STRATEGIC PLANNING AND THE RHODODENDRON COUNTY HEALTH DEPARTMENT
The Rhododendron County Health Department
In 1990, the department of Health and Human Services published Public Health Service: Healthy People 2000: National Health Promotion and Disease Prevention Objectives. Objective 8:14 of that document calls for ninety percent of the population to be served by local health departments that would effectively carry out the three core functions of public health: assessment, policy development, and quality assurance. (Sultz and Young, 2001).
It is through the fulfillment of these public health responsibilities that public health departments protect the public against preventable communicable diseases and exposure to toxic environmental pollutants, harmful products, and poor quality health care. (Sultz and Young, 2001).
The Administrative Staff
The Rhododendron County Health Department is located in Washington State, and like other public health facilities in the state, they are going through a challenging time trying to balance the need for change and a focus on population-based services with the financial and political realities of public health on the local level.
The director of the health department is Barbara Simmons. She and her staff have a history of providing clinical services and have gained respect in the community for these services.
Robert Cooper is the part-time health officer and practices in the community as a primary care physician. He understands public health is ...