Their quality of life is largely determined by the quality of their political, social, economic and other institutions. There is growing evidence through recent studies that social capital is to communities as wellness is to individuals. And social capital cannot be given to a community like a vaccination. It must be grown from within. What I am suggesting by the title of this article is that public health must acknowledge communities to be the primary subjects of its practice.
Community determines the effects, quantitatively and qualitatively, of that dynamic.
And people are themselves agents in the cause of pursuing their own wellness and not to be manipulated as mere hosts. Our aim as health planners should be to elicit a stronger sense of community, and through it, a stronger sense of belonging, cohesiveness and trust among community members. Then we can see the social solidarity of a community as its immune system and see that we all have the same vital interest in supporting it for our common benefit. This past year the AHPA has added a new method of support by giving us a home site for our Web page.