 2000s, there was a movement towards improving public health policy and access to prevention activities,” says Robin. “Things like tobacco prevention, cancer prevention, emergency preparedness, mental health and substance abuse prevention, environmental health policies, improving access to immunizations, school nursing and increased community and national partnerships.”
Robin says real world events such as 9/11, North Dakota floods, H1N1 and COVID-19 tested the response of the public health systems in North Dakota and strengthened partnerships.
Advice to new public health professionals
Robin advises new public health professionals to form community partnerships, listen to members of the community to identify health issues and concerns and then work together sharing resources to make change, even if they are small things.
This Public Health Week, we thank the dedicated public health workers like Robin who often work in the background to strengthen the health and well-being of communities in North Dakota.