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Director's Forward
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Each life is a story. Some are long, rich epics filled with happiness,
health, and rewarding work, while others—far too numerous—are
punctuated by excessive adversity, affliction, and loss. Often, helping
to define and ameliorate those extremes is another kind of story: the
rapidly evolving drama of our collective effort to establish and
maintain the conditions necessary for health. In Hygeia’s
Constellation, the focus is on both health protection, over time and
across places, as well as health equity. It is a unique inquiry into the
dynamic and democratic dimensions of health in the 21st Century.
Hygeia’s Constellation points the way toward a promising new
horizon for thinking and action at a time when health threats and the
provision of health care are increasingly complicated, and health
professionals of all types are challenged to respond. Building on past
and current innovations, Bobby Milstein asks us to think differently: to
consider more than one problem at a time; to see the health landscape in
larger, more dynamic terms; and to question what exactly each of us can
do, across our respective spheres of influence, to create the conditions
for a healthier, more equitable future. Health systems in the United
States and around the world are rapidly changing, and need to be guided
by an orientation in which problems are confronted in a holistic manner
that acknowledges both their contours and connections.
The grave dangers and abundant opportunities that characterize today’s
health protection enterprise require a broad outlook to navigate health
futures—the alternative trajectories that could unfold for the people's
health over time. Hygeia’s Constellation is an arresting resource
that should be read by every health professional. Readers will be
inspired and challenged to learn how their work, along with that of
their fellow citizens, may indeed provide the leverage necessary to
create a healthier, happier, and more prosperous future for all. Please
join us in exploring this unique perspective and its power to transform
our daily efforts to protect the public’s health and achieve health
equity.
Julie Louise Gerberding, M.D., M.P.H.
Director, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
Administrator,
Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry
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Page last reviewed: April 4, 2008
Page last modified: April 4, 2008
Content source: Division of Adult
and Community Health,
National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion
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