1 / 19

State and Local Public Health Retreat E. Lansing – October 2, 2008

Public Health Challenges in the 21 st Century Kenneth E. Warner Dean, University of Michigan School of Public Health. State and Local Public Health Retreat E. Lansing – October 2, 2008. Coverage. Contributions of PH Principal substantive issues confronting us today

finley
Download Presentation

State and Local Public Health Retreat E. Lansing – October 2, 2008

An Image/Link below is provided (as is) to download presentation Download Policy: Content on the Website is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use and may not be sold / licensed / shared on other websites without getting consent from its author. Content is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use only. Download presentation by click this link. While downloading, if for some reason you are not able to download a presentation, the publisher may have deleted the file from their server. During download, if you can't get a presentation, the file might be deleted by the publisher.

E N D

Presentation Transcript

  1. Public Health Challenges in the 21st CenturyKenneth E. WarnerDean, University of Michigan School of Public Health State and Local Public Health Retreat E. Lansing – October 2, 2008

  2. Coverage • Contributions of PH • Principal substantive issues confronting us today • What explains (lack of) support for PH? • Toward solutions to our problems

  3. Contributions of public health • U.S. life expectancy ↑ from 47 in 1900 to 78 today • Infant mortality ↓ from 100 to 6.3 per 1000 live births • Age-adjusted CVD death rates ↓ > 2/3rd since 1950

  4. Age-adjusted deaths from cerebrovascular disease, US, 1950-2005 (per 100,000 population)

  5. Contributions of public health • U.S. life expectancy ↑ from 47 in 1900 to 78 today • Infant mortality ↓ from 100 to 6.3 per 1000 live births • Age-adjusted CVD death rates ↓ > 2/3rd since 1950 • Age-adjusted lung Ca death rates declining • See PHS’s 10 Great PH Achievements of 1900-1999

  6. Issues of concern today • Chronic disease, especially behavior-related

  7. Michelangelo’s David visits the U.S. for 2 years Before After

  8. Issues of concern today • Chronic disease, especially behavior-related • Infectious disease • Poverty and urbanization • Population growth • Water and food (supply and cleanliness) • Aging • Health insurance • Climate change • Reduction in disparities

  9. Why PH? • Effective • Typically inexpensive and cost-effective • Addresses equity It’s the right thing to do.

  10. Why not PH?(Why the lack of support) • Its invisibility (when successful) • Lack of public understanding • Lack of urgency (contrast with “rescue function”) • (Relative) lack of interest groups • Therefore, lack of demand • Its “publicness” (no private market) • Politicians’ discount rate

  11. Toward solutions • Investment in PH infrastructure • Education • Research • Communications/marketing • Collaboration

  12. Investment in PH infrastructure • Physical plant, especially and state & local levels • Scientific capabilities (labs, etc.) • Personnel • Review, revise, beef up regulatory authorities

  13. It’s hard to do the job when you don’t have the basic tools.

  14. Education • Graduate • Undergraduate • Workforce • Continuing ed for professionals

  15. Research Serves two of three core functions of PH: • Assessment • Policy development

  16. Communications/marketing:The challenge How can we unite constituents, elected officials, the professional community, and others in the PH system to ensure an effective and sustainable PH system? Constituents must demand progress from their elected officials.

  17. Communications/marketing:Creating a demand for PH • PH needs “brand identity” • Many efforts in recent years (e.g., “This is public health” stickers) • Need for professionally developed, large, and sustained marketing campaign (“A day in the life…without public health”) Public health!

  18. Collaboration • Leverage our modest resources • Efficient use of resources • Extend our impact • Work with communities and other interested parties (requires organizational and political skills) • Assurance function (3rd core function of PH, through law and moral suasion)

  19. Toward solutionsRoles of UM SPH • Investment in PH infrastructure • Education • Research • Communications/marketing • Collaboration

More Related