Role of Public Health What

Role of Public Health

What is the role of a public health department in the United States? In every county of every of the fifty states there is a public health facility, paid for by the taxpayers of the county and designed to serve the people. What kinds of healthcare issues and problems do these public health departments provide? This paper points to those services, some of which the public may not know are available.

The Literature on Public Health Agencies

The Michigan Association for Local Public Health (under the law, called Public Act 368 of 1978) (MALPH) explains in its white paper, "…Unique Role of Local Public Health Departments," that it is the duty of local public health agencies to ensure the delivery of several key services to the citizens. The role includes assessing "threats to the community from communicable and chronic diseases" and giving access to those individuals that otherwise might not have healthcare.

There are ten essential local public health services listed by the Michigan Association for Local Public Health, and they are nearly identical to the ten essential public health services that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has published as guidelines. The Michigan services include: a) monitoring the health status of the community by collecting, analyzing and managing "health-related data for knowledge-based decision"; b) diagnosing and investigating certain health hazards and health problems in the community (including the prevention of epidemics); c) informing, educating and empowering citizens as regards health issues; d) mobilizing partnerships within the community to help "identify and solve health problems"; e) developing health-related policies and plans that "support individual and community health efforts"; f) enforcing laws and guidelines that are designed to protect health and "assure safety"; g) linking people to the personal health services they need, especially people who otherwise would not have health resources available; h) assuring a "competent public health and personal health care workforce"; i) evaluating the effectiveness and accessibility and quality of health services; and j) researching for "new insights" and "innovative solutions" to health problems in the community (MALPH).

The Michigan white paper goes on to explain that local public health departments "need not provide all elements directly"; rather, each local health agency must allocate resources in areas of "highest priority" in that particular community. It is recommended however that each county in Michigan focus on three "operational components": the first component is a "strong organizational base" (that means adequate funding, being "politically and culturally sensitive"); the second is to maintain a "qualified staff" of people from multiple competencies; and the third component is having good "access to technology" (MALPH).

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention lists the same ten public health services in their fact sheet. This "framework" (adopted by many if not most states) for essential public health services is not a new idea; in fact the Core Public Health Functions Steering Committee adopted the list of ten services in 1994. In effect, this framework "should be undertaken in all communities," the CDC explains.

The Florida public health fact sheet lists only six of the ten services, but it presents several roles that it assumes, including "Health Protection" against naturally occurring environmental conditions. One can take for granted this is referring to hurricanes when the fact sheet explains that "…environmental conditions… are often of such magnitude and complexity that only government can mount an adequate response" (www.doh.state.fl.us). It is clear that a major hurricane slamming into Florida could contaminate the "air, ground, water, and food" so a reader assumes the Florida Health fact sheet is talking about protecting citizens from the fury and the aftermath of a hurricane. Public health agencies have their work cut out for them protecting people from all the damage and contamination that can occur when a hurricane strikes.