Essential Public Health Services

Public Health
Name
Institutional Affiliation
Public Health
Question 1
During a bioterrorism event, the agency that should play the most significant role is the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) under the Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS). Apart from the great experience in collaboration between CDC as the coordinating agency and the Federal Bureau of Investigations (FBI) and the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), the CDC is mandated to oversee the implementation of guidelines on initial responses (CDC, 2018). Also, the CDC is guided by the Public Health Security and Bioterrorism Preparedness and Response Act of 2002 to operate cooperative programs such as the Laboratory Response Network and the Preparedness and Response for Bioterrorism Program (Garfield, 2005). These programs are among the most impactful response strategies in planning, communication, and laboratory capabilities across the health system.
The person who would be needed during a bioterrorism emergency include the emergency responders in emergency departments such as doctors who specialize in contagious diseases to assist in the speedy detection of infections, carry out accurate diagnoses, and initiate timely medication of the affected population. Epidemiologists and laboratory experts would be needed to help identify the biological agent(s) and how to decontaminate the affected area(s) (Garfield, 2005). Infection control should also be done by experts while nurses and administrators of hospitals would implement prevention, management, and treatment measures.
During a natural disaster such as Category 4 or 5 hurricane, the health system needs to respond by providing surgical specialists such as orthopedic surgeons to treat musculoskeletal complications, burn surgeons to treat burned tissues, and neurosurgeons to treat brain damage/trauma. Also, emergency physicians, nurses, and specialists in critical care are important in providing first aid and specialized care. Hospital administrators would assist in managing the high volume of patients in hospitals.
Question 2
The public health purposes and public health essential services can be categorized into three: Assessment, development of policy, and assurance. Based on the public health purposes and the essential health services, the public health profiles of an epidemiologist and a community health specialist compare in major ways. For example, epidemiologists use quantitative and qualitative research methodologies to determine the occurrence, distribution, and severity of disease states and events in defined populations at specified time periods. Using this data, epidemiologists influence public health action to control or prevent mortality and morbidity in human populations. These occupational roles match with the concepts of assessment (monitoring, diagnosing, investigating health problems), policy formulation (educate, empower populations, develop strategies, and mobilize action), and assurance (research for progressive and sensible solutions, determine to what extent the proposed action is) (CDC, 2011).
The profile of epidemiologists compares with the profile of community health specialists as per the concepts that summarize the purposes and essential services of public health. Just like an epidemiologist, a community health specialist’s core responsibility is to formulate and implement health programs as guided by credible evidence of the health challenges. In the same way that an epidemiologist uses quantitative and qualitative methods to gather data, a community health specialist relies on close interaction and communication with members of the community to gain knowledge of their health dynamics. However, the community health specialist would have more leverage in fulfilling the essential services of public health because of their close and frequent interaction with various stakeholders in communities. Moreover, community health specialists gather in-depth information about cultural, environmental, and religious factors that could influence the health dynamics of specific communities as they deliver other important services. This enhances their capacity to mobilize collective action. Also, community health specialists are able to more effectively, link individuals to personal services and evaluate the effectiveness of public health services from both population and individual/personal perspectives.
Question 3
Concerning work settings, epidemiologists and community health specialists spend most of their time traversing different communities where specific health problems are present. Moreover, the role of gathering data on population health dynamics for epidemiologists and linking individuals and families to the needed health services for community health specialists requires that they do a lot of fieldwork. Therefore, both occupations call for more time in the field than in the office. Both epidemiologists and community health specialists can work for government agencies, universities, or private health organizations.
Concerning work experience and education, epidemiologists need a lot of skills in research methods and statistical interpretation of health data and information. Although entry-level positions do not need prior experience, higher-level jobs need at least 5 years of work experience. As such, many epidemiologists strive to attain a master’s level in public health or epidemiology. However, one may need to have a Ph.D. or a medical background to qualify to conduct research for universities or to occupy senior-level positions in health agencies. For community health specialists, the basic educational requirement is an associate’s degree in health services. Effective management and communication skills are also required. The average annual salary of an epidemiologist is $74,120 while that of a community health specialist is $38,180 (Highest Paid Public Health Careers, 2019). The health sector is growing faster than the rest of the economy as seen in the data by the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS).
The BLS projects that by 2026, the health sector will grow three times faster than the other sectors of the U.S. economy. For example, jobs in areas of dental care, home health care, and physicians will grow by 21%, 54%, and 21% respectively (Salsberg & Martiniano, 2018). This is in line with the objective of shifting care from hospitals to the community. Moreover, the three public health professions that will be in high demand in the next 10 years are home health aides, personal care aides, and registered nurses with growth rates of 47%, 37%, and 36% respectively (Salsberg & Martiniano, 2018). These data show a commitment by the health care sector to concentrate on disease management and prevention within the less costly settings, that is, community settings including home care as opposed to the costly settings, which is hospitals.
Question 4
Entry-level public health nurses are required to have a minimum educational attainment of a Bachelor’s of Science in Nursing or Associate’s Degree in Nursing. Upon passing the NCLEX-RN, they are licensed to operate as public health nurses. Entry-level public health nurses work in community health settings through community health centers and NGOs. Therefore, they interact with individual patients, their families, and the environment they live or work to assess their health care needs and other related issues such as income. The roles of an entry-level public health nurse include empowering local communities through educational programs about disease risk factors and the care programs accessible to ...