Organization of the Public Health Delivery System
Introduction
Public health services delivery in United States is supported by a complex array of institutions. Both private and governmental organizations feature prominently in the country’s public health system. The chapter explains organizational as well as structural characteristics of public health delivery in the US, emphasizing on intergovernmental as well as inter-organizational arrangements supporting the system. In that view, the following is an overview of governmental and nongovernmental agencies and roles in enhancing public health practices.
Analysis
Government responsibilities evolve as a response to public demands, needs and political will. The governmental participation in the provision of the services is essential for the social well-being. For instance, community-wide vaccination reduces transmission of preventable diseases thereby offering protection to individuals. Organization of the governmental public health operations in US directly flows from the limited federalist system, state, as well as local authority levels (Novick, Morrow & Mays, 2008). Various roles played by the governmental organizations can be summarized as follows
Federal Agencies Contributing to Public Health
Federal agencies are important as they have ability to formulate as well as implement national health policies in addition to allocating resources across public priorities (Gostin, 2000).
Information Production as well as Dissemination
Federal agencies policy instrument involves production as well as dissemination of information often produced by federally supported research efforts, policy studies and surveillance systems (Novick e al., 2008).
Policy Advocacy and Agenda Setting
Federal health agencies have a duty in policy advocacy as well as agenda setting in the legislative process (Gostin, 2000).
Nongovernmental Public Health Organizations
Although the governmental agencies are mainly the dominant institutions, controlling much in financial resources and human capital, nongovernmental organizations have instrumental roles in public health services. The roles are played independently as well as in concert with the governmental health agencies. Their efforts include aspects of medical practice contributing to public health outcomes and practices (Novick e al., 2008). The most frequent nongovernmental systems contributing to public health can be described as follows.
Community Hospitals and Health Systems
They have been important contributors with an example of federal Hill-Burton program that financed several hospitals’ construction, as well as a capital improvement over the past half century (Novick e al., 2008).
Ambulatory Care Providers
They make important contributions and include the private physician practices and community health centers that are supported by the state, federal as well as local government subsidies (Gostin, 2000).
Health Insurers and Managed Care Plans
They make significant contributions to the local public health in some communities motivated by altruistic missions in community service (Novick e al., 2008).
Nonprofit Agencies
They engage in health activities at state, local and national levels prime among them being the state, local and national chapters of voluntary health associations including American Cancer Society, American Heart Association, and American Lung Association as well as American Diabetes Association.
Philanthropic Foundations
Several well-established and large health foundations have a distinguished history of supporting research, as well as demonstration initiatives for public health (Novick e al., 2008).
Universities
They make significant contributions to local public health in various communities with professions schools including schools of medicine; public health, as well as nursing, being the common contributors (Novick e al., 2008).
Conclusion
The chapter overview of the governmental and nongovernmental institutions and their roles in public health indicates ha both plays a crucial role. The institutions play their roles both independently as well as in collaboration with each other as a means of enhancing public health practices.
References
Gostin LA. (2000). Public Health Law: Power, Duty, Restraint. Berkeley, California: University of California Press.
Novick, L.F., Morrow, C. B. & Mays, G.P. (2008). Public Health Administration: Principles for Population-Based Management.2nd Ed. Massasuchetts: Jones & Barlett Publishers.
