What does the national identity represent?
The logo has three aspects: (1) a three-sided blue shield; (2) a stylized “plus” sign inside on a khaki background; (3) the words “Prevent. Promote. Protect.” The shield The shield is a symbol that connotes protection and safety, concepts that we want the public to associate with local health departments. Its shape is clearly distinctive when it appears in silhouette. The stylized “plus” The stylized “plus” sign can be interpreted several ways. None of them is wrong because a symbol is an abstraction (like the Nike “swoosh”). NACCHO strove for a symbol whose various possible meanings were all related to public health. Consistent with the three curved sides of the shield, the three prongs represent the three core functions of public health (assessment, assurance and policy development). They echo the three words below, “Prevent. Promote. Protect.” The symbol is also a variation on the “plus” sign that is so familiar from the Red Cross logo and is firmly associated with health in the pub
