|
|
| Home | Current Issue | Archives | Topic Collections | Search | Blog | Subscribe | Contact Us | Help |
The Elements Of Public Health |
PROLOGUE
The Elements Of Public Health
PROLOGUE: The response of authorities to the anthrax scare of fall 2001 was widely criticized as uneven at best and ineffectual at worst. This response arguably has contributed to erosion in the public’s confidence that they will be protected in the event of future incidents. Neighboring jurisdictions often disseminated confusing, contradictory, and at times inaccurate information to the media, health care providers, and the public, while existing resources nearly buckled under the burden of investigating hundreds of false claims, testing well over 100,000 environmental samples for contamination, and distributing prophylactic antibiotics to thousands at risk for exposure. Such missteps, although sobering, were nevertheless instructive in that they highlighted clear deficiencies in our bioterrorism preparedness capacity. Acting with uncharacteristic dispatch, Congress responded by greatly boosting funding levels for the Office of Public Health Preparedness from the previous $300 million to roughly $3 billion.
But shortcomings in the preparedness response also reflect what many in the public health community have long held is a serious and consistent erosion in the public health system’s ability to respond to both acute and chronic challenges to the population’s health, ranging from bioterrorism preparedness and West Nile virus containment to injury prevention. Such so-called dual-capacity functions essential to the success of public health efforts include the ability to collect, analyze, and exchange disease surveillance data; develop consistent prevention and containment strategies; and deliver essential services to the community efficiently.
The papers that follow discuss challenges to, and prescriptions for, improving and rebuilding three pillars of public health infrastructure viewed as essential to the public health system’s ability to fulfill its core mission: data and information systems, the public health workforce, and organizational capacity. First, John Lumpkin and Margaret Richards challenge lawmakers to provide leadership in requiring the development of unified public health data standards capable of responding to current and future challenges. A window of opportunity is now open, when the availability of federal funds and implementation of improved data reporting requirements have created conditions favorable for rebuilding the public health information infrastructure. Next, Kristine Gebbie, Jacqueline Merrill, and Hugh Tilson provide insight into how the diverse, multidisciplinary public health workforce defines itself and its core competencies; they identify some of the tensions inherent in working toward ensuring adequate staffing levels in economically pressured times. Finally, Bernard Turnock and Christopher Atchison chronicle the forces contributing to the erosion of governmental public health efficacy in the latter part of the twentieth century and propose strategies for remediation, including a fundamental realignment in the interaction among federal, state, and local public health authorities and resources.
| Home | | | Current Issue | | | Archives | | | Topic Collections | | | Search | | | Blog | | | Subscribe | | | Contact Us | | | Help |
|
© 2001-2002 Project
HOPE–The People-to-People Organization |
||||||||||||||||