What do we strive to accomplish?
The vision of Clark County Public Health is active, healthy families and people of all ages, abilities, and cultures living, playing, and working in thriving communities. To that end, we deliver essential services that protect and promote people's health and their environment, to support and create healthier communities. Through our services, we:
- Prevent the spread of disease
- Protect against health threats in food and water
- Promote healthy behaviors
- Mobilize community action through partnerships with other entities
- Respond to disasters
- Reach out to special populations, linking or providing direct services
- Integrate community data into public health planning
Public Health's Strategic Plan for 2007-2010 describes five strategic initiatives to reach these goals.
How are we organized?
- Organization chart with programs
- Organization chart-circles
- Programs and services
Where did we come from?
Some milestones:
- 1958 - US Secretary of the Department of Health, Education and Welfare (DHEW) quitclaimed two parcels of military reservation to the State of Washington
- 1967 - Property title transferred by deed to Clark County for 30 years for Clark and Skamania County public health
- 1968 - Funds obtained and new facility built on Fort Vancouver Way, Vancouver, WA
- 1978 - Laboratory addition constructed
- 1982 - Lease agreement began between Health District and Clark County
- 1992-1997 - Health District services and staff expanded; main offices and administration remained at 2000 Fort Vancouver Way, some work units moved into nearby facilities and satellite offices in surrounding communities
- 1997 - Clark County sold Fort Vancouver Way site to Clark College Foundation (college to fully occupy June, 2005)
- 1999 - Washington State voters passed Initiative 695, tax-limiting initiative that eliminated significant funding for public health and other segments of local government. Health District programs and staff cuts ensued
- 2000 - Some satellite offices closed, services consolidated at Fort Vancouver Way
- 2002 - Determination made to dissolve Health District, move public health services to Clark County government
- 2003 - Clark County Health Department (now Clark County Public Health) formed January 1; Clark County contracted to provide public health services to residents of Skamania County
- 2005 - Clark County Public Health moved into the Center for Community Health, the culmination of planning and collaboration among community partners to provide multiple health and social services with continuity of care
Where are we going?
Excellence remains our focus. These priorities assure that Public Health continues to provide essential public health services to the people of Clark County:
- A well-trained, fully prepared workforce
- Timely and accurate laboratory results for diagnosis and investigation
- Epidemiology and surveillance to rapidly detect health threats
- Secure, accessible information systems to communicate rapidly, analyze and interpret health data, provide public access to health information
- Solid communication systems; swift, secure two-way flow of information to routinely translate scientific information, provide timely, accurate information to the public, and advice to policy-makers in public health emergencies
- Capability to routinely evaluate and improve the effectiveness of public health programs, assess effectiveness of existing programs to establish health improvement priorities
- Preparedness and response capability, including response plans, testing and maintaining a high level of preparedness
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