Transcript Public Health in Iowa

Public Health
in Iowa
IDPH
Public Health in Iowa
 1988 report by the institute of medicine,
The Future of Public Health, provides a
broad definition of public heath as
“what we, as a society, do collectively
to assure the conditions in which people
can be healthy.”
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Public Health in Iowa
 Public Health’s mission, according to a
1994 report by the Essential Services
Work Group – a committee of public
health officials organized by the CDC
and HHS – is to:
“promote physical and mental health
and prevent disease, injury and
disability.”
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Public Health in Iowa
Public health deals with the health of
everyone rather than the health of
individuals, but in a broad sense, all health
care is part of public health.
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Public Health in Iowa
 The same 1988 report identifies the core
functions of public health as
 assessment, which is collection and analysis of health
data;
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policy development, which assures that scientific
principles are used in public health decision making;
and
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assurance, which guarantees that services necessary
to achieve public health goals are provided.
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Public Health in Iowa
 The 1994 Work Group report also established
public health’s fundamental obligations,
which are to
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prevent epidemics and the spread of disease;
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protect against environmental hazards;
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respond to disasters and assist communities in
recovery; and
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assure the quality and accessibility of health
services.
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Public Health in Iowa
 Becoming still more specific, the report
establishes public health’s “10 essential
services.”
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Monitor health status to identify and solve
community health problems.
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Diagnose and investigate health problems and
health hazards in the community.
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Inform, educate, and empower people about health
issues.
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Public Health in Iowa
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Mobilize community partnerships and action to
identify and solve health problems.
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Develop policies and plans that support
individual and community health efforts.
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Enforce laws and regulations that protect health
and ensure safety.
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Link people to needed personal health services
and assure the provision of health care when
otherwise unavailable.
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Public Health in Iowa
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Assure a competent public and personal health
care workforce.
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Evaluate effectiveness, accessibility, and
quality of personal and population-based
services.
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Research for new insights and innovative
solutions to health problems.
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Public Health in Iowa
 Unlike Medicaid or similar federal, state or local
programs, public health is NOT a collection of
programs for the poor. It affects everyone who
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drinks public drinking water,
eats in a restaurant,
buys milk,
has an elderly relative who needs home care,
needs emergency medical services,
wants to avoid getting sick from an infectious disease,
and
is concerned about preparedness for natural or
intentional disasters.
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Public Health in Iowa
 In Iowa, at the state and local levels, public
health promotes and protects the health of all
Iowans, and the local public health agency is
the front line of this promotion and protection.
Societies that have poor public health also have
high rates of disease, poor health status, and a
greater need for medical care.
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Public Health in Iowa
Public health is basic to society. Public
services, such as roads, economic
assistance, and record keeping have little
meaning for people who don’t have their
health.
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Public Health in Iowa
For the state and for local communities,
public health is an economic issue,
because healthy workers are productive
and a good public health system attracts
business.
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Public Health in Iowa
Public health is an education issue
because healthy children learn.
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Public Health in Iowa
An article published by the Centers for
Disease Control (CDC) says that
Americans live 30 years longer than they
did 100 years ago, and 25 of those years
can be attributed to public health.
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Public Health in Iowa
The 10 greatest advances in public health have been
 Advances in treatment
and prevention of heart
disease and stroke
 The decrease in tobacco
use
 Better care for mother
and babies
 Fluoridation of drinking
water
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Vaccinations
Safer work places
Safer and healthier food;
Vehicle safety
Control of infectious
diseases
 Family planning
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Public Health
in Iowa
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