In concept and practice, public health casts a wide net, spanning assessment, intervention, and policy; education, prevention, and protection; public, private, and government entities. But key elements are often missing from the picture, including a clear understanding of public health and its goals by the general public, and specific public health education throughout the workforce.

"Public Health Practice" responds to these and related challenges by elegantly summarizing the state of the field in an era of dwindling budgets, competing and overlapping services, and a shaky professional infrastructure. In keeping with public health goals set out by the CDC and other leading agencies, the author makes a real-world case for standardizing training, establishing best practices in the field, and coordinating public health systems with their healthcare counterparts. Theory, case examples, tools, and callout boxes highlight knowledge, preparation, and skills professionals need in addressing chronic issues and complex emergencies. Throughout, the emphasis is on greater competency and visibility for the profession, resulting in a more informed, healthier public. Featured in the coverage:

Issues in defining the public health workforce.The state of public health education.Practicing and teaching public health: local, national, and international cases.Standardizing public health practice: benefits and challenges.Integrating public health and healthcare.The future of public health as seen from academia and the frontlines.

Identifying urgent issues and providing cogent answers, "Public Health Practice" is a call to action for those involved in creating the next level of public health, including professors, practitioners, students, and administrators.

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In concept and practice, public health casts a wide net, spanning assessment, intervention, and policy; education, prevention, and protection; public, private, and government entities. But key elements are often missing from the picture, including a clear understanding of public health and its goals by the general public, and specific public health education throughout the workforce. Preparing the Public Health Workforce responds to these and related challenges by elegantly summarizing the state of the field in an era of dwindling budgets, competing and overlapping services, and a shaky professional infrastructure. In keeping with public health goals set out by the CDC and other leading agencies, the author makes a real-world case for standardizing training, establishing best practices in the field, and coordinating public health systems with their healthcare counterparts. Theory, case examples, tools, and callout boxes highlight knowledge, preparation, and skills professionals need in addressing chronic issues and complex emergencies. Throughout, the emphasis is on greater competency and visibility for the profession, resulting in a more informed, healthier public. Featured in the coverage: Issues in defining the public health workforce. The state of public health education. Practicing and teaching public health: local, national, and international cases. Standardizing public health practice: benefits and challenges. Integrating public health and healthcare. The future of public health as seen from academia and the frontlines. Identifying urgent issues and providing cogent answers, Preparing the Public Health Workforce is a call to action for those involved in creating the next level of public health, including professors, practitioners, students, and administrators.

The communication of health information is a critical determinant for the achievement and maintenance of health at the individual and population level. Health communication can take on various forms, including the use of social media, reading of a children's story, policy development and management, the patient-physician partnership, and via community-based participatory research, for example. This book provides a broad perspective on selected areas of health communication and addresses how we, as a population, can utilise communication to achieve what should be a basic human right in the twenty-first century. We are living in changing times, and how we communicate health information is happening more rapidly than ever before. This book highlights selected areas of research, action, and recommendations for implementation that are applicable to all sectors involved in promoting health and preventing disease. This book is not only for the educator, but the learner, as well. Both parties are essential for effective policy-making that will enable a healthy citizenry to meet the contemporary demands posed by the twenty-first century. The author hopes that you, the reader, will reference this book often as you educate, learn, and communicate about health so that it is more accessible and adaptable to the society in which we live.

It is often stated that "it takes a village" to improve the health of a population. This proverb implies that it takes the work of many individuals, not necessarily from the same occupation or educational or social background, to achieve this goal. To improve the health of a population, a system comprised of educators, community leaders, public health and health care practitioners, researchers, faith-based leaders, municipal workers, and many others working, in diverse urban and/or rural communities, across the globe towards a common goal via evidence-based practice, policy development, education and health literacy initiatives, or a combination thereof, is required. Interprofessional collaborations can be fruitful endeavors with respect to improving health at a population and/or individual level. However, if we examine these interdisciplinary collaborations from a development standpoint, not every professional is trained to work with professionals from other disciplines. How do we prepare an interprofessional workforce capable of working collaboratively? You will find some of the answers in this book.

Education is a critical determinant for the continued success of industrialised countries and for the potential of developing countries to be realised and achieved. There are many determinants that are instrumental to the progression of societies and access to education is essential to this success. This book provides a global perspective on selected areas of educational policies that address myriad aspects of how we, as a population, can achieve what is a basic human right in the twenty-first century. Educational policy is a dynamic field that many countries place as a top priority for action since an educated population is one that can be healthy and productive. This book highlights selected areas of research, action and recommendations for policy development that are applicable at all levels of education in many corners of the world.

Today, local, state, and federal funding agencies have recognised the importance of the role the community plays in assuring a healthy population. As a result, these funding sources have mandated that the community which is primarily affected by these persistent public health issues, be present at the working table with academicians, researchers, public health practitioners, and policymakers so their "voice" may be heard and they may contribute to effective solutions. For sustainability purposes, we need to help these communities build their capacity to address the episodic, as well as the persistent, public health issues that affect their health. How do we, as public health professionals, do that? How do we learn the skills and principles necessary to establish partnerships with our communities? How do we then teach our community partners to continue to improve the health status of their neighbourhoods when the funding expires? This book explores this topic in greater detail.

For all of our advances in health care and achievements in public health that have contributed to an increased life expectancy, there still remain persistent problems in one's community that are public health in origin. These persistent public health problems are well-studied from an academic standpoint, yet they evade a solution that is practical, economical, and socially just. These are complex, community-based, public health problems that disproportionally impact minority and immigrant populations. This book explores this topic in greater detail. Specifically, what have we, as public health academicians and practitioners learned when partnering with minority and immigrant community members to help them address persistent public health issues that affect them and their families on a daily basis? These are lessons that need to be shared so disadvantaged populations can build their capacity to address and solve persistent public health problems in their communities.

Education is a critical determinant for the continued success of industrialised countries and for the potential of developing countries to be realised and achieved. There are many determinants that are instrumental to the progression of societies and access to education is essential to this success. This book provides a global perspective on selected areas of educational policies that address myriad aspects of how we, as a population, can achieve what is a basic human right in the twenty-first century. Educational policy is a dynamic field that many countries place as a top priority for action since an educated population is one that can be healthy and productive. This book highlights selected areas of research, action and recommendations for policy development that are applicable at all levels of education in many corners of the world.

We know that taking steps now to prevent disease before it starts is crucial to keeping people healthier, living longer, and reducing health care costs. Yet, health systems around the globe continue to focus more attention and devote enormous resources on medical services to treat illnesses and injuries after the fact rather than taking steps to prevent them from occurring in the first place. Each of the articles presented in this book are examples of innovative community efforts that take a step back from the common practice of merely treating medical conditions, and instead implement effective prevention strategies that address the underlying conditions that lead to death, illness, injury, and health inequities. This book provides a glimpse into some public health prevention projects being carried out in diverse communities around the globe. Each chapter offers details about a unique problem faced within a community, the prevention strategies and partnerships that were developed, and the results that were achieved.

The clash between individual liberties and the protection of the greater population is an ongoing conflict between core principles held dear by Americans for centuries. One of the nexus points occurs in the application of public health measures by governmental authorities to defeat deadly germs, perhaps on an epidemic scale, in ways that can erode individual decisions about healthcare, privacy, bodily integrity, and personal liberty in the name of the greater good of community health. People may approve and appreciate protective measures enacted by the government when influenza breaks out or when there is a food recall, but may also feel wary simultaneously. How has this conflict played out throughout history, and how has this clash progressed today? What benefits do individuals reap and what costs do they pay for the application of public health? Almost every individual will find himself or herself engaged with public health measures of some kind on an individual, familial, or community level, so we should all be aware of the issues involved. Because of these parallels between historical and current exercises of public health, the authors wrote this textbook, which was inspired by a renowned lecture series created by Saul O. Sidore. The Sidore lecture series was established in 1965 in memory of Saul O. Sidore of Manchester, New Hampshire, and it is sponsored by the Center for the Humanities at the University of New Hampshire. Mr. Sidore was a humanitarian, a businessman, and president of the Brookshire Mills and Pandora Industries in Manchester. He was a progressive employer, and the lecture series named in his honor addresses critical issues in politics, society, and culture. The theme for the 2013-2014 lecture series was Your Liberty or Your Health: Exploring the Tensions among Public Health, Individual Liberty and Governmental Authority. As editors of this textbook a collection of case studies and class exercises the authors believe that this topic and structure will be of academic interest to those in justice studies, history, and health and human services, just to name a few of the programs in an academic community. The universal applicability of the issues discussed herein will make this text relevant to those outside of these programs and communities as well. Finally, this book will encourage conversations across campuses and organisations and between groups that do not always have an opportunity to interact, enabling future readers to engage in debates about the tensions between individual rights, governmental authority, and public health needs.