1.2 Organizations that Shape Community and Public Health Flashcards
Introduction
- Community and public health used to be about reacting to emergencies as they occurred but now it is about prevention, health promotion, and emergency preparedness.
Governmental Health Agencies
- Funded by tax dollars
World Health Organization (International)
- Mission is to help people attain the highest possible level of health through setting international health standards, providing guidance on health issues, coordinating international responses to health emergencies, and advocating for better global health.
Principles
- Peace, security, disarmament (reduction of military and weapons)
- Development and poverty eradication
- Protecting common environment
- Human rights, democracy, and good governance
- Protecting the vulnerable
- Meeting unique needs of Africa
- Strengthening United Nations
Millennium Development Goals (MDG)
- Goals related to eradicating poverty, hunger, gender inequality, lack of drinking water access, and environmental degradation.
Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) (NATIONAL)
- Health policy development, enforcing health regulations, funding research.
- Mission is to protect the health and well-being of Americans.
Administration for Children and Families (ACF)
- Promotes economic/social well being for families, children, individuals, communities
Aims
- Empower families/individuals to increase economic independence/productivity
- Encourage supportive communities to have positive quality of life impact and development of children
- Partner with front-line services providers to identify and implement solutions that transcend traditional programs.
- Improve access to services
- Address needs of vulnerable populations including refugees and minorities
Centers for Medicare/Medicaid Services (CMS)
- Administers Medicare/Medicaid
- Administers Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP)
Other Objectives
- Quality standards in long-term care facilities (nursing homes) through survey and certification processes
- Clinical laboratory quality standards under Clinical Laboratory Improvement Amendments (CLIA)
Administration for Community Living (ACL)
- Follows the principle that older adults and people with disabilities should be able to live where they want with the people they choose and be able to fully participate in their communities.
Food and Drug Administration (FDA)
- Ensures safety, efficacy and security of human and veterinary drugs, biological products, and medical devices.
- Ensures safety of nations food supply, cosmetics, and products that emit radiation.
- Advances public health by helping to speed innovations to make medical products safer, more effective and affordable.
Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ)
- Develops knowledge, tools, and data needed to improve the healthcare system and helps consumers, healthcare professionals, and policy makers make informed decisions.
- Invests in research to figure out how to make healthcare safer and improve quality.
- Creates materials to teach and train healthcare professionals to put research into practice.
Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA)
- Provides equitable healthcare to those who are geographically isolated or economically/medically vulnerable.
Includes
- Delivers health services to those with HIV, pregnant, low income, residents of rural areas, Indians/Alaskans.
- Also trains health professionals and delivers them to places that need them most.
- Advances telehealth
Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR)
- Protects communities from harmful health effects of hazardous substances.
How its done
- Respond to environmental health emergencies
- Investigates emerging environmental health threats
- Conducts research on health impacts of hazardous waste sites
- Builds capabilities of and providing actionable guidance to state and local health partners
Indian Health Services (IHS)
- Provides federal health services to American Indians and Alaskans.
- Health advocate for Indian people with a goal to raise health as high as possible
Center for Disease Control/Prevention (CDC)
- Increases health security of the nation
- Protects people from health threats by conducting science and providing health information for the nation.
Role
- Detect and respond to new/emerging health threats
- Tackling the biggest issues that cause death and disability
- Uses science/technology to prevent disease
- Promotes healthy/safe behaviors in communities/environments
National Institute of Health (NIH)
- Nations medical research agency
- Makes important discoveries to improve health.
- Seeks knowledge about behavior/nature of living systems and application of knowledge to enhance health.
Goals
- Make discoveries to protect health
- Develop resources to ensure disease prevention
- Expand medical knowledge to enhance nation’s economic well being and ensure continued high return on investment into research.
- Promote the highest level of scientific integrity, and social responsibility in conduct of science.
