Assessment, Policy, Assurance - 10 Essentials in Public Health

Essential Service #1 Monitor Health Status to Identify Community Health Problems

Assessment of statewide health status and its determinants, including the identification of health threats and the determination of health service needs Identification of health risks and determination of health service needs.

Attention to the vital statistics and health status of groups that are at higher risk than the total population.
Identification of community assets and resources that support the local public health system (LPHS) in promoting health and improving quality of life.

Utilization of appropriate methods and technology, such as geographic information systems, to interpret and communicate data to diverse audiences.

Collaboration among all LPHS components, including private providers and health benefit plans, to establish and use population health information systems, such as disease or immunization registries.

Essential Service #2 Diagnose and Investigate Health Problems and Health Hazards in the Community

Epidemiological investigations of disease outbreaks and patterns of infectious and chronic diseases and injuries, environmental hazards, and other health threats.

Active infectious disease epidemiology programs.

Access to a public health laboratory capable of conducting rapid screening and high volume testing.

Essential Service #3 Inform, Educate and Empower People about Health Issues

Health information, health education, and health promotion activities designed to reduce health risk and promote better health.

Health communication plans and activities such as media advocacy and social marketing.

Accessible health information and educational resources.

Health education and health promotion program partnerships with schools, faith communities, work sites, personal care providers, and others to implement and reinforce health promotion programs and messages.

Essential Service #4 Mobilize Community Partnerships to Identify and Solve Health Problems

Identifying potential stakeholders who contribute to or benefit from public health, and increase their awareness of the value of public health.

Building coalitions to draw upon the full range of potential human and material resources to improve community health.

Convening and facilitating partnerships among groups and associations (including those not typically considered to be health-related) in understanding defined health improvement projects, including preventive, screening, rehabilitation, and support programs.

Essential Service #5 Develop Policies and Plans that Support Individual and Community Health Efforts

An effective governmental presence at the local level. Development of policy to protect the health of the public and to guide the practice of public health.

Systematic community-level and state-level planning for health improvement in all jurisdictions. Alignment of LPHS resources and strategies with the community health improvement plan.

Essential Service #6 Enforce Laws and Regulations that Protect Health and Ensure Safety

The review, evaluation, and revision of laws and regulations designed to protect health and safety to assure that they reflect current scientific knowledge and best practices for achieving compliance. Education of persons and entities obligated to obey or to enforce laws and regulations designed to protect health and safety in order to encourage compliance. Enforcement activities in areas of public health concern, including, but not limited to the protection of drinking water; enforcement of clean air standards; regulation of care provided in health care facilities and programs; re-inspection of workplaces following safety violations; review of new drug, biologic, and medical device applications; enforcement of laws governing the sale of alcohol and tobacco to minors; seat belt and child safety seat usage; and childhood immunizations.

Essential Service #7 Link People to Needed Personal Health Services and Assure the Provision of Health Care when Otherwise Unavailable

Identifying populations with barriers to personal health services. Identifying personal health service needs of populations with limited access to a coordinated system of clinical care. Assuring the linkage of people to appropriate personal health services through coordination of provider services and development of interventions that address barriers to care (e.g., culturally and linguistically appropriate staff and materials, transportation services).

Essential Service #8 Assure a Competent Public and Personal Health Care Workforce

Assessment of workforce (including volunteers and other lay community health workers) to meet community needs for public and personal health services.

Maintaining public health workforce standards, including efficient processes for licensure/credentialing of professional and incorporation of core public health competencies needed to provide the Essential Public Health Services into personnel systems. Adoption of continuous quality improvement and life-long learning programs for all members of the public health workforce, including opportunities for formal and informal public health leadership development.

Essential Service #9 Evaluate Effectiveness, Accessibility, and Quality of Personal and Population-Based Health Services

Assessing the accessibility and quality of services delivered and the effectiveness of personal and population-based programs provided.

Providing information necessary for allocating resources and reshaping programs.

Essential Service #10 Research for New Insights and Innovative Solutions to Health Problems

A continuum of innovative solutions to health problems ranging from practical field-based efforts to foster change in public health practice, to more academic efforts to encourage new directions in scientific research.

Linkages with institutions of higher learning and research.

Capacity to mount timely epidemiological and health policy analyses and conduct health systems research.