The Disconnect between Public Health and Health Care.

Historically health care has responded to illness and disease in individuals. It encompasses emergency, acute and chronic health services to people in hospitals, health systems, physicians’ offices, clinics, rehabilitation facilities and nursing homes.1,2,3,4,5 Public health, on the other hand, refers to the health of a community. Whether city, county, state or federal, a public health entity is intended to be proactive for its population’s health. For instance, it tests and monitors the community’s water supply, develops immunization policies and programs, conducts healthy people studies, creates educational materials against smoking, drug and alcohol abuse, collects mortality data, supports better wellness for moms and babies, screens residents for diabetes or high blood pressure and promotes safety campaigns