Public Health and Health Care Paper - Essay Example

Generally, the private sector in any health care system of a nation consists of diverse nongovernmental institutions of varying scale and scope. Public health is basically financed with government’s funds solicited from tax revenues. In the United States, “the public sector includes official (or governmental) agencies, voluntary agencies, and nonprofit agencies.” (Delaune & Ladner, 2006, 60) This essay is hereby written with the objective of describing public health and its role in the delivery of health care services.

It aims to describe a selected public agency and determine its contribution to the core functions of public health. The essay will also examine specific ways the agency influences the workplace and health care provider. Finally, the roles of the agency workers are to be identified, including specific responsibilities, competencies, and skills. At the top of the hierarchy in the public sector’s delivery of health care is the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) which is the sole governing body tasked with the responsibility of delivering health care services to the public.

Next in line are state departments of health which vary in providing health care to their constituents. The state departments of health eventually relegate and coordinate health activities of local health units. A report from the USDHHS on Public Health in America proffered the public health sector’s vision as “healthy people in healthy communities” with the mission of “promoting physical and mental health and preventing disease, injury and disability”. (DHHS, n.d., 21) The national governing body ensures that its role in the delivery of health care services to the public encompasses the following core functions, to wit: “prevents epidemics and the spread of disease; protects against environmental hazards; prevents injuries; promotes and encourages healthy behaviors; responds to disasters