Protecting against environmental health hazards means addressing aspects of the environment that pose risks to human health, such as monitoring air and water quality, developing policies and programs to reduce exposure to environmental health risks and promote healthy environments, and identifying and mitigating environmental risks such as foodborne and waterborne diseases, radiation, occupational health hazards, and public health nuisances. Protect against environmental health hazards Preventing the spread of infectious disease means preventing diseases that are caused by infectious agents, such as by detecting acute infectious diseases, assuring the reporting of infectious diseases, preventing the transmission of disease, and implementing control measures during infectious disease outbreaks. Prevent the spread of communicable disease

Promoting healthy communities and healthy behaviors means activities that improve health in a population, such as investing in healthy families engaging communities to change policy, systems or environments to promote positive health or prevent adverse health providing information and education about healthy communities or population health status and addressing issues of health equity, health disparities, and the social determinants of health. Promote healthy communities and healthy behavior

Assure an adequate local public health infrastructureĪssuring an adequate local public health infrastructure means maintaining the basic capacities foundational to a well-functioning public health system such as data analysis and utilization health planning partnership development and community mobilization policy development, analysis and decision support communication and public health research, evaluation and quality improvement. You can find more information on public health activities relating to these areas online. The areas of public health responsibility include (1) assuring an adequate local public health infrastructure, (2) promoting healthy communities and healthy behaviors, (3) preventing the spread of communicable disease, (4) protecting against environmental health hazards, (5) preparing for and responding to emergencies, and (6) assuring health services. They describe what people in Minnesota should expect to receive from their local health department no matter where they live, and are used by community health boards for assessment and planning purposes.

Minnesota's areas of public health responsibility within the Local Public Health Act follow. The state's partnership functions by encouraging residents to do things that benefit their health (e.g., physical activity) or create conditions to promote good health, and requiring certain actions (e.g., food safety). Governmental responsibilities for public health extend beyond voluntary activities and services to include additional authorities such as quarantine, mandatory immunization laws, and regulatory authorities. Public health promotes the welfare of the entire population, ensures its security and protects it from the spread of infectious disease and environmental hazards, and helps to ensure access to safe and quality care to benefit the population. Early prevention, which is relatively inexpensive, can prevent dire and expensive health care problems later in life.Įarly in their development, both Minnesota and the United States recognized the role of the government in protecting the public's health, and each entity makes reference to this in their constitutions as part of a 'general welfare' clause. Public health is one of the greatest things in which a government can invest. The roles of local, state, and federal governmentsĪccreditation and national public health standards Previous Chapter Next Chapter Table of Contents Government's responsibility for public health

Public health issues