Managing Health Care Business Strategy

What is Public Health? The definition of the term has changed over the centuries. For instance the 19th century definition is vague compared to the definition of the term in the 21st century. The 19th century version states that it is the science and art of preventing disease, prolonging life and promoting health through organized community effort. The 20th century definition is as follows: The substance of public health is organized efforts aimed at the prevention of disease and the promotion of health. The 21st century definition explains that the totality of evidence–based public and private efforts that preserve and promote health and prevent disease, disability and death. In the 19th century the Public Health was seen as simple as personal hygiene such as washing hands and covering your mouth when sneezing. The 20th century included promoting health using organized efforts such as community efforts. The 21st century includes efforts from private and public sectors to help prevent diseases, disabilities and death. Since the 19th century public has been playing a role in preventing not only the spread of disease it has included the protection of environment as well as the protection of the community as a whole. (Riegelman; 2010: pgs 3-9) What is the role of public health and will it change in the future? If history repeats itself, the answer to that question is yes. Public Health has a role in every community, in the 19th century it played an insignificant role. There was no private sector involvement; the main focus was on portion of the community or individual groups. They used methods such as quarantines and isolation to contain or expose of diseases. In the mid 1800’s there was the American Health Movement. This movement put forth the idea that disease emerges from social conditions of inequality. It also produced the concept of Social Injustice. During these times organized efforts paid attention to vulnerable members of society, as well as