Marnelle Paul
NUR 408
3/4/2013
Linnette Nolte
Everyone deserves the right to keep the body and the mind in good condition, maintaining physical and mental well-being with the absence of illnesses, injuries, or impairments; these are the characteristics of good health. (" Health", 2012). The government takes at heart the responsibility for everyone to have good health and is committed to health promotion and disease prevention. The primary means is the availability of local, state, and national public health resources to empower everyone to take control of their health and to increase awareness of illness prevention. The history of public health and the significant events of some of the health agencies whether local, state, or national will give a clear understanding of the functions, commitment, and services of the public health organizations toward every citizen of this nation.
The county health resources are agencies that provide programs within the community. Their responsibilities are to protect, promote, and maintain the health of the residents of the county. According to Stanhope and Lancaster (2012), their resources are based upon the needs of the community. It is a benefit to mostly the poor and the people without health insurance. They overlook the health status of the schools such as immunization, the hospitals and the other health agencies of the community. The first public health departments started in the late 1800s in several cities of the United States with the vision to monitor and address contagious diseases and to take measures for eliminating environmental hazards. (Stanhope & Lancaster, 2012). The main resource of the Suffolk county public health where I live is the local board of health. Their mission is to monitor the health issues of the community on a behavioral, environmental, social and economical aspect. It was established by the Suffolk County Charter and is chaired by