North Carolina Public Health (NCPH) works to promote and contribute to the highest possible level of health for the people of North Carolina.
Our entire statewide system of public health – local, state and private sector – has dedicated professionals who carry out our mission every day through a wide range of essential programs and activities touching the lives of everyone in our state.
North Carolina Public Health is community health. Disease prevention, health services and health promotion programs protect entire communities – not just individuals – from untoward outcomes such as communicable diseases, epidemics, and contaminated food and water. We work daily to reduce the impact of chronic and oral diseases. All North Carolina citizens benefit from protections like safe food and water, adequate waste treatment and sanitation, infectious disease control, immunized children and adults, and emergency preparedness.
The Division of Public Health plays a vital role in these efforts, collaborating with local health departments, hospitals, community health centers, practitioners, community agencies and organizations throughout the state and nation.
3 Core Functions and 10 Essential Public Health Services
The 3 core functions and 10 essential services of Public Health are illustrated below by the “wheel graphic”.
- Monitor health status to identify 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 health 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.
This information was taken from http://publichealth.nc.gov/mission.htm