It’s Canadian Public Health Week. This annual recognition provides the opportunity to showcase the public health projects we support, and to acknowledge all the professionals who get up every day, especially during difficult times, to put public health first. But, what is public health anyway? And why do we differentiate between public health and population health?
One simple way to answer that is just to say that public health is the ‘work’ and population health is the ‘outcome.’ When public health systems are working, it results in healthy, resilient communities.
The Functions of Public Health
Public health functions include health protection, promotion, and prevention; preparedness and response; and surveillance and monitoring. These functions contribute to the public health sector and are distinct from our publicly-funded healthcare system in Canada. However, though distinct, the two systems do work in synergy, with public health focused on groups, communities, and populations, while healthcare primarily focuses on individuals, who oftentimes need more urgent care. Both are clearly vital to society, but unfortunately with most investment going to the latter, we must continue to demonstrate why public health matters.
When we talk about population health, we’re also including the social determinants of health (SDOH) because there will never be a healthy population if we don’t consider all factors that contribute to health. One of the most fundamental and critical concepts in public health is equity. The work of public health is to address and find solutions for inequities that create systemic barriers for many in achieving good population health outcomes. For example, did you know that one’s gender is a major influencer of one’s health? Or that social isolation is a significant barrier that can lead to poorer health? Public health initiatives try to remove or lower those barriers.
Health Promotion
One vital discipline within public health is health promotion. While there are a number of different models, one tenet of health promotion is that our place in the world influences our health. From belief systems, to public policy, to the towns and cities where we live, to the schools we attend, health is multi-factorial, intersectional, and not always about choice. Good health lives in our physical, mental, social, ecological, cultural, and spiritual environment.
Working Upstream
When we think about the work of public health, prevention is probably the most easily understood mechanism through which we achieve improved health. Though prevention is a component, upstream is more nuanced. When we work ‘upstream,’ we’re taking action at the root cause of an issue, before it becomes an issue. Early childhood development, income, immunizations, and housing are just some examples of upstream initiatives.
The Importance of Social Justice
Social justice is a philosophy that everyone deserves equal rights and opportunities and is a fundamental prerequisite for health. This is paramount to public health. Public health is so many things. Public health is support for mental health. Harm reduction and advancing solutions towards ending the Toxic Drug Poisoning Crisis is public health. Public health is gender rights. Public health is Truth, and Reconciliation. Public health is solutions to the climate crisis. And so on.
Public health matters more than ever, and it’s not just about pandemics. We must understand the need for, and invest in, public health and we must work with our current leaders and experts, and train future generations to think differently about health.
While the Foundation works with our core partners across the health authorities and in government, we work for you, and for the health of everyone in BC. We strive for the healthy human and do that through partnerships and collaborations. We envision a healthier, safer, and more equitable future for all. Please join us by donating to support this important work.
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