A disadvantaged neighborhood with a high poverty level has a common health problem of obesity and gets a health education program implemented along with access to more affordable, healthier food options. The flu vaccine is promoted each year across the US to reduce the spread of this potentially deadly virus. Bottled water and hygiene items are freely handed out to communities destroyed by natural disasters. Bloodmobiles travel through cities for people to voluntarily donate as they are out and about. Health and safety inspections are done regularly on stores and restaurants and their ratings must be posted where customers can see them.
These are just a few examples of public health and how it is applied to populations from small to large to worldwide. Public health is defined as “the science of protecting and improving the health of people and their communities.” Healthcare professionals aim to encourage and improve concepts of healthy living, injury prevention, and research, detection, prevention, and response to infectious diseases.
One of the most recent examples of how public health practices work and are applied in every category has been the emergence of Covid-19 and managing it. Starting with individuals, they were encouraged to stay home, and if they did go out in public, to wear a mask. Communities then enforced mask mandates in public settings. International travel restrictions were temporarily implemented. Research was and continues to be done on the virus to understand how to reduce its spread and manage its symptoms and after-effects it can cause. Testing sites were established throughout communities to reduce overcrowding and long wait times at hospital emergency departments and urgent care clinics. The vaccine was produced and is now distributed for free to anyone who wants to get it. Daily news updates are readily available to inform and educate the public on the most current research and statistics.
The importance of public health is a responsibility for entire societies, ranging from public and private organizations, communities, and down to individual people. That way, more healthcare accessibility, quality standards, procedures and protocols, and equality among populations can be overseen and achieved.
Vital to human wellbeing and survival, the importance of quality public health services should be accessible and practiced without disparity across the globe.