Organization of Public Health - Essay Example

Organization of Public Health Introduction For this study, New Jersey Department of Health and Senior Services (NJDHSS) website including two other local health department websites will be analyzed by the student in relation to the following: (1) mission statement as compared with the IOM definition of public health; (2) emergency preparedness; and (3) information on child and adult immunization. Eventually, assessment tool used in assessing the public health of the people will be examined. Prior to conclusion, possible essential services neglected will be discussed.

Mission Statement as Compared with the IOM Definition of Public Health The Institute of Medicine (IOM) defined public health as “what we, as a society, do collectively to assure the conditions for people to be healthy.” (Gostin) NJDHSS did not provide a mission statement on its website. The closest to the definition of public health provided by IOM is the mission statement of North Dakota Department of Health which is “to protect and enhance the health and safety of all North Dakotans and the environment in which we live in.

” On the other hand, the mission statement of Virginia Department of Health is “to protect and promote the health of all Virginians.”Emergency Preparedness and Response Programs NJDHSS provides useful information that will enable the people to prepare themselves from biological agents like anthrax; chemical agents like ricin, sarin and VX; emerging infectious diseases like monkeypox, pandemic influenza, and SARS; radiological emergencies; as well as natural disasters and severe weather condition.

North Dakota Department of Health and Virginia Department of Health offers a comprehensive information on responding to bioterrorism, infectious disease outbreaks like pandemic influenza and other public health emergencies. The website also teaches the people on how to acknowledge basic advisory coming from Homeland Security.Information on Child and Adult Immunization NJDHSS provides more general information on child and adult immunization as compared to the local health websites. It also provides information related to travel vaccinations, immunization administrative code, useful weblinks, including annual immunization status report and statistics.

To effectively address the specific needs of its target audiences, North Dakota Department of Health intentionally sub-divided its information into three categories known as: (1) health providers; (2) public; (3) schools/day cares. In the case of Virginia Department of Health, they chose to categorize immunization information for children and specific diseases like Hepatitis B prevention.Specific Assessment Tool used in Assessing the Public Health of the People Even though the Public Health and Environmental Laboratories (NJPHEL) provides test report on infected individuals, NJDHSS also utilizes different surveillance method in determining the widespread of the disease.

Essential Services Neglected by Selected Websites Although North Dakota Department of Health and Virginia Department of Health provides useful information on disease prevention and care for specific illnesses as well as emergency preparedness, it does not provide information on determining the spread of a disease. Conclusion NJDHSS as a state health department website contains more health information than local health department websites.*** End ***References:Gostin, Lawrence O. Public Health Law.

Regents of the University of California. Ch. 1, 2000."North Dakota Department of Health." 2008. 12 July 2008 ."North Dakota Department of Health." 2008b. Department Overview. 12 July 2008 ."North Dakota Department of Health." 2008c. Emergency Preparedness & Response. 12 July 2008 ."North Dakota Department of Health." 2008d. Immunization Program. 12 July 2008 ."State of New Jersey." 2008. Department of Health and Senior Services. 12 July 2008 ."State of New Jersey." 2008b. Seasonal Influenza - Surveillance.

12 July 2008 ."State of New Jersey." 2008c. Communicable Disease Service: Vaccine Preventable Disease Program . 12 July 2008 ."State of New Jersey." 2008d. Health Infrastructure Preparedness and Emergency Response. 12 July 2008 ."Virginia Department of Health." 2008. 12 July 2008 ."Virginia Department of Health." 2008b. Division of Immunization. 12 July 2008 ."Virginia Department of Health." 2008d. Emergency Preparedness & Response Programs. 12 July 2008 .