Health Care

Public And Community Health

Choose a health issue prevalent in your community. STAFFING/ COVID

Research national, state, and local government health agency websites for information on your chosen health issue.

Write a 700- to 1,050-word summary of your findings. Your summary should:

Analyze the structure and function of public health at national, state, and local levels. In your analysis, include:
What type of structure you see between levels of government
What functions you see at each level of government
How the levels of government work together
Use specific examples from your research to validate your points.

Include at least 3 references.

ANSWER

Public and Community Health

The COVID-19 pandemic affected different people in different ways around the world and in the US.  The virus hit the United States, destabilizing the public health system and leading to the death of many people. According to CDC (2020), the role of public health during the pandemic was to ensure the delivery of equitable healthcare in the rural communities that have not been fully appreciated. The pandemic is a universal problem that requires the federal, StateState and local governments to work together to ensure the well-being of the citizens. There has been an increasing need for robust public health infrastructure, but the federal investment in public health has declined with the health department working with the increased gaps in resources (DeSalvo et al., 2021).

The federal government’s role in the public health system is to survey the needs of the population and their health needs and status. The federal government has a vital role in the public health system that involves setting policies and standards, passing laws and regulations, and supports in biomedical and health research services. The federal government’s responsibilities extend beyond voluntary activities and services. It includes additional authorities such as quarantine and mandatory immunization laws. For example, during the pandemic, the federal government exercised its authority to quarantine and announce a countrywide curfew to curtail the spread of COVID-19.

The States are the principal government entity. They are responsible for protecting the public’s health. They, for instance, conduct a wide range of activities. For example, to prevent the spread of COVID-19, many States carried out the governmental mandate and issued curfews in their States. They also ordered fir quarantine and for people to work from home to prevent spreading the virus further. Apart from carrying out the governmental mandates, they also collect and analyze information, set policies and standards, assure access to health for the underserved residents, and respond to health hazards and crises.

The local health departments are the frontline officers in the public health agencies. The local public health departments are responsible for the direct provision of public health services to the population. The local government is involved in the communicable disease control programs, they provide screenings and immunizations (Minnesota Department of Health, n.d). The local government is responsible for ensuring that the local population is tested for COVID-19 and that they receive the vaccination. They are also responsible for the collection of data on the number of people who have received the vaccine and those who have not. Local health departments work under the State government or under the local jurisdiction.

The local and StateState health departments work together with federal agencies. Especially those within the US Department of Health and Human Services (Minnesota Department of Health, n.d). The Center for Disease Control and Prevention, for example, works with the local and StateState governments to control communicable disease outbreaks and ensure mass immunization. For example, CDC worked with the State and local governments to control the spread of COVID-19 and to also ensure that the majority of the population is immunized. The federal government is also responsible for providing help to the State government in case the State resources are depleted. It also helps with guidance work such as emergency preparedness. The pandemic is one of the biggest lessons in the US public health systems as it exposed the weaknesses in the system. However, the pandemic also saw the federal, StateState and local public health systems working together to fight the pandemic and save the lives of the Americans.

References

Center for Disease Control and Prevention. (2020).The Role of Public Health in COVID-19 Emergency Response Efforts from a Rural Perspective. https://www.cdc.gov/pcd/issues/2020/20_0256.htm

DeSalvo, K., Hughes, B., Bassett, M., Benjamin, G., Fraser, M., Galea, S., & Gracia, J. N. (2021). Public health COVID-19 impact assessment: lessons learned and compelling needs. NAM perspectives, 2021.

Minnesota Department of Health. (n.d). Government’s responsibility for public health. https://www.health.State.mn.us/communities/practice/resources/chsadmin/mnsystem-responsibility.html