Online Program

Oral

The fields of primary care and public health in the United States largely have functioned independently of each other for the last century. The passage of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (ACA) presents new opportunities to integrate these two sectors and change the way the nation improves health. In a recent report, the Institute of Medicine identified current efforts to integrate primary care and public health including a shared objective of improving population health by involving the community in defining and addressing its needs. To explore what it takes to link primary care and public health, this session will discuss current evidence-based strategies and promising practices underway to integrate community and clinical preventive services and their impact on improving community health to become the healthiest nation in a generation.

Session Objectives: Discuss three examples effective in integrating primary care and public health through preventive activities that improve community health, especially for the most vulnerable populations. Discuss challenges in integrating primary care and public health and how these challenges have been addressed. Identify three strategies/interventions that you will promote in integrating primary care and public health across all sectors.