The practice of public health can be
thought of in terms of the key processes
through which practitioners seek to identify,
address, and prioritize community or populationwide
health problems and resources and
the outputs of these more fundamental
processes, public health’s interventions, policies,
regulations, programs, and services. The
processes of public health are those that identify
and address health problems as well as
the programs and services consistent with
mandates and community priorities. At the
beginning of the 21st century, the processes
of public health are expressed as “essential
public health services”18 and represent the
core of public health practice. These essential
services are as follows:
• Monitor health status to identify community