Community Health Planning and Statistics

The mission of public health is to "fulfill society's interest in assuring conditions in which people can be healthy."¹

Public health carries out its mission through organized, interdisciplinary efforts to address the physical, mental and environmental health concerns of communities and populations at risk for disease and injury. This is achieved through health promotion and disease prevention technologies and interventions designed to improve and enhance quality of life.

Health promotion and disease prevention encompass a broad array of functions and expertise, including the three core public health functions:

• Identifying health problems and priorities and assessing and monitoring the health of communities and populations at risk.

• Formulating public policies, in collaboration with community and government leaders, to solve identified local and national health problems and priorities.

• Assuring all populations have access to appropriate and cost-effective care, including health promotion and disease prevention services and evaluation of the effectiveness of that care.

¹(Institute of Medicine, Committee for the Study of the Future of Public Health, Division of Health Care Services. 1988. The Future of Public Health. National Academy Press, Washington, DC)