Public health is the combined efforts of people working to help communities stay healthy and safe. This includes everything from restaurant inspectors and educators to scientists and researchers to epidemiologists and outbreak investigators. People in the field of public health don’t focus on individual families or individuals; they zoom out to understand patterns of disease and injury across populations.
For example, if an epidemiologist discovers that swimming pool accidents are a major cause of injuries and death for kids in a community, they might help local leaders develop plans to offer free swim classes or to raise awareness about water safety. Or, if an environmental health specialist notices that certain roads in a community are frequently flooding during heavy rain, they might work with the local government to block or reroute traffic during those times.
While private sector actors like philanthropies and corporations also play roles in public health, the vast majority of public health efforts are shaped and funded by governments at the federal, state, and local levels. These powers and responsibilities derive from the Constitution and can vary by state, with specific roles in these activities often determined by local or state laws.
The core functions of public health include disease surveillance (collecting and analyzing information on diseases that may affect the population), prevention (education, vaccinations, and other initiatives to prevent illness, injury, and disability), emergency preparedness, community outreach, and advocacy. The goals of public health are to protect and promote the well-being of groups of people, from communities to nations and the world.