Public Health

The purpose of public health is to improve the health of

the public by promoting healthy lifestyles, preventing disease

and injury, and protecting the health of communities. In the

past, shrinking public health resources have supported personal

health services over community health. In public health

practice, the community is the population of interest. With

the proposed changes to health care financing, the personal

health care system will be under increasing pressure to provide

the services that health departments previously provided.

Traditionally served by public health, the most vulnerable

populations will pose tremendous challenges for private health

care providers. Public health will be responsible for partnering

with private providers to care for these populations.

Providing population-based care requires a dramatic shift

in thinking from individual-based care. Some of the practical

demands of population-based care are the following:

1. It must be recognized that populations are not homogeneous;

therefore it is necessary to address the needs of

special subpopulations within populations.

2. High-risk and vulnerable subpopulations must be identified

early in the care delivery cycle.

3. Nonusers of services often become high-cost users

4. Quality and cost of all health care services are linked

together across the health care continuum. (Kaiser Family

Foundation, 2010.)

Nurses in community and public health have an opportunity

to share their expertise regarding population-based

approaches to health care for groups of individuals across

health care settings. Today, health care practitioners require

additional skills in assessment, policy development, and

assurance to provide community public health practice and

population-based service. Health care professionals should

focus attention