I’ve been reading and hearing a lot about Public Health 3.0. If I’m hearing a lot about it, I figure others must be as well. What is it and why is it important? In this blog post I plan to address those questions and provide links to resources that can given you a greater depth of information on the subject.
My understanding of Public Health 3.0, in very simple terms, is that it is a reaction to the recognition that addressing the social determinants of health will require the involvement of an increased number of stakeholders, pooling of resources and multi-sector collaboration, leading to greater innovation in the ways we address these challenges to population health improvement.
“The key components of Public Health 3.0 are enhanced public health leadership in the community, broad engagement with partners across multiple sectors, an accreditation process that includes Public Health 3.0 elements, more timely and locally relevant data, new metrics of community health and more flexible public health funding. The HHS Office of the Assistant Secretary for Health is leading the Public Health 3.0 initiative, which will build off ongoing Healthy People 2020 efforts that encourage collaboration across sectors and communities.” (Source: The Nation’s Health, “Social determinants take center stage in call for Public Health 3.0”)
On the Office of Disease Prevention and Health Promotion website (Health.gov), the Office of the Assistant Secretary for Health on Public Health 3.0 has established a blog (Public Health 3.0 in Action) to provide regular updates showcasing examples of Public Health 3.0. The blog take Public Health 3.0 out of the theoretical realm, giving current real world examples of this approach in practice.
Why do we need Public Health 3.0? Why is it important?
“Despite public health’s increasing focus on how environments impact health, our ZIP codes remain a more accurate determinant of health than our genetic codes. As a society, we have a collective responsibility to create conditions that allow all members of our communities to make healthy choices. And yet public health initiatives often exist in silos, resulting in missed opportunities to leverage the critical knowledge of communities to improve health at the local level.” (Source: HealthyPeople.gov)
The historic lack of collaboration between public health organizations, healthcare systems, community organization and private enterprise has always puzzled me. Public Health 3.0 seeks to change that prevailing paradigm by calling for cross-sector collaboration and innovative solutions. It’s an exciting initiative that is provoking conversations and action!
For more information on Pubic Health 3.0, here are some resources I recommend:
- 6 Things you should know about Public Health 3.0, The Practical Playbook
- The Nation’s Health, “Social determinants take center stage in call for Public Health 3.0”
- Public Health 3.0, HealthyPeople.gov
- Building Healthy and Just Communities (video), Karen DeSalvo, MD, acting assistant secretary of health at the Department of Health and Human Services, addresses the Closing Session of the 2015 APHA Annual Meeting.
- Q&A with Karen DeSalvo: Transforming and sustaining public health, Public Health Newswire
- Public Health 3.0 in Action, Health.gov
- From Pennsylvania to the Pacific and Back: The Public Health 3.0 Listening Tour, By Karen DeSalvo, MD, MPH, MSc, Acting Assistant Secretary for Health, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
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