Many people forget about public health until there’s and outbreak, like the rise of H1N1 virus (or Swine Flu). Public health is a field of medicine that operates in areas other than infectious disease, and long before an epidemic takes hold.
Public Health, in fact, includes the “protection and improvement” of overall health of the masses. Historically, public health has concentrated on communicable diseases, hygiene, and prevention of epidemics. The discipline has expanded over the years to encompass chronic disease prevention, community-based health studies and programs, and effective health promotion.
Disease
Public health officials must stay on top of all new and recurring outbreaks. This includes not only communicable diseases, but also hereditary and lifestyle diseases, like many cancers and heart disease. Much of their time is spent in overseeing the search for cures, treatments and improving diagnostic processes and equipment. Prevention and eradication are the ultimate goals, but the road to either is long and winding.
The tools that public health officials use to track outbreaks and the evolution of new disease are also very important. Tools like the World Health Organization’s Geographic Information Systems help accomplish this.
Communal Health
On a community level, the local health department serves the same purpose. They track disease, but also provide things like testing kits, prophylactics, and education on nutrition, reproduction and development. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) sees to the health of all Americans, regardless of income status. They continue to redefine public health through their programs.
Pooling talents
HHS does not work alone. It coops resources and manpower from other government agencies in order to oversee the health of the American public. For example, although the local HHS houses the WIC program, or the Special Supplemental Nutritional Program for Women, Infant and Children, the U.S. Department of Agriculture runs it.
The program ensures that pregnant or breastfeeding women and their children under the age of five receive the proper nutrition needed for development. The program wouldn’t be possible without the HHS organization and administration. It also must have the Department of Agriculture’s access to the American food supply.
Mesothelioma Provides cutting edge information for individuals who have received a mesothelioma prognosis, including a list of the latest clinical trials. |