Why is public health important?
“As we celebrate the 25th anniversary of National Public Health Week, it is imperative to recognize health care’s roots in the science of public health. Public health is a critical component of health care—it provides data for planning and responding to communicable diseases like the current pandemic, as well as chronic illness and the many social factors affecting health, from gun violence and poverty to housing and education. It also plays an important role in developing evidence-based interventions and screening programs for entire health systems, communities, and populations.
The sudden crisis of the COVID-19 global pandemic brings to light gaps in awareness about just how crucial public health research, protocols, and preventive measures are to every aspect of a functional society. This is particularly true in Miami-Dade County, where our diverse populations pose complex challenges for addressing a range of public health issues, including disaster response and preparedness, health disparities among our most vulnerable populations, and even hidden epidemics like human trafficking.”
-- Dr. Cindy Munro, Dean and Professor at the University of Miami School of Nursing and Health Sciences
What are the most crucial issues facing Miami-Dade from the perspective of your line of work?
“One of the challenges we at the School of Nursing and Health Studies are looking at through a public health lens is human trafficking. Miami-Dade County is an epicenter of this public health crisis. It is only through collaborative, public health-focused approaches that we can reduce the impact of human trafficking on our communities. This can be accomplished through a comprehensive network of standardized resources and protocols, data-driven initiatives, and best practices that pull together professionals from various law enforcement, health care, service industries, housing, and mental health agencies. Here, at the intersection of policy, practice, data, and education, we can increase recognition at various levels, from public awareness campaigns to simulation-based trauma-informed courses for first-line responders in hospitals and other settings.”
-- Dr. Cindy Munro, Dean and Professor at the University of Miami School of Nursing and Health Sciences
How can individuals or communities advocate for awareness and action around these issues?
“Nurses and other health professionals employ public health practices to make the world healthier in a variety of ways. For the foreseeable future, in Miami-Dade County, and more generally in Florida, a public health lens will be crucial to addressing our looming shortage of health providers. The COVID-19 outbreak has sharply underscored our ongoing need for more public health professionals, and more clinicians with public health experience, who are able to raise awareness, disseminate and advance knowledge, and influence policy discussions and data-based decision-making.
Our school is proud to offer an undergraduate public health degree program, nationally accredited by the Council on Education for Public Health, with public health courses embedded in our nursing curriculum as well. Public health is integral to our mission of transforming lives and health care through education, research, innovation, and service across the hemisphere.”
-- Dr. Cindy Munro, Dean and Professor at the University of Miami School of Nursing and Health Sciences
