Part IIPart II

Participants in Public Health

Official and VoluntaryOfficial and VoluntaryPublic Health SectorsPublic Health Sectors

Official agencies assigned specific responsibilities for a geo-political unit or programmatic area

Private not-for-profit voluntary agencies with commitment to a particular issue or population

Public and private providers of personal care

Federal Public Health AgenciesFederal Public Health Agencies

The US has no Cabinet Secretary of Health, unlike most other countries

Almost every federal agency has some responsibility that impacts the health of the public

Federal AgenciesFederal AgenciesContinuedContinued

Environmental Protection Agency US Department of Agriculture Department of Labor - Occupational

Safety and Health Administration Department of Veterans Affairs Department of Transportation

Federal AgenciesFederal AgenciesContinuedContinued

Department of Defense Housing and Urban Development White House

Office of Management & BudgetOffice of Drug Control PolicyOffice of AIDS Policy

State Public Health AgenciesState Public Health Agencies

State public health agency (dept of health, dept of public health)

Umbrella human services agency Agency on aging (often includes long

term care planning/licensing) Medicaid Mental health agency

State AgenciesState AgenciesContinuedContinued

Substance abuse agency Environment (water, air, soil quality;

waste disposal) Agriculture (food, dairy, pesticides) State-OSHA Health planning agency Health professions licensing bodies

Did you know that . . .Did you know that . . .

South Carolina’s first public health employee was Dr. Fred Williams, in 1908?

The Department of Health and Environmental Control was created in 1973?

Local and CommunityLocal and CommunityPublic HealthPublic Health

County, city or district health departments County, city or district mental health,

substance abuse or environmental agency Special taxing districts for public hospitals,

home health, environmental control or public health

Local zoning authority

Did you know that . . .Did you know that . . .

Orangeburg and Greenwood counties established the first county health departments in the state, in 1915, to combat hookworm?

Every county had a health department by 1936?

County health staff were transferred to the state payroll in 1981?

Voluntary Associations Voluntary Associations

Disease- or issue-specific organizations Advocacy groups Professional and industrial

organizations Coalitions with health as only or major

topic

Hospitals and OtherHospitals and OtherCare SystemsCare Systems

Access to care is an essential public health service

Health-department-operated hospital, personal care program, or strong relationship with the local provider systems

Other Care SystemsOther Care SystemsContinuedContinued

The structure of public health services varies over time and place depending on size and composition of uninsured population and economics and attitudes of care systems

Care systems may join population-focused activities for a variety of reasons

Discussion TimeDiscussion Time

Identify the components of the public health system serving your community

Be sure to include non-governmental participants

Summary of Module 1, Part 2Summary of Module 1, Part 2

US public health services may be comprised of federal, state and local governmental agencies, not-for-profit organizations, hospitals and other health care providers, and voluntary associations

The exact structure of the system varies by issue and over time

Module AuthorModule Author

Kristine M. Gebbie, DrPH, RN

Columbia University School of Nursing

Center for Health Policy