The functions of the National Association of County and City Health Officials include helping cities and counties during emergency situations and providing support in regards to both community and environmental health. Also known as NACCHO, the organization opened in the 1960s and has its headquarters in Washington DC. The functions that it performs help millions of people in the United States.
Community Health Programs
According to the official website of NACCHO, some of its functions relate to community health programs. Community health refers to medical conditions that affect a large population or group of people. These programs teach residents about specific diseases like HIV and diabetes, but the programs also talk about general health and why people should eat healthy and stop smoking. NACCHO is also responsible for helping cities and counties launch programs that let citizens get flu shots and access to healthy living classes.
Emergency Assistance
Emergency assistance is another of the functions that NACCHO performs. If a local area reports an outbreak of a disease like HIV, the organization can send representatives and agents to the area to begin conducting research into what caused the outbreak and how doctors should treat those patients. It can also work with local areas to develop emergency preparedness plans. The more prepared the local government is for an emergency situation, the better those government agents can handle a future problem. NACCHO also helps local governments create programs that prevent the risk of an emergency occurring.
Public Policy
Some of the health and safety laws that exist in the United States today are in place because of the efforts of NACCHO. Advocay is just one of the functions that it performs. In addition to informing the general public about how they can keep themselves safe, they also assist legislators with coming up with new laws and plans. NACCHO will then go out in the field and talk with citizens about the importance of those laws and why the city should pass new legislature. The organization also meets with state and federal government agents too.
Marketing Materials
When local health officials need help working with the public at large, they often turn to NACCHO for help finding marketing materials that they can use. Those materials often include the logo of the organization on the front, which lets citizens know that they can trust the information available. These materials include pamphlets and brochures that the health department hands out to inform locals about anti-smoking programs, diabetic clinics, free STI testing and other programs available in the area. Other materials give locals helpful information about the symptoms of diseases that are common in those areas.
Environmental Health Programs
Environmental health is just as important as physical health, which is why one of the functions of the National Association of County and City Health Officials is providing locals with programs dedicated to environmental health topics. NACCHO helps local organizations create programs that alert locals about topics like food safety, which may include showing them how to keep fresh ingredients safe at home and what to look for when choosing a restaurant. Local groups can also get help creating programs relating to climate change and how temperature changes can affect locals.
Certain populations have a greater risk of suffering from medical conditions like diabetes and heart disease, which is why NACCHO helps local communities and governments create programs that target those with a greater risk. Other functions of the National Association of County and City Health Officials include helping communities create environmental health programs, providing them with marketing materials and assisting with emergency preparedness plans.
Resource: Top 10 Best Online Masters in Public Health Degree Programs
