Public Health and Healthcare

The healthcare agency selected in this paper is the Center of Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). The CDC is the leading public healthcare agency that is run under the supervision of the United States government and has its headquarters in Georgia, near Atlanta city. The major focus of this agency is on the prevention of diseases like food borne pathogens, infectious disease, workplace health and safety, prevention of injuries of any type, and environmental health (“Mission, Role and Pledge,” n.d.). CDC also designs the academic and educational activities to create awareness for the US citizens about their health needs. In this paper we will identify, describe and analyze the role of CDC and how it influences the health service providers in the country along with its contribution to the creation of the core function of public health, the tasks and responsibilities of agency employees, their capabilities, professional competencies and skills needed for the purpose.

The purpose of health care is to focus and work to enhance the health standards of all citizens by providing tips and information regarding food intake, exercises, and needed nutrition. At the same time, public health works to prevent heath issues, injuries and lethal diseases so that citizens have the right information to be safe from these diseases (Beaglehole, & Bonita, 2009). Public health works with the help of organized community to prolong the average population age, promote the idea of a healthy nation, and help the public keep safe from these diseases. Systematically Public health identifies and evaluates the needs regarding health, and then designs programs/services to help the identified population. Public health also takes care of the disciplinary approach of health providers, biostatistics, and helps the federal government in making health policy.

Contribution of CDC to the Core Functions of Public Health

Center of disease control and prevention is the federally operating health care agency that operates under the supervision of Health and services department of the USA. CDC designs and runs diversified programs to prevent the risks of severe disabilities, injuries, and lethal diseases by launching the health care programs on the national level (“Mission, Role and Pledge,” n.d.). The programs and activities include the dissemination activities, research on health care, disease control programs, and investigations of diseases to control them. The Agency is operating in around fifty countries and has workforce of more than 165000 people, and provides its services in different 170 occupational categories (“CDC Fact Sheet,” n.d.). The agency knows that with the help of scientific excellence they can protect the public from different diseases and injuries; that is why they perform their duties with the core values of respect for patient, accountability of acts, and integrity. In the USA, different agencies are working for the health benefit of the public with collaboration of several public and private medical institutes, hospitals, health promoters and other agencies to take care of public health (Novick, Shi & Johnson, 2014). Major focus remains on the following:

• reformed health policies,
• strengthened epidemiology and surveillance activities,
• working on and preventing major causes of deaths in region,
• working on the healthy globe,
• providing support to the state health department regarding public health programs.

Center of disease control and prevention (CDC) also ensures fair and quick information sharing to public regarding travelling safety, workplace safety and health, need of nutrition in different age groups, first aid in injuries and incidence, disaster management information, safety in violence, causes of diseases, and national public health data. This information is shared with the intention of public awareness and welfare (“Mission, Role and Pledge,” n.d.).

CDC operates in form of different organizational units and these units include:

• four centers of coordination regarding
• information and services for health issues,
• prevention of environmental health factors and injuries,
• promotion of healthy life for public,
• ways to deal with infectious diseases,
• the two coordinating offices regarding:
• response in emergency and terrorism activity,
• global health program,
• institute for organizational workplace health and safety named as “NIOSH” that deals with:
• checking and correcting the health and safety measures in organizations,
• guiding the management of firms to ensure complete safety with the help of recommended measures,
• promoting health and safety at risky jobs,
• make the workplace a safer place with minimum health risks.

CDC does not only help the public maintain their health and prevents different diseases, but it also prepares them for the latest risks and threats like viruses and new diseases (“Mission, Role and Pledge,” n.d.). The contribution of CDC to the core function of public health is shown below.

Assessment

In its core function CDC works to monitor the actual status of the health issues and identifies where the flaws that cause these health problems are. CDC also investigates the level of hazard the community is on, so that the right prevention program can be prepared. CDC also evaluates and assesses the ease of access, quality of health services and the efficiency of health service provisions (Hewitt, 2006).

Policy Development

After the assessment of flaws, CDC focuses on the development of health policy that includes the policy development that ensures the health of community and on individual levels. The Agency also ensures the enforcement of rules and regulations regarding the public health and in the constitution of the region. CDC, through their research, unit finds the modern solutions to solve health issues. In short, it can be said that CDC makes the recommendations that are needed to be included in public health policies as per the need of changing global health issues.

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