Abstract
Communities are vulnerable to illnesses that emanate from the lack of resources and diminished sanitation. Public health creates awareness at different levels of the community. With respect to its role in promoting healthy lifestyles, public health investigates how the environment affects healthy living with the aim of supporting initiatives that advance healthcare service delivery. The Los Angeles Public health department is responsible for promoting good health for its population.
To improve health, the Public Health Department adopted several disease prevention approaches. There abound different definitions of public health and epidemiology. Epidemiology addresses health challenges by focusing on health determinants associated with distinct populations. Public health focuses on improvement and preventive approaches rather than curative measures. Public health has, over the years, achieved several milestones, the major ones being controlling vaccine-preventable diseases as well as the prevention of infectious diseases.
Local Exploration
Over the years, public health initiatives have promoted healthy lifestyles in the Los Angeles County. The Los Angeles Public Health Department is responsible for promoting good health for its population. The main method applied is the creation of disease prevention programs and healthy environments that benefit the local community (Los Angeles Public Health Department, 2014). Over the years, public health has provided health care approaches aimed at promoting healthy living in the county. As a result, residents of Los Angeles are today living 30 years longer because of the efforts made in public health.
The county’s public health department has also adopted disease prevention approaches. Such disease prevention approaches focus on improving population health in the county. There are various disease prevention levels at the Los Angeles public health department. These levels include the system, community as well as individual levels (Association of Schools and Programs of Public Health, 2010). At the systems level, immunization laws passed require children to go through immunization prior to joining kindergarten.
The community-level approaches focus on collecting and monitoring data on disease outbreak. At the individual level, parents receive education on healthy ways of addressing the health needs of their children (Los Angeles Public Health Department, 2014). Schools and clinics receive training on proposed recommendations at the community level.
Despite the efforts made by the Los Angeles Public Health Department to promote population health, there are several challenges in public health. These challenges include the rise in the percentage of the aging population, global health issues, drug-resistant germs, the uninsured, and obesity. To address some of these challenges, the Los Angeles Department of Public Health has adopted immunization and disease outbreak investigation approaches to aid in preventing the increase of chronic diseases. To achieve its objectives, the Los Angeles public health department manages and coordinates health initiatives as well as programs to meet the needs set by the national government.
Definition of Epidemiology and Public Health
Epidemiology is a quantitative discipline that focuses on health determinants associated with specific populations to address the underlying health challenges (Los Angeles Public Health Department, 2014). Epidemiology in healthcare is significant in that, it aids health care professionals and policymakers to achieve capacity building. To understand how an all-inclusive population health management functions, it is paramount to understand the term public health.
Public Health is a science comprised of approaches aimed at protecting and improving community health (Center for Disease Control, 2011). Public health initiatives have played a significant role in improving community health through promoting health care initiatives. Public health focuses on improvement and preventive approaches rather than curative measures. These efforts include promoting a healthy lifestyle through educational approaches, conducting research on disease prevention, as well as creating healthcare policies and programs. Combined, epidemiology and public health help in delivering quality healthcare services to the community by incorporating multiple stakeholders (Association of Schools and Programs of Public Health, 2010).
Milestones Public Health
Public health initiatives have, over the years, continued to improve health care services. Public health incorporates science and skills to promote healthy living within the community. There are two identifiable milestones in public health. These milestones include vaccine-preventable diseases as well as the prevention and control of infectious diseases (Association of Schools and Programs of Public Health, 2010).
Vaccine-Preventable Illnesses
The Centers for Disease Control (2011) report indicates that, in the last two decades, the public health sector has witnessed a decline in the number of deaths associated with vaccine-preventable diseases. New vaccines drawn from public health initiatives have prevented more than 20 million deaths (Los Angeles Public Health Department, 2014). Consequently, the United States has cut down costs associated with preventable illnesses by 14 billion USD and 69 billion USD on direct and societal costs, respectively.
Prevention and Control of Infectious Illnesses
Infectious disease prevention and control is a milestone in public health. Improving local and state health care by adopting preventive measures has led to a considerable decline in infectious diseases. For instance, between the years 2001 and 2010, there was a 30 percent and 58 percent decline in tuberculosis and bloodstream infection cases, respectively (Los Angeles Public Health Department, 2014). Advancement in laboratory techniques has led to the control of infectious diseases such as canine rabies.
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References
Association of Schools and Programs of Public Health. (2010). Milestones in Public Health. Web.
Center for Disease Control. (2011). Ten Great Public Health Achievements in the United States from 2001 to 2010. Web.
Los Angeles Public Health Department. (2014). Public Health: Working for You Every Day. Web.