A new
state agency, the Department of Public Health (DPH),
opened its doors on July 1, 2007. Last year,
Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger signed the
legislation, Senate
Bill 162 (SB162), creating California’s DPH,
a move which according
to the Governor’s Office will “bring
greater focus” to public health issues.
Public
health is the science of health promotion, disease
prevention, and the prolonging of healthy lives
through the organized efforts and choices of
individuals and organizations. Public health “issues”
include such natural and man-made emergencies as
earthquakes, floods, wildfires, severe weather
such as extreme heat, and biological terrorist
attacks. Public health concerns also include
health promotion and disease prevention issues
such as SARS (Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome),
obesity, and smoking cessation.
|
Dr.
Mark Horton, Director, Califrornia
Department of Public Health
[Photo courtesy of California Department of
Public Health]
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The
DPH founding legislation, which Senator Deborah
Ortiz authored, shows when public health-specific
programs were housed in the California
Department of Health Services (as of July 1
the California Department of Health Care Services)
California health insurance programs, such as Medi-Cal,
“overshadowed” those crucial programs. Ortiz’s
bill cites a Little Hoover Commission report
illustrating that in 2003-2004 the California
Department of Health Services dedicated “over
48% of its staff and 96% of its total resources to
health service delivery for Medi-Cal and [similar]
programs.” The new DPH will dedicate one hundred
percent of its resources to public health, more
effectively protecting the health and safety of
Californians.
Heading
the new state department is Dr. Mark Horton, a
pediatrician and top health official in Orange
County, who was the state's public health officer
until Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger appointed him
DPH Director on April 2, 2007.
Department
of Public Health a good information resource for
Californians
One
DPH online resource, Be
Prepared California, offers Californians a
one-stop shop for understandable information about
what to do, and whom to contact, in an emergency.
The website’s organization, and text,
exemplifies the straightforward, user-based,
direction in which state online services are
moving.
Though
the website focuses on
information about potentially frightening topics
such as “bioterrorism threats,” the DPH
website team does a great job translating complex
terms for diverse Californians. The website’s
simple language is an enormous benefit to
Californians of disparate reading abilities who
need this information for their safety. Online
visitors encounter simple categories such as “Protect
Yourself & Your Family” with easy-to-follow
links to detailed pages such as “Talk
to Children About Crisis Events.”
Because
this new agency is now specifically in charge of
reaching out to citizens statewide on public
health issues, regional and local emergency
organizations (“first responders”) have more
flexibility to do the grass-roots level work of
acting on public health threats, and controlling
the spread of diseases such as meningitis, HIV,
and hepatitis C, among others. As Director Horton
said in the Governor’s April 7 radio
address, “We will…help [county health
departments and local organizations] to be more
efficient and effective in delivering services and
promoting public health in their communities.”
Horton
said the new DPH will “fulfill the Governor’s
promise to improve access to quality health care
and reduce costs through prevention – with
services such as disease screenings and
vaccinations, and patient safety initiatives.
These include programs to reduce obesity, diabetes
and tobacco use because they are leading causes of
heart disease, stroke and cancer.” Because the
“patient safety initiatives” to which Horton
refers are garnering public interest in
California, people who work in California’s
libraries should find the DPH website and link
referrals excellent resources for community
education workshops on preventative health, and
disaster preparedness, or for customers seeking
information on those topics in their homes,
schools, and workplaces.
New
focus on preventative care in California
communities
According
to data from the federal initiative, Healthy
People 2010, health education and healthy
lifestyle promotion will help increase Americans’
quality of life. Like Governor Schwarzenegger and
Dr. Horton at the DPH, California State Library
leaders recognize the many benefits of good health
information and through the 2007 California State
Library Consumer Health Survey are exploring how
California libraries might be ideal healthy
lifestyle resources in California’s communities.
Of
the 2007 California State Library Consumer Health
Survey, State Librarian Susan Hildreth says, “We
believe that public libraries have an important
role to play in reaching the Healthy People
2010 goals because libraries can disseminate
health information and promote healthy lifestyles.
We’re asking California’s library community
and primary health care providers what function
public libraries could play in addressing consumer
health information needs.”
For
more information about new California Department
of Public Health please visit http://bepreparedcalifornia.ca.gov/epo/.
For
more information about the 2007 California State
Library Consumer Health survey please contact
Suzanne Flint at (916) 651-9796 or email her at sflint@library.ca.gov.
