Understanding State Public Health

Publication Date: September 2008

Publisher: Robert Wood Johnson Foundation

Author(s): Association of State and Territorial Health Officials (ASTHO)

Research Area: Health

Type: Report

Abstract:

What public health services should be expected from state government?

The answer is difficult, in part because state health departments provide a broad array of services—but they don't all provide the same services, nor are those agencies all organized in the same way. Nowhere is there a commonly shared and accepted definition of services that a resident of any given state should expect.

Through the Understanding State Public Health Project, the Association of State and Territorial Health Officials (ASTHO) will develop a comprehensive report that defines the scope of state public health functions and responsibilities. The project also will implement a communication and marketing plan to convey this critical information to public health constituencies, elected officials, funders, and the general public.

This project will strengthen the nation’s public health infrastructure by creating a common understanding of the scope and responsibilities of state public health.

Supported by quality improvement initiatives currently being explored by ASTHO, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation,
and other public health interests, the enhanced visibility and accountability resulting from this project can be expected to result in improved health outcomes.