Big Talk: Intro to Public Health

As a young elementary school girl, I always wondered who my parents were referring to when they said other people had no food or homes. What did they mean? Where were these invisible people I couldn't see? I was strictly confined to the borders of the perfect little town of Northbrook.  For all I knew, we had a good life and all my friends did too. I simply didn't believe them. As I grew older, I began to understand what they had been saying. 

Every day on TV I would see morning news articles about racism, world hunger, and controversial topics that painted the picture that we were going to turn against each other and the world was going to end. I thought to myself, who are the people that help the needs of people? The answer is public health officials and other specialists!

Although many people may think the work of public health specialists or advocates may be directly related to doctors and the hospital, that is not always the case. According to Mighty Fines, an expert at the APHA(American Public Health Association), “... effective public health interventions are holistic, which means they treat health as a whole rather than a single aspect”(Mighty Fines). It isn’t about an individual's needs which is commonly seen in the hospital, but how to protect the current and future generations. 

In addition, public health focuses on the future hazards of everyday life and how to maintain the well-being of the people in our communities. It’s not just about the physical aspect but it also includes the mental. They do play a part regarding healthcare as they come up with ways to prevent the spread of diseases and how to create solutions to sicknesses, but they also think of ways to help us think more positively or how to destress. 

Public health isn’t tackling one specific group’s problems, but everyone's. Despite people’s races, jobs, and religions, public health officials are problem solvers for everyone. Furthermore, there isn’t one group of “public health” specialists but many. For example, first responders, teachers, and social workers are all part of people who maintain the well-being of our society. Public health isn’t just one specific job, but for all those who have the goal of helping others. 

Work Cited

“What is public health?” American Public Health Association, https://www.apha.org/What-is-public-health. Accessed 23 January 2024.