1. Public Health Essential Service #3
Inform, Educate and Empower People about Health Issues

2. A little history… Three core functions (1988 IOM Report)
Assessment
Policy Development
Assurance
Core Functions Steering Committee (1994)
Public Health in America statement
First, a little history. Many of you may be familiar with the core functions, which were outlined in the 1988 Institute of Medicine report - The Future of Public Health. As stated in the IOM report, the three core functions of public health are assessment, policy development and assurance. This is a good start to describing public health, but 1994, when the country was exploring issues related to health care reform, the public health sector felt that a better definition and description of public health was needed. A “Core Functions of Public Health Steering Committee” was convened to address this need. This Steering Committee involved representatives from Public Health Service Agencies (CDC, HRSA, Office of Disease Prevention and Health Promotion, etc.) and key National Public Health Organizations. The committee produced a statement called “Public Health in America.”

3. Essential Public Health Services
Developed by the Core Public Health Functions Steering Committee (1994)
Included reps from national organizations and federal agencies
Charge: To provide a description and definition of public health
Developed the “Public Health in America” statement

4. Healthy People in Healthy Communities
Vision:
Healthy People in Healthy Communities
Mission:
Promote Physical and Mental Health
and
Prevent Disease, Injury, and Disability
Public Health in America – Vision and Mission
The Public Health In America statement provides a vision and mission for public health as well as the context of what public health should be prepared to do and how public health service is delivered. The vision for public health is broad, “Healthy People in Healthy Communities.” The mission identified is to “Promote Physical and Mental Health and Prevent Disease, Injury, and Disability”.

5. Public Health Prevents epidemics and the spread of disease
Protects against environmental hazards
Prevents injuries
Promotes and encourages healthy behaviors
Responds to disasters and assists communities in recovery
Assures the quality and accessibility of health services
The Public Health in America statement also includes a section that defines the “purpose” of public health. These include:
Preventing epidemics and the spread of disease
Protecting against environmental hazards
Preventing injuries
Promoting and encouraging healthy behaviors
Responding to disasters and assists communities in recovery
Assuring the quality and accessibility of health services

6. Essential Services of Public Health
Monitor health status
Diagnose and investigate
Inform, educate, and empower
Mobilize community partnerships
Develop policies and plans
Enforce laws and regulations
Link people to needed services / assure care
Assure a competent workforce
Evaluate health services
Research
The last part of the Public Health in America statement defines the “Essential Services of Public Health”. The ten essential services are shown up here on the screen and include:
Monitor health status to identify and solve community health problems
Diagnose and investigate health problems and health hazards in the community
Inform, educate, and empower people about health issues
Mobilize community partnerships to identify and solve health problems
Develop policies and plans that support individual and community health efforts
Enforce laws and regulations that protect health and ensure safety
Link people to needed personal health services and assure the provision of health care when otherwise unavailable
Assure a competent public and personal health care workforce
Evaluate effectiveness, accessibility, and quality of personal and population-based health services
Research for new insights and innovative solutions to health problems
Basically, any public health activity can fit into one of these ten categories. So for example, Essential Service #1 includes activities such as data collection, community health assessments and the maintenance of population health registries. As another example, Essential Service #7 includes personal health care services as well as transportation and other enabling services and assuring the availability of culturally appropriate personnel and materials. Since the release of the ten Essential Services, numerous initiatives have explored the utility and feasibility of these services and have found them to be a good descriptor of public health.

7. The Essential Services as a Framework
Used as a foundation for the National Public Health Performance Standards Program (NPHPSP) instruments
Provides a foundation for any public health activity
Describes public health at both the state and local levels
NPHPSP Instruments include sections addressing each ES
The Essential Public Health Services provide the fundamental framework for the NPHPS instruments.
By describing the public health activities that should be undertaken in all communities, these activities describe the full range of public health responsibilities.
In 1994, the Core Public Health Functions Steering Committee (convened by DHHS) developed this list of responsibilities.
Using the Essential Services assures that the standards fully cover the gamut of public health activities needed at state and community levels.
When you look at the 3 different NPHPSP instruments, you will see that each includes a chapter or section devoted to each Essential Service.

8. NPHPSP Assessment Instruments Partners State public health system
Local public health system
Local governance
Partners
CDC
APHA
ASTHO
NACCHO
NALBOH
NNPHI
PHF

9. What is an Essential Service?
Describes the public health activities that should be undertaken in all communities.
The Essential Services provide a working definition of public health and a guiding framework for the responsibilities of local and state health public health systems.
Essential Services started in in 1994

10. Why do we want to know the Essential Services?
Want to improve quality & performance because we:
Achieve better outcomes – improved health, less preventable deaths and disease.
Are more efficient with time and money
Want to receive national accreditation

11. We want to know the Essential Services because
Essential services provide a performance standard
Develop a science-base for public health practice improvement.

12. The Essential Services
Help us explain public health and the interconnectedness of activities,

13. The EPHS “in English”
Keep people informed about health issues and healthy choices. (Or “How well do we keep all people and segments of our State informed about health issues?”)
The ten essential services are shown here on the screen and include:
Monitor health status to identify and solve community health problems.
Diagnose and investigate health problems and health hazards in the community.
Inform, educate, and empower people about health issues.
Mobilize community partnerships to identify and solve health problems.
Develop policies and plans that support individual and community health efforts.
Enforce laws and regulations that protect health and ensure safety.
Link people to needed personal health services and assure the provision of health care when otherwise unavailable.
Assure a competent public and personal health care workforce.
Evaluate effectiveness, accessibility, and quality of personal and population-based health services.
Research for new insights and innovative solutions to health problems
These are the foundation of any public health activity.
For example, any public health program needs data to operate. Essential Service #1 includes activities such as data collection, community health assessments and the maintenance of population health registries. As another example, Essential Service #7 includes personal health care services, transportation and other enabling services such as assuring the availability of culturally appropriate personnel and materials.
Since the Ten Essential Services were released, numerous initiatives have explored the utility and feasibility of these services and have found them to be a good descriptor of public health practice.

14. Inform, Educate, and Empower People About Health Issues
Initiatives using health education and communication sciences to:
Build knowledge and shape attitudes
Inform decision-making choice
Develop skills and behaviors for healthy living
Health education and health promotion partnerships within the community to support healthy living
Media advocacy and social marketing
Inform, Educate and Empower People About Health Issues
This service involves:
Making health information and educational resources accessible;
Providing health information and education activities that shape attitudes and build knowledge necessary to reduce health risk and promote better health;
Establishing health communication plans and activities that use media advocacy and social marketing approaches to shape attitudes and build knowledge;
Enabling informed decision-making among individuals in making health choices and among leaders establishing health policies for the community.
Maintaining health education and promotion program partnerships with schools, faith communities, work sites, personal care providers, and others to implement and reinforce health promotion programs that shape attitudes, knowledge, skills, and behaviors needed in a healthy community populations.
These activities assist to empower people to make informed decisions regarding individual and community health matters.

15. What is included in Essential Service # 3 ?
Provide health information,
Provide health education, and
Promote healthy activities
Why? To reduce health risk and promote better health

16. Essential Service # 3 includes our
Health communication plans and activities such as
media advocacy and
social marketing.
The aim of 'social marketing' is 'social good', while in 'commercial marketing' the aim is 'financial'.
Social marketing deals with goals such as reducing cigarette smoking or encouraging good nutrition

17. By doing Essential Service # 3
We make accessible - health information and educational resources.

18. Doing Essential Service # 3
We promote program partnerships with schools, faith communities, work sites, personal care providers, and others to implement and reinforce health promotion programs and messages.

19. Examples of how ISDH does Essential Service # 3
Influence
Indianapolis Woman
Minority Health Fair
State Fair
Youth Corps
PH & Medicine Day Summit

20. What does your program do to carry out Essential Service # 3?
Discussion
Your Time to Inform, Educate