In 1988 the Future of Public Health was published by the Institute of Medicine. The document described the disarray of the public health system and characterized the core functions of public health to be assessment, policy development and assurance. Additionally, the IOM report offered recommendations on the roles of all levels of governmental public health programs with respect to the core functions. The core functions are widely accepted as defining the roles of the public health system.
In 1994, Public Health in America was released by the Public Health service in collaboration with the Institute of Medicine and leaders from other public health organizations. This document identified Ten Essential Public Health Services as the mechanisms to implement the core functions.
Essential Environmental Health Services |
PACE-EH Task # |
Activities Associated with
PACE-EH Tasks |
- Monitor health status to identify community environmental health problems
|
4-9 |
- Assessing the environmental health needs of the community
- Assessing the environmental health determinants in the community
|
- Diagnose and investigate environmental health problems and health hazards in the community
|
5-9 |
- Investigating the occurrence of environmentally related events
|
- Enforce laws and regulations that protect health and ensure safety
|
11-13 |
- Protecting residents from exposure to contaminants and hazardous surroundings
|
- Link people to needed environmental health services and assure the provision of environmental health services when otherwise unavailable
|
12 |
- Implementing an environmental health program
- Managing resources and developing sound organizational structures
|
- Assure a competent environmental health workforce
|
1 |
- Assess skills and capacities of environmental health workforce
- Provide appropriate training to build capacities in coalition building, data collection and analysis, etc.
|
- Evaluate effectiveness, accessibility, and quality of personal and population-based environmental health services
|
13 |
- Evaluating programs and developing quality assurance mechanisms
|
- Develop policies and plans that support individual and community environmental health efforts
|
10-11 |
- Setting priorities for environmental health action
- Developing plans and strategies to address environmental health priorities
|
- Mobilize community partnerships to identify and solve environmental health problems
|
1-3 |
- Advocating for environmental health improvement, building constituencies, and identifying community resources
|
- Inform, educate, and empower people about environmental health issues
|
1-13 |
- Inform and educate the public about environmental health issues
|
- Research for new insights and innovative solutions to environmental health problems and issues
|
12-13 |
- Select intervention and prevention activities for identified environmental health issues
- Conduct process and outcomes evaluations of selected activities
|
