Public health workers: Stopping sickness before it starts.

Public health workers: Stopping sickness before it starts. What is a public health professional? Behind the doctors and nurses that treat the sick are the civil servants and volunteers that prevent disease outbreaks or the onset of chronic illness. Public health workers monitor and maintain a community’s collective health through public outreach, policy recommendations and education initiatives that encourage citizens to adopt better health practices. What do they do? Their efforts go beyond encouraging children to wash their hands (though that could be part of a broader campaign to fight contagious diseases). Public health officials address a range of health issues from childhood nutrition to HIV testing. They use their acumen as communicators, organizers, policymakers, researchers and educators to improve community well-being.