10 Essential Public Health Services
1. ASSESSMENT
Assess and monitor population health status, factors that influence health, and community needs and assets
Public Health is responsible for assessing and monitoring population health status, and factors that influence health and vital community conditions. This involves using a variety of methods and technology to collect, monitor, analyze, and report health data to identify threats, patterns, and emerging issues. Public Health and community stakeholders use assessment to deepen their understanding of health, factors that influence health, and community needs and assets to inform decision-making and prioritize health promotion investments, strategies, and interventions.
Equity & Systems
Assessment should be more than just a box to check; it should power equitable systems transformation through:
- Robust community engagement at every stage of assessment
- Use of equity measures and disaggregated data (where appropriate)
- Grow local data ecosystems to facilitate data sharing and collaboration
Public Health in Action
Public health departments regularly conduct community health assessments and create community health improvement plans, which examine health needs and opportunities for improvement and inform how and where resources should be allocated to meet community needs.
Priorities
Ensure robust community engagement in all phases of assessment activities
Weave qualitative and quantitative data, with story
Advance a robust, modern, interoperable, and secure public health information system
Reflection Questions
- What are two examples of Public Health assessment in action?
- How can Public Health advance equity as part of assessment activities?