Public health and community health are two terms that are often mentioned interchangeable. Unfortunately, there are many people who think that the two terms mean the same thing. However, although both are related to societal health, they have two different meanings. Public health refers to the art and science of disease prevention, prolonging of life and general promotion of health through informed choices and organized efforts of the society, organizations, private and public, individuals and communities (Green & Ottoson, 1999). Public health is focused on the national, state and county levels. Community health, on the other hand, refers to the discipline that is concerned with both the study as well as the improvement of health characteristics of the various communities in the society (Green & Ottoson, 1999). Unlike public health, community health tends to focus mainly on geographical areas. It includes tertiary, secondary and primary care.
There were no major public and community health resources before the 20th Century. The onset of the 20th century was marked by phenomenal inventions and discoveries in the field of medicine and health. This was accompanied by the emergence of various public health resources. Public health resources stimulated the emergence of community health resources. Currently, there are many health resources across the country. One of the primary public health organization in the nation is the American Public Health Association, which was formed in 1872. This organization has the primary goal of protecting all American citizens, their families as well as their communities from serious and preventable health threats (American Public Health Association., n.d). The organization also aims to ensure that preventable health services and disease prevention activities are accessible to very citizen on the nation. The organization was initially formed by a group of students. Since its inception, the organization has had several key achievements and has tirelessly worked to look for and support those practices and policies that have a higher likelihood of improving public health (American Public Health Association., n.d).
The organization operates on the national scale and seeks to provide solutions to various public health issues as they arise. They are several pertinent dates and significant events that can be tied to the organization. The most memorable of these without a shadow of doubt is the date of the organization’s formation which is 1872. The other significant event was in 1906 when the APHA facilitated the passage of the first Federal and Drug Act and also published the American Journal of Public Hygiene (American Public Health Association., n.d). Another significant event took place in 1943 when the organization officially set the qualification standards for health educators in the nation. In 1999, it built up its national headquarters building in 1999 in Washington D.C. Another remarkable event took place in 2006 when the organization launched the famous “Get Ready Campaign” (American Public Health Association., n.d). This is a campaign that is meant to help all Americans to prepare themselves together with their families and communities for all hazards and disasters. This includes sheets, a blog, podcasts and several other crucial tools (American Public Health Association., n.d). The American Public Health Association and also played an instrumental part in the passage of the Affordable Care Act. The organization continues being at the front line of promoting public health.
When it comes to community health, there are several available resources. A perfect example is AAPCHO that stands for Association of Asian Pacific Community Health Organization. This organization is dedicated to the promotion of advocacy, collaboration as well as leadership that in the long term improves the health access and status of medically underserved communities like Native Hawaiians, Asian Americans and many other Pacific Islanders (Association of Asian Pacific Community Health Organization, n.d). This organization was formed in 1987. Since its formation, the organization has greatly assisted in the improvement of health and the promotion of practices and policies that boost the overall health status of the mentioned communities. The organization has worked in collaboration with the federal government as well as donors and other NGO’s to promote health among these underserved communities.
The two agencies depict the difference between public health and community health. As it was mentioned earlier, public health is primarily concerned with the disease prevention, prolonging of life and general promotion of health through informed choices and organized efforts of the society, organizations, private and public, individuals and communities. The APHA promotes health across the national divide. Policies and practices advanced by the agency are disseminated to the entire American public without necessarily focusing on a section of the community. In fact, the organization is often consulted by federal bodies when it comes to the enactment of federal health laws. The case is different for AAPCHO. The formulation of health policies and strategies in this organization is mainly aimed at the underserved communities that have been mentioned above. These are communities that have lagged behind in terms of health access and achievement and that have relatively been unable to benefit fully from public health initiatives. Therefore, the working of AAPCHO is a perfect depiction of community health at work. As it was described earlier seen earlier is concerned with the improvement of health characteristics of the various communities in the society and this is precisely the kind of work that AAPCHO is involved with.
References
American Public Health Association. (n.d.). Our History. Retrieved December 7, 2014, from http://www.apha.org/about-apha/our-vision/our-history-original
Association of Asian Pacific Community Health Organization. (n.d.). About Us | AAPCHO. Retrieved December 7, 2014, from http://www.aapcho.org/about-us/
Green, L. W., & Ottoson, J. M. (1999). Community and population health. Boston: WCB/McGraw-Hill.
