Public health represents a community's efforts to prevent injury, illness, and disease, minimize their effects when they cannot, and maximize its people's well-being.
Assess and monitor population health.
Investigate, diagnose and address health hazards and root causes.
Communicate effectively to inform and educate.
Strengthen, support, and mobilize communities and partnerships.
Create, champion, and implement policies, plans, and laws.
Utilize legal and regulatory actions.
Enable equitable access.
Build a diverse and skilled workforce.
Improve and innovate through evaluation, research, and quality improvement.
Build and maintain a strong organizational infrastructure for public health.
(APHA, n.d.a)
Assessment - Systematically collect, analyze, and make available information on healthy communities.
Policy Development - Promote the use of a scientific knowledge base in policy and decision making.
Assurance - Ensure provision of services to those in need.
(Center for Surveillance, Epidemiology, and Laboratory Services, n.d.)
Resources I find myself referring to often (links are not necessarily reflective of the works' titles):
US Government and Public Health (Institute of Medicine (US) Committee on Assuring the Health of the Public in the 21st Century, 2002).
Modern Western View on the History of Public Health (Institute of Medicine (US) Committee for the Study of the Future of Public Health, 1988).
Last updated: 2023 January 18