What is the public health infrastructure in rural areas?
This is a difficult question to answer because the local public health infrastructure varies from state to state and community to community. In 2008, the National Association of County and City Health Officials (NACCHO) conducted a survey of local public health agencies to find out about their infrastructure, which is reported in the 2008 Profile of Local Public Health Agencies. Many rural areas do not have a local health department (LHD) to provide essential public health services. Little is known about public health infrastructure in these communities. Services are often patched together by different agencies and service providers and vary depending on the state and community. Rural hospitals, private practice physicians, and community groups often play a role in providing the needed services for areas without an LHD. Other options to learn about the local public health infrastructure in a given state include searching the state’s Department of Public Health website or contacting the
