How will a healthy nation be built?
Building a healthy nation will require a renewed emphasis on the very strategies that all public health professionals employ, regardless of discipline: prevention and intervention. As our nation’s leaders debate health policies, they need to understand why these strategies work and are necessary for the success of any policy they consider. A strong public health system and public policies focused on prevention of disease and injury are a critical part of the solution. Instead of planning health care reform, we must instead promote a broader definition that is more inclusive of the entire system, not just the treatment of illness. It will take health system reform, with an emphasis on an effective public health foundation, to build a healthy nation. A comprehensive approach requires us to restore and increase funding for federal, state, and local public health programs such as those that track diseases, immunize children, and help people utilize preventive services. It requires us to en
