Understanding Public Health Infrastructure

To protect and promote the public's health our public health infrastructure must be strong. The preparedness of our public health infrastructure to respond to natural disasters, pandemic flu, and biological or chemical attacks is a topic of national conversation. But what is infrastructure?

Our public health system is made up of a complex network of people, systems, and organizations working in the public (local, state, and national levels) and private arenas.

Infrastructure can be thought of as all the parts within the public health system that work to help health professionals carry out the 10 Essential Public Health Services.

Strengthening the system may be done one part at a time.

Where to Start

For those of us who want to strengthen public health infrastructure, knowing where to start or how to approach the situation can be a daunting task. This web site lays out the hundreds of parts that make up public health infrastructure. We have organized those parts into three core areas, as outlined by the CDC.

Within each section you will find useful information that will help you understand infrastructure and determine a starting point for strengthening it within your own community.

Three core areas:

• Public Health Workforce
• Information, Data, and Communication Systems
• Organizational & Systems Capacity

Refer to the menu buttons above for other infrastructure topics addressed on this web site.