Public Health promotes and protects the health of people and the communities where they live, learn, work, and play. As the state certified local health department for all of Winnebago County, the Winnebago County Health Department promotes and protects the health of the community through the three (3) core functions of assessment, assurance, and policy development and ten (10) essential services of public health.
The 10 Essential Public Health Services describe the activities that support the health of communities:
- Assess and monitor population health status, factors that influence health, and community needs and assets
- Investigate, diagnose, and address health problems and hazards affecting the population
- Communicate effectively to inform and educate people about health, factors that influence it, and how to improve it
- Strengthen, support, and mobilize communities and partnerships to improve health
- Create, champion, and implement policies, plans, and laws that impact health
- Utilize legal and regulatory actions designed to improve and protect the public’s health
- Assure an effective system that enables equitable access to the individual services and care needed to be healthy
- Build and support a diverse and skilled public health workforce
- Improve and innovate public health functions through ongoing evaluation, research, and continuous quality improvement
- Build and maintain a strong organizational infrastructure for public health
