Health programs help keep people healthy and safe by preventing disease, injury and disability. They are a large part of public health, which is concerned with protecting the health of entire populations, such as a community or a country. The work of public health professionals includes educating people about healthy lifestyles, researching and preventing diseases, and detecting, containing, and responding to infectious threats.
Health Programs
The Wadsworth Center offers a wide range of health programs, ranging from testing for genetic diseases and infectious agents to developing new, more sensitive laboratory diagnostics. They also work to promote public health by educating the community about health-related issues, including obesity, substance abuse and gun violence.
Health education is the process of influencing individual and group behavior to enhance health knowledge, attitudes, skills and behaviors. It incorporates the social, biological, environmental, psychological and medical sciences to develop educational strategies for personal and community health improvement. Health education is a vital component of the prevention and control of chronic diseases and conditions, such as heart disease, stroke and cancer.
A health education specialist is someone who designs, implements and evaluates programs about weight control, blood pressure, nutrition, exercise, smoking cessation and other health-related topics. They often work with other professionals and organizations to create health promotion policies. They may also design and evaluate employee wellness programs.
Allied health is an occupational field that includes many different careers that support and complement the work of doctors, nurses and other clinical healthcare providers. Allied health professionals are important members of the healthcare team and play a key role in providing patients with a holistic approach to care. They often work with patients to educate them about the importance of healthy lifestyles and provide them with the tools they need to make these changes.
The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) is a cabinet-level agency that oversees federal health and human services programs, such as Medicare, Medicaid and public health. Its mission is to enhance the health and well-being of Americans through sound, sustained advances in the scientific basis of medicine, public health and social services. The agency’s leadership is dedicated to a national vision of healthy individuals and communities. To this end, the organization is guided by its strategic plan and statutory directives.