Public Health Practice: What Works

Los Angeles County, the most populous county in the United States, is home to 10 million people and 88 municipalities. It is larger than 41 of the 50 states. Comprising urban centers, extensive suburbs, and low-income, rural, and agricultural communities, it poses complex public health challenges that are diverse in scope and unmatched in scale.

In Public Health Practice: What Works, the leaders of LA County's Department of Public Health compile the lessons and best practices of working in a complex and evolving public health setting. Through stories of success (and challenges) from practice, this book offers a practical guide to effective health policy and program interventions for individuals, teams, practitioners, and departments on any scale.

All facets of public health practice are illustrated through case-specific chapters, including coverage of core capacities, health promotion and protection, emergency response, and service delivery. Techniques and themes addressed here include:

· cross-cutting interventions and intersectoral actions to improve population health
· environmental problems and influences on health outcomes
· policy as a public health tool
· targeted and tailored programs and services, policies, and partnerships

Employing a casebook method to provide real-life teaching tools for practitioners and students, Public Health Practice: What Works is a new benchmark for practical, contemporary public health practice.

Jonathan E. Fielding, MD, MPH, MA, MBA, is the Director of the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health.

Steven M. Teutsch, MD, MPH, is Chief Science Officer for the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health.