DRAFT MISSION STATEMENT #2
PUBLIC HEALTH COMMITTEE
I. KLEIN 12/27/05

The mission of the Public Health Committee of the County of Dukes County is to promote and protect the health and well-being of our community by ensuring that a vibrant, efficient, and effective public health system is well-established, (or firmly in place?). (well established)

It is the goal of the Public Health Committee to lead and assist in (foster?) (is foster likely to be heard as force?) the development of a framework for a county-wide public health system that incorporates the ten essential public health services developed by representatives from US Public Health Service agencies and other major public health organizations, and which identifies the priorities and supports the goals of local public health systems.

It is the intent of the Public Health Committee to support existing public health services and to work collaboratively with community coalitions, in a manner that is grounded in objective data where possible, in order to: optimize existing resources, avoid duplication of services (where practical), promote communication and collaboration, and address gaps in public health services and the public health system at large.

Current activities of the Public Health Committee include:

supporting the towns in their development of an integrated EDM system that

flexibly responds to both the needs of the seven towns and of the County at large;

supporting and implementing dynamic public health education and disease

prevention programs grounded in community health profiles;

conducting a local public health system survey as a mechanism for identifying

existing resources, prioritizing efforts, and addressing service gaps;

establishing a health statistics database as a cornerstone for monitoring and prioritizing community health problems and public health efforts.