Why We Offer Public Health

Why We Offer Public Health

Public health is the science and art of preventing disease, prolonging life, and promoting health through organized efforts and informed choices of society. It focuses on improving the health of populations rather than individual patients. This involves various activities like disease prevention, health promotion, and addressing health disparities. 

Key aspects of public health:

Disease Prevention:

Public health aims to prevent the spread of infectious diseases and the development of chronic diseases through measures like vaccination programs, promoting healthy behaviors, and controlling environmental hazards. 

Health Promotion:

This involves efforts to improve overall well-being and quality of life by addressing social, economic, and environmental factors that affect health. 

Health Equity:

Public health works to reduce health disparities and ensure that all populations have access to the resources and opportunities needed for good health. 

Public Health System:

A public health system includes all public, private, and voluntary entities that contribute to delivering essential public health services within a specific area. 

Examples of Public Health Activities:

These include controlling the spread of communicable diseases, promoting healthy nutrition, improving air and water quality, ensuring safe workplaces, and reducing accidents. 

Why is public health important?

Public health improves our quality of life, helps children thrive, reduces human suffering and saves money. Every day, the public health field is working – often behind the scenes – to prevent hazards and keep people healthy. For example, public health is responsible for:

• Tracking disease outbreaks and vaccinating communities to avoid the spread of disease.
• Setting safety standards to protect workers.
• Developing school nutrition programs to ensure kids have access to healthy food.
• Advocating for laws to keep people safe, including smoke-free indoor air and seatbelts.
• Working to prevent gun violence.
• Addressing the impact of climate change on our health
• Declaring racism as a public health crisis.

Who are public health professionals?

Public health work spans government, business and nonprofit sectors. Here are some examples of public health professionals:

• Restaurant inspectors       
• Health educators
• Community health workers         
• Scientists and researchers
• Nutritionists         
• Community planners
• Social workers
• Epidemiologists
• Public health physicians and nurses
• Occupational health and safety professionals
• Policymakers
• Sanitarians
• First responders
• Biostatisticians

What’s the difference between health care and public health?

The health care industry treats people who are sick, while public health aims to prevent people from getting sick or injured in the first place. Public health also focuses on entire populations, while health care focuses on individual patients.