Dr. Julie Jacko — Scope of Public Heath
Public Health protects and improves the health of communities through education, promotion of healthy lifestyles, and research for disease and injury prevention. Dr. Julie Jacko is a Professor of Public Health at the University of Minnesota. From medicine to business, law to liberal arts, and science and engineering to architecture, the University of Minnesota offers baccalaureate, masters, and doctoral degrees in virtually every field and is one of United States largest schools.
Public Health protects the health of your family and community by analyzing the effect on health of genetics, personal choice and the environment in order to develop better programs, says Julie Jacko, an expert in Public Health. Public Health is not just concerned with individual health care but with protecting the health of entire populations. These populations can be as small as a local neighborhood, or as big as an entire country.
A large part of public health is concerned with the fight for health care equity, quality, and accessibility of health care facilities for all, informs Dr. Julie Jacko. The scope of Public health professionals try to prevent problems from happening or re-occurring through implementing educational programs, developing policies, administering services, regulating health systems and some health professions, and conducting research.
Public Health is concerned with limiting health disparities and is different from the work of clinical professionals, such as doctors and nurses, who focus primarily on treating individuals after they become sick or injured. The field of public health is highly varied and encompasses many academic disciplines. However, public health is mainly composed of the following core areas:
1. Behavioral Science/Health Education
2. Biostatistics
3. Emergency Medical Services
4. Environmental Health
5. Epidemiology
6. Health Services Administration/Management
7. International/Global Health
8. Maternal and Child Health
9. Nutrition
10. Public Health Laboratory Practice
11. Public Health Policy
12. Public Health Practice
Behavioral Science/Health Education focuses on ways that encourage people to make healthy choices, says Julie Jacko. Community-wide education programs are undertaken that range from promoting healthy lifestyles in order to prevent disease and injury, to researching complex health issues. These can the stopping of the spread of sexually transmitted diseases like herpes, HIV/AIDS, etc and helping youth recognize the dangers of binging, drinking, drugs, etc.
Biostatistics involves identifying health trends that lead to life-saving measures through the application of statistical procedures, techniques, and methodology. With biostatistics one can estimate the number of deaths that resulted from gun violence, drunk driving injuries, accidents, etc by using mathematics and science, says Dr. Julie Jacko.
State or regional public health specialists focus on training, licensing, quality control, access, research, or disaster preparedness. While the actual emergency care may be provided by a hospital, a fire department, a private company, or a non-profit organization, EMS Public Health professionals ensure a coordinated EMS system that works seamlessly to provide rapid, competent, emergency care to all citizens. Emergency Medical Service (EMS) has trained emergency medical responders always available to respond to emergencies and focuses on ensuring a functioning emergency care system, says Professor of Public Health Dr. Julie Jacko.
