By Dr. Amir Mohammad
Your Health
Dr. Amir Mohammad
The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted the importance of public health services. There are several reasons why we must prioritize public health.
Protecting the public’s health depends on strengthening the system and implementing proven strategies to improve health outcomes.
According to the Centers for Disease Control, the 10 essential public health services provide a framework for public health to protect and promote the health of all people in all communities:
- Assess and monitor population health status, factors that influence health and community needs and assets.
- Investigate, diagnose and address health problems and hazards affecting the population.
- Communicate effectively to inform and educate people about health, factors that influence it and how to improve it.
- Strengthen, support and mobilize communities and partnerships to improve health.
- Create, champion and implement policies, plans and laws that impact health.
- Utilize legal and regulatory actions designed to improve and protect the public’s health.
- Assure an effective system that enables equitable access to the individual services and care needed to be healthy.
- Build and support a diverse and skilled public health workforce.
- Improve and innovate public health functions through ongoing evaluation, research and continuous quality improvement.
- Build and maintain a strong organizational infrastructure for public health.
During the annual state Department of Public Health survey, each health department, whether full time or part time, is required to demonstrate how consistently and effectively they are providing these 10 essential services.
Recently, I had the opportunity to virtually meet our new DPH commissioner, Dr. Manisha Juthani, who shared her vision, priorities and goals. She is an infectious disease specialist trained at the Yale School of Medicine. Prior to joining the DPH, she was a director of the infectious diseases fellowship program and was actively involved in training physicians. Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, she has been instrumental in leading the efforts at Yale School of Medicine and Yale New Haven Hospital.
During our meeting, she emphasized the importance of training and developing the public health workforce, enhancing essential funding to bolster local health departments, improving public health data sharing and acknowledging the challenging work being done during this pandemic by all local health departments. She reminded us that the recently approved state and local fiscal recovery funds from the federal government should be used in supporting the public health response in mitigating the impact of COVID-19.
I am hopeful that Juthani will collaborate with the local health departments and provide leadership and guidance to overcome the existing gaps and deficiencies in providing the 10 essentials public health services to our communities.
We are seeing yet another surge of COVID-19 positive cases and hospitalizations in our state after the Thanksgiving. In our community, all age groups are being infected – especially our school-aged children. This poses an undue challenge in keeping our schools open to provide in-person learning and education. The majority of the confirmed cases in Orange are among those who remain unvaccinated, as is the case statewide. However, the “breakthrough” cases with milder symptoms are occurring among those who had received the COVID-19 vaccines approximately six months earlier. This is consistent with the recommendation for booster vaccines.
I urge all town residents, and especially those with underlying risk factors, to not delay further in getting their booster shots, remain cognizant of the current situation and celebrate the upcoming holidays safely by following preventive guidelines. Wishing everyone a happy and healthy new year.
Dr. Amir Mohammad is the Director of Public Health for the town of Orange