What is community health?

What is community health and how does it relate to public health? Public health  seeks to promote wellness and protect the public — which may include the population of a community, city, state or country — from diseases and illnesses. Immunization policies, responses to pandemics and health education campaigns all fall within the public health realm.

Research, planning, statistical modeling and legislation are all aspects of public health, but there are also hands-on roles that involve working directly with people. One of the biggest needs in this field is among underserved populations that often lack access to healthcare resources. This is where community health programs come into play.

Community health  is a subspecialty of public health that focuses on the nonclinical aspects of healthcare in a community. Public health is often concerned with big-picture issues, such as creating a pandemic response or finding ways to reduce the rate of infections.

Meanwhile, community health pursues healthcare and wellness improvements at the local level. In addition to trying to improve medical access, services and health education, especially in underserved populations, community health identifies and tries to address socioeconomic, cultural and demographic factors that affect healthcare and wellness.

Community health relies on face-to-face interactions with community members for information gathering, education, outreach and medical services. Often these interactions take place in a community health center.

Community health is essential because it addresses the needs of groups that lack access to the healthcare system and suffer from increased instances of medical problems as a result.

These issues can arise  due to gender, race, age, economic class, location and cultural factors. The role of community health workers is to understand these complex and interwoven factors to develop strategies that overcome barriers and improve outcomes.  

Here are some ways that community health efforts improve access and outcomes  for underserved populations:

• Promote preventive medicine and medical checkups to reduce the need for emergency services
• Increase access to immunizations and medications
• Help families understand their risk for certain diseases and offer solutions to mitigate those risks
• Educate the population about wellness steps, such as regular fitness and a healthy diet
• Work with providers to offer health screens and checkups that meet the population’s needs

Community health efforts can also bring about better outcomes because workers are embedded in the community and can get feedback to see if the programs are effective.

So, what does community health look like in practice? Here are some examples of how community health programs can bring about positive change within a population.

• Healthy eating: Some urban areas, such as neighborhoods within southern Los Angeles, are food deserts — places where healthy food is hard to come by. A student-run program called South Los Angeles Corner-Store Conversions  sought to get owners of local markets to showcase healthy snacks like fruits instead of chips and candy.
• Community education programs: These efforts seek to improve outcomes for patients by educating them on prevention and disease management. In the River Region of Alabama, for example, a community health group successfully decreased emergency room visits for people with diabetes by more than 50% by offering a program showing them how to set wellness goals  and manage their condition at home.
• Healthcare access: Some demographic groups fall behind on childhood immunizations because of a lack of information and access. Health workers may use community-based interventions  to increase vaccination rates. Efforts can include holding immunization clinics in convenient community locations or offering home visits from public health nurses to provide and document vaccinations.
• Mental health: Some community programs seek to address the mental health needs of specific communities. For example, the Yakima Valley Farm Workers Clinic  in Washington offers mental health services for local agricultural laborers. The clinics, which are located near the target population, are open evenings and weekends and staffed with workers who can meet the needs of the primarily Spanish-speaking clientele.

The types of programs can vary depending on the needs of a community.

Community health can be a demanding field in which to work, but it can also be rewarding. And it’s necessary. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) projects that employment of community health workers will grow by 13%  from 2022 to 2032. That is faster than the average growth for all professions.

BLS Occupational Employment Projections, 2022-2032 is published by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. This data reflects BLS’ projections of national (not local) conditions. These data points are not specific to University of Phoenix students or graduates.

People interested in community health work can start on their career path by pursuing a degree. According to BLS, the minimum qualification  for many public health, health education and community health jobs is a bachelor’s degree in a relevant field, though some outreach workers can start their careers with a high school diploma and on-the-job training.

Community health workers can also get experience by volunteering or finding internships, which can help them develop skills necessary for the face-to-face aspects of community health.