The mission of public health is to fulfill society’s interest in assuring conditions in which people can be healthy. This mission requires state and local public health officials to respond to ever changing priorities, and to ensure that current and future policies and practices are appropriate. Achieving and sustaining the balance of existing programs with available resources, and incorporating new recommendations and technologies is challenging. Breakthroughs in human genetics provide great promise for improving the health of the public, but have enormous policy implications and require resources. It is evident that genetics will become a fundamental component of the policy and practice roles of public health agencies by 2010, making careful consideration of the framework and process for meeting this challenge essential.
The evolving roles and responsibilities of state public health agencies in assuring the incorporation of genetics throughout the public health system including prevention, education, health promotion, surveillance, laboratory, and clinical services are outlined in this presentation. The three core public health functions and the ten essential public health services are used to frame the integration of genetics into public health practices and policies.
Learning Objectives: Many have claimed that genetics will revolutionize health care. Will it revolutionize public health? State public health agencies are beginning to tackle this question. Ohio's health official has established a genetics task force to address the impact of the rapidly advancing knowledge in genetics on public health . North Carolina is forming an office of genomics. This presentation describes the framework for incorporating genetics into public health developed by the Association of State and Territorial Health Officials' Genetics Advisory Committee. By the end of the session, participants will be able to: 1. Identify current uses for genetics information in public health programs. 2. Articulate the need for appropriate genetics policies. 3. Apply genetics to the three core functions and ten essential services of public health.
Keywords: Genetics, Practice
Presenting author's disclosure statement:
Organization/institution whose products or services will be discussed: Association of State and Territorial Health Officials
I have a significant financial interest/arrangement or affiliation with any organization/institution whose products or services are being discussed in this session.
Relationship: Employment