Comparison Paper free essay sample

The purpose of this paper is to address differences between public and community health, research public health resources on a borough, state, and national level as well as review a brief history of those agencies. Whereas public health and community health is often used interchangeably, public health is coordinated on a national, state, and borough scale and public health is a profession that includes more than just nurses. Public health can include emergency personnel, health educators, public officials, public health nurses, social workers, and community individuals. Community health uses information and implements the research from public health arenas to a specific population. Laws are enacted at a local, state, and the national level that enforce public health (Stanhope Lancaster, 2008). â€Å"The local health department has direct responsibility to the citizens in its community or jurisdiction† (Stanhope Lancaster, 2008, p. 59). The Municipality of Anchorage, according to the last census projected 295,570 residents in Anchorage and 91,946 in the Matanuska-Susitna Borough (United States Census 2010, n. d. ). According to Municipality Of Anchorage (n. d. ), â€Å"The Anchorage Department of Health Human Services enhances the quality of life for the people of Anchorage by promoting good physical and mental health, preventing illness and injury, protecting the environment, and providing helping services to people in need† (Health and Human Services). They offer services not limited to the following: Sexually transmitted disease treatment and testing, family planning services, immunization, women’s health services, and communicable disease testing and control. Medical care is never denied due to an inability to pay. The City of Anchorage was first incorporated on November 23, 1920 and on September 15, 1975 it became the Municipality of Anchorage combining what was called the Greater Anchorage Area Borough with the city. The Municipality of Anchorage Health and Human Services is responsible for an area of approximately 1,961. 1 square miles. (Municipality Of Anchorage, n. d. ). The state of Alaska Department of Health and Social Services offers direct and indirect health care services to the public such as family planning, immunizations, home care, epidemiological investigations, health education, community assessment, and community partnering (My Alaska, n. d. ). These services are available to Alaskan residents on a sliding scale. At this time, Alaska has goals for improving the health of Alaskan residents at the state and local regions called Healthy Alaskans 2020. It must be remembered that Alaska has been a state for just over 50 years and although it is the largest state in the nation, it has the lowest population density per square mile of any state in the nation (â€Å"My Alaska†, n. d. ). According to Alaska Historical Society (n. d. ), â€Å"On January 3, 1959, President Eisenhower proclaimed Alaska to be the forty-ninth state of the United States† (When did Alaska become a state? . The national system responsible for the health and welfare of United States citizens is the U. S. Department of Health and Human Services. â€Å"HHS is charged with regulating health care and overseeing the health status of Americans† (Stanhope Lancaster, 2008, p. 56). A newer division, Office of Public Health Preparedness was added after September 11, 2011 to assist with preparing for bioterrorism at the state and national level (Stanhope Lancaster, 2008). The U. S. Public Health Service (PHS) has eight agencies and is a large part of HHS. The agencies are, â€Å"Agency for Toxic Substances and Diseases Registry; Centers for Disease Control and Prevention; Food and Drug Administration; Health Resources and Services Administration; Indian health Services; National Institutes of Health; and Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration† (Stanhope Lancaster, 2008, p. 56). The HHS evolved from an act in 1798 for setting up hospitals to care for seamen and Marines. Later, in 1798, the Quarantine Act firmly removed the power to quarantine away from the state and placed it at a national level. This began an emergence of health care policy at a national level. The hospital system for the seamen and Marines in 1906 became the Public Health Service. There continued an emergence of national health care advocacy. The federal government created the Children’s Service in 1912, Bureau of Indian Health Service in 1921; the National Hygienic Laboratory in 1930 later renamed to National Institutes of Health, the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act of 1938 later becoming the Food and Drug Administration, the Communicable Disease Center in 1946 and later renamed Center for Disease Control and Prevention. In 1953, According to U. S. Department of Health And Human Services (n. d. , â€Å"The Cabinet-level Department of Health, Education, and Welfare was created under President Eisenhower, officially coming into existence April 11, 1953. In 1979, the Department of Education Organization Act was made law, providing for a separate Department of Education. HEW became the Department of Health and Human Services, officially arriving on May 4, 1980â⠂¬  (Historical Highlights). The borough, state, and national health resources have evolved over time to promote health as well as in response to historical events and epidemics. The goals and focus recently have become much more focused on promoting health. Although some may use public health and community health interchangeable, public health is a profession, â€Å"a system and social enterprise† (Stanhope Lancaster, 2008, p. 255). Public health is what society does in order to ensure health among communities it is responsible for. (Stanhope Lancaster, 2008). Community health is focused on a group of individuals defined as a community either by geography, needs, or perhaps special interest. â€Å"In most definitions, the community includes three factors: people, place, and function† (Stanhope Lancaster, 2008, p. 97).