Public Health and Health Care Essay

The Public Health Agency of Canada is influential in the health of the local population. A public health agency is an authority responsible for public-related health issues at the community, state or local levels. It falls under a wide public health system that consists of all private and public entities that promote the delivery of essential health services to the public. Public health agencies are significant in ensuring that all organizations direct their efforts towards contributing to the healthy well-being of the community. Agencies reflect how public health services are organized. According to Ruggiero (2007), they are major components of a health care system infrastructure. Agencies can be classified based on the organizational structure or function so that they can be distinguished easily. Since public health acts as a foundation of any prosperous society, the roles that PHAs play cannot be ignored. They are drivers of the population’s health status. Public Health and Health Care Essay

Description of the Public Health Agency of Canada

The Public Health Agency of Canada was created to share the government’s commitment towards protecting the health and safety of all Canadians. Its mission has been to promote and protect the health of society through partnership and innovation in the public health sector for the past decade since its inception. The Agency develops activities to promote health and improve preparedness for various health threats. It is also involved in evaluating the impact of public health interventions (Public Health Agency of Canada, 2008). It is the major organization involved in health protection and social wellbeing improvement with strong regional and local presence. In fulfilling its mandate to improve public health and reduce disparities, the Agency works within a framework of three areas, including nursing, public health and health professionals. Public Health and Health Care Essay

According to Raphael and Bryant (2006), the three major public health functions that agencies promote include assessment, policy development and assurance. The Agency has been consistent in fulfilling these functions over the last decade. From an evidence-based analysis, it is evident that the Public Health Agency of Canada has been effective in monitoring the health status of the population with respect to health issues. In addition, it has been at the forefront in investigating health hazards in the community. Moreover, the Agency has been efficient in evaluating personal and population-based health services. It contributes to this function through reducing the threat of infectious diseases in its quest to promote the national public health. The policy development function is associated with creating health policies for the community, enforcing laws to ensure its safety and researching to solve health problems. In accordance with this function, the Agency develops and implements policies in support of the state public health. The third public health function that the Public Health Agency of Canada is responsible for is assurance, whereby it links people with the required health services and mobilizes them with an aim of solving health problems. Public Health and Health Care Essay

Influences of the Agency on the Workplace, Health Care Provider and the Health Care System

The Agency has a huge impact on my health care provider and my workplace. One of the major impacts is shaping the research agenda in the health care provider’s department. For a long time, my healthcare provider has been putting efforts to promote, protect and improve the health of the community. The influence of the Agency has ensured that public health and primary care become complementary services within the healthcare system. It has also been influential in developing standards in the health care provider’s institution due to a high level of monitoring and evaluating norms. The direction that the provider has taken is mainly based on the population’s well-being consisting on delivering first contact, comprehensive and coordinated care. To this effect, the well-developed primary care system at my health care provider creates benefits in terms of the community health, reduction of morbidities and mortality (Akhtar-Danesh, Valaitis, O’Mara, Austin, & Munroe, 2013). Public Health and Health Care Essay

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Public health policies have become increasingly linked to primary care delivery in society as a result of the Agency’s influence. In addition, recent trends have made primary care providers move from the previous generalist approach to the specialist one that focuses on evaluating specific diseases. After examining the influence of the Agency, it is evident that public health activities have been prioritized and adequately formulated to ensure the development of long-term sustainable actions and improvement of the population’s health. My health care provider has been consistent with the Agency’s mission through various campaigns, for example, sharing the responsibility for immunization. In addition, various mechanisms have been put in place to provide the community with disease prevention measures. Accordingly, primary care has improved the quality of health care as a whole. Public Health and Health Care Essay

The influence of the Agency on the general health care system has been positive. As a result, community projects have been introduced to improve the health of the community and employees in my workplace (Livingston, 2001). The efficiency and accountability of the health care system has been improved because of the Agency’s influence. With the current trend of the interaction between the Agency and my health care provider, there exists an opportunity for the health care system to fully integrate critical policies to improve the population’s health status.Public Health and Health Care Essay

Roles of Agency Workers

The Agency is headed by the Chief Public Health Officer (CPHO), who plays a leadership role and is responsible for the citizen’s engagement in public health. At the community level, the CPHO controls work of health agents, medical professionals, epidemiologists and scientists who are called upon whenever there is a health issue that is a threat to the population. The Agency determines their core competencies through providing them with accessible continuing education in collaboration with professional bodies. A specific responsibility of the agency workers is to monitor the status of the population’s health on a regular basis before contacting the federal government to give correct directives. The Agency has policy advisors that coordinate and facilitate policy initiatives as well as special projects in the respective communities within the fields of infectious diseases and emergency preparedness (Dausey, 2005). Public Health and Health Care Essay

Conclusion

The public health agency in my locality has a huge impact on the health care system. Physical health is just one of the components of healthy population. As such, the Agency has been instrumental in integrating policies that promote and improve the public health. The Agency will overcome any difficulties to augment its capacity to address population’s health issues and develop a policy framework that is focused on providing effective public health advice. Public health policies have huge impacts on primary care delivery in society. They continue to shape the direction of health care practices designed for health promotion. In fact, they have been critical in promoting the efficiency and accountability of the health care system. In addition, public health agencies have been influential in maintaining standards at my health care provider’s institution. Evidently, the role that the Agency plays in health care delivery cannot be ignored. Public Health and Health Care Essay