An overview of Public Health, and some of the health services offered in Fulton County, GA.

1. WHO, WHAT, WHEN, WHERE & WHY?
by
Ronjula Dasher, M.P.H Program
December 2011

2. ▫Public Health’s Purposes, Services,& Funtions
▫Public Health Careers
▫Public Health Agency Organization and Structure
▫The Science Behind Public Health
▫Fulton County’s Department of Health &
Wellness
▫The Vision and Services Provided by The
Neighborhood Union Clinic of Fulton County
▫Conclusion

3. There are 10 Essential Services that are
Vital to Public Health’s Mission
1.Monitoring health status to identify community
health problems.
2.Diagnosing and investigating health problems
and health hazards in the community.
3.Informing, educating, and empowering people
about health issues.
4. Mobilizing community partnerships to identify
and solve health problems.
5. Developing policies and plans that support
individual and community health efforts.

4. 6. Enforcing laws and regulations that protect
health and ensure safety.
7. Linking people with needed personal health
services and assuring the provision of health care
when otherwise unavailable.
8. Assuring a competent public health and
personal health care workforce.
9. Evaluating effectiveness, accessibility, and
quality of personal and population based health
services.
10. Researching new insights and innovative
solutions to health problems.

5. Public Health’s Mission:
To promote physical and mental health, prevent
disease, injury, and disability.
There are 3 Levels of Prevention
Primary-preventing injury or disease from
occurring at all.
Secondary-minimizing damaged caused by
disease or injury.
Tertiary-providing medical care or rehab. To
minimize any ensuing disability.

6. 1 Preventing epidemics and the spread of disease.
2. Protecting against environmental hazards.
3. Preventing Injury
4. Promoting and encouraging healthy behaviors.
5. Responding to disasters and assisting
communities in recovery.
6. Assuring the quality and accessibility of health
services.

7. 1. Assessment-the collection, assembly and
analyzing of information on the health of the
population.
2. Policy Development- use of scientific
knowledge to develop strategies such as
laws, health mandates, and enforcements in
order to improve and protect the public’s health.
3. Assurance- assuring that services such as
environmental, educational, and basic medical
services needed for the protection of the public
are available and assessable to everyone.

8. Sanitation and Hygiene- The first county health departments were
established in 1908.
From the 1930s-1950s, state and local health departments enforced
disease prevention activities such as sewage disposal, water
treatment, food safety, organized solid waste disposal, and public
education about hygienic practices. (e.g., food handling and hand
washing).
Chlorination and other treatments of drinking water decreased the
incidence of waterborne diseases.
Animal and pest control also contributed to disease reduction.
Vaccinations- In the U.S. vaccination campaigns have virtually
eliminated diphtheria, tetanus, poliomyelitis, smallpox, measles,
mumps, rubella,influenzae, and type b meningitis.
In 1955, the introduction of the Salk poliovirus vaccine led to federal
funding of state and local childhood vaccination programs.
1977, after a decade-long campaign involving 33 nations, smallpox
was eradicated worldwide.
Antibiotics and Other Antimicrobial Medicines-In 1928 Penicillin
was discovered and in 1940 developed into a widely available
medical product that provided treatment of previously incurable
bacterial illnesses.
Drugs also have been developed to treat viral diseases (e.g., herpes
and HIV infection); fungal diseases (e.g., candidiasis and
histoplasmosis); and parasitic diseases (e.g., malaria).

9. Public Health consists of a multidisciplinary
workforce.
It include physicians, nurses, social workers,
dentists, epidemiologists, biostatisticians,
political scientists, health educators,
psychologists, policy analysts, and many others.
The are employed by public or private
organizations, and all public health workers
perform one or more of the 10 essential public
health services.

10.  Epidemiology-studies the pattern of disease occurrence
and the factors that influence them.
 Statistics-calculates the risk from exposure and the
probability of occurrence .
 Genetics-studies the nature of diseases and who is at
risk.
 Social and Behavioral Science- studies the behaviors
that influence health.

11. Federal Level –The Dept. of Health & Human Services
,Centers for Disease Control (CDC), Environmental
Protection Agency (EPA)-funds/oversees the states and
some local level agencies/efforts.
State Level -funded mostly by state taxes and federal
grants.
Coordinates activities of local or county health depts.
has separate agencies within for environmental health,
aging, social services, ect.
Local Level- structure can vary from state to state.
Responsible for health matters in their
jurisdiction/county.
Provides health care to the uninsured,i.e screenings,
immunizations, chronic disease control programs,
school health programs, and sanitation.
Can be funded by the state, local property and sales tax,
and the federal govt.

12. The vision of the local clinic of Neighborhood
Union is to provide an integrated multidisciplinary
clinic with the goal of meeting as many health needs
as possible of the community by providing
treatment, education, awareness, and preventative
health services , while following the recommended
best health practices. The clinic hopes to increase
health outcomes of those living in the community so
that they will enjoy healthier, safer and longer lives.

13. Services Provided at the Fulton County Neighborhood
Union Clinic
Serving the Community of Vine City of Atlanta, GA
Behavioral Health Services
●Initial Screening
●Behavioral Assessments
●Nursing Assessments
●Psychiatric Assessments
●Medication Management/Administration
●Group Counseling
●Brief Individual Counseling (6-8 sessions)
●Behavioral Health Service Referral/Linkage
●Drug Abuse Treatment
●Anger/Anxiety Coping and Control
●Depression Treatment and Coping

14. Primary Care Services
●Doctor Visits
●Health Check Ups/Physical Exams
●STD/HIV Testing and Counseling
●Smoking Cessation
●Weight Management
Women’s & Children’s Health Services
●Parenting Help Services
●WIC/Family Nutrition
●Pregnancy Testing/Prenatal Care
●Birth Control
●Medicaid Referrals
●Child Medical Treatment Services/Pediatrics
●Teenage Counseling Services
●Newborn Baby Care
●Shots/Immunizations (Adults and Children)
●Aging/Senior Services
●New Born Baby Care

15. Dental Services For Adult and Children
●Treatment of Tooth Pain
● Extractions (non-wisdom)
● Cleanings
● Examinations and X-rays
● Root Canals ( Front teeth only)
● Emergency Dental Care
● Fillings( silver and tooth colored)
● Referrals
Work Force & Development Services
● Job Search and Resume Writing Services/Referral to GED Classes
● Job Training
● Reading and Writing Assistance
● Training and Help with Computer Skills
● Assistance with Locating Housing

16. Again the purpose of Public Health is to
prevent epidemics and the spread of disease,
protect against environmental hazards, prevent
injury, promote and encourage healthy
behaviors ,respond to disasters and assist in
recovery, and to assure the quality and
accessibility of health services. As noted the
Neighborhood Union Clinic provides many
services that support these purposes.

17. Schneider, M.J.(2006). Introduction to Public Health. (2nd
ed.). Sudbury, MA. Jones and Bartlett.
Turnock , B.J. (2006).Public Health: Career Choices That
Make a Difference. Sudbury, MA. Jones and Bartlett.
CDC. (1999).MMWR. Achievements in Public Health, 1900-
1999: Control of Infectious Diseases. 48(29);621-
629.Retrieved from
http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/mm
4829a1.htm.
Fulton County Department of Health &
Wellness.(2011).Neighborhood Union Health Center.
For further information visit
http://www.fultoncountyga.gov/dhw-clinics-office-
locations/