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Public Health Comparison Paper
Michele Zager, RN
Nur/408
November 4th, 2013
Felita J. Patterson

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Public Health Comparison Paper

Public health is defined as “an organized activity of society to promote, protect, improve, and when necessary, restore the health of inficiduals, specified groups, or the enite population”
(Scutchfield & Keck, 2009, p. 3). Public health has helped millions of people in the United
States achieve the higest level of health possible. Through the efforts of county, state and national public health systems, community nursing and public health nursing have been able to effectively utilize resourses available to ensure the health of communities and the individuals living in those communities.
In the United States, Public Health sprouted out of the needs of society to reduce poverty linked diseased, immigrats and industraial linked health problems (Buhler-Wilkerson, 1985). At the beginning of the 20th century, visiting nurses were already engaged in a campaign of teaching healthy habits to individuals. Soon, the realization “that individual helth depended to some extent on the health of the population generally, the hazareds of infectious diseases become an increasingly tangible concern” (Buhler-Wilderson, 1985, p.1155). The population began to view public health as a concern for everyone.
One of the early pioneres in public health nursing was Florence Nightengale. She saw the difference between sick nursing and health nursing. She emphasized that nurses should promote health and prevent illness by teaching individuals, families, and communities (Stanhope &
Lancaster, 2012). Lillian Wald also had a great impact on the concept of public health.
“Convinced that enviromnetal conditionas as well as social conditions were the cause of ill health and poverty, Wald became actively involved in using epidemiological