Reflection Of Health Department

As I spent a day at the Hocking County Health Department I learned that public health involves a very broad range of services that impact many societies throughout the county. My reflection is about the community and social issues that may arise and affect the services provided at this location. The Department of Public Health is comprised of various programs that provide community services such as specialty clinics, hygiene safety, plumbing, food protection, school environments, public swimming pools/spas, manufactured home parks, campgrounds, sewage, and private water systems along with infectious disease control, statistical health analysis, screening for diseases, lead and lead poisoning, and programs for special health needs of women, and children with medical handicaps. All these systems put together allow the system to assume major responsibility for the quality of life in Ohio.

Although funding and grants for services throughout Ohio has been significantly cut in the past few years the health department still have the resources to get most people in their communities what they need in regards to detecting the barriers or problem at hand, finding a way to refer them to the place to receive the services they need, and are completely dedicated to public education, prevention, and promotion of healthy lifestyles and environments as their mission statement says.

The board is responsible for regulation and promoting sanitation to control and preventing the spread of dangerously infectious diseases through local and regional planning and preparedness, also epidemiology and surveillance. They have a plan in action that tracks communicable diseases and disasters throughout 11 different counties and stress the importance of working with local and regional public service agencies to provide help to one another in assuring the health of communities, especially if an emergency should arise. They track this information on the web and by keeping