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What is Public Health?

What We Do

Public health promotes and protects the health of people and the communities where they live, learn, work and play.  The primary goal of public health is to prevent health concerns before they occur and make sure that communities remain healthy through difficult times.  

 

Our goal is to connect the public health across Mystic Valley by using shared services and supporting all communities across grants.  This website is design to support all seven towns through communication, education, and information.

3 P's of Prevention

Prevention: MVPHC commitment to prevention focuses on planning for particular scenarios where negative health outcomes are more likely.  Examples of this are supporting better teen decision-making, preparing your house for pests, and educating community members on their resources.
From protecting homes from rodents to protecting our youth from harmful substances, MVPHC is committed to creating environments and systems that set communities up for achieving the best possible health outcomes. ​
 

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Promotion: Public health is only successful if community members are made aware of all that is available for them and have the support to take charge of their health.  Examples of this are providing resources to better understand health, running events, and providing content to better understand how to support your family and community.

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Protection: When it comes to the safety of your family, public health gives you the tools to take action when you need it most.  Examples include information for emergencies, action plans for crises, and providing information of local health urgent care spaces.

Equity in Public Health

Equity in Public Health is the move towards the attainment of the highest level of health for all people. Everyone has a far opportunity and access to healthcare regardless of ethnicity, race, sexual orientation, socioeconomic status, disability status, etc.  However, currently this is not seen everywhere.

 

There are still many health disparities between different ethnic, race, sexual orientation, socioeconomic, or age groups. Health disparities are preventable differences in the burden of disease, injury, violence, or other health opportunities that are experienced.

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To increase health equity,  it is important to:

 

  • Support staff diversity

  • Promote culturally competent care

  • Increase community engagement 

  • Address the social determinants of health

  • Improve data collection and analytics

  • Policy advocacy 

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