Overview - PH 415: Core Functions and Public Health Practice

After completing PH 415, learners will be proficient in identifying and explaining how various organizations, positions, and roles contribute to carrying out public health's core functions and essential services. Key aspects of this competency expectation include:

• explaining the "governmental presence in health" concept
• identifying and describing public health's core functions and essential services
• discussing how public health core functions are operationalized in practice
• discussing how community health improvement processes are implemented in community settings
• explaining approaches to assess the extent to which public health's core functions and essential services are being carried out in a community
• understanding how continuous quality improvement principles can be applied to pubic health practice
• describing approaches to improving state-local public health systems
  

This course involves several learning activities; see the PH 415 Exercises document for detailed instructions.

• Content: the content for this course is provided in the specific readings and other resources identified in the PH 415 Exercises document.
• Office Hours: This messaging system was created to handle questions and announcements. Visit this site to introduce yourself to the course as well as to help you get familiar with the workings of the system.
• Exercises:
  1. Individual Exercise: submit the completed individual exercise under the link "Submit Assignments". Your instructor will provide feedback by replying to your posting.
  2. Conferencing Exercise: add your contribution to this multi-learner conferencing exercise.
  3. Assessment Quiz: complete and submit the multiple choice assessment quiz for PH 415.

The instructor will evaluate your responses to the various exercises and indicate when you have successfully completed PH 415. For learners interested in going beyond the basics, a list of additional resources, including readings and other materials, is available through the Additional Resources link. This list emphasizes the most up-to-date materials. Information on related courses is provided in the PH 410 Course Series Syllabus. PH 416 (or any other course) can begin whenever you wish, so feel free to begin the readings that are identified for the course that you plan to take next.

PH 415 Overview last revised July 1, 2004 (bturnock)