What is Public Health? 

What is Public Health? 

While health care concentrates on the needs of individual patients, public health focuses on protecting and improving the health of communities through education, promotion of healthy behaviors, disease prevention and the management of environmental factors.  

Key components include: 

• Promoting healthy behaviors and lifestyles through education and community outreach. This includes initiatives to encourage exercise and healthy eating,smoking cessation, prioritizing positive mental health and the reduction of substance use.  

• Preventing the spread of disease through surveillance, implementing measures to control outbreaks and educating about avoiding potential sources of illness such as those carried by mosquitoes.  

• Addressing environmental factors which can affect health, such as air and water quality and exposure to hazardous substances. Efforts in this area seek to minimize environmental risks and promote healthy living environments.  

• Working with community partners to ensure health care services can reach everyone who qualifies. From breast and cervical cancer screenings to dental sealants for school children to programs which reduce the likelihood of infant mortality, prevention and early detection saves lives and improves wellbeing.  

• Developing plans to address emergency situations such as operating special needs shelters during hurricanes.  

Learn more about the services we provide by taking a tour of our website, and if you would like to join our dedicated public health team, we have many positions available.