Social Work in Public Health

Social work in public health is a timely not only with environmental hygiene but subject since social work has become a part also with other causes of ill health in the of the community services of prevention in population. Priorities in programs are public health and mental health. Various given to services that provide the greatest new processes and techniques have been degree of prevention of physical and emo developed and tested in the practice of tional malfunctioning. In such emphasis public health and they seem now to have social work has an obvious contribution to relevance to the field of social work practice make as it also becomes more skillful in wherever it exists. Some of the newer techthe preventive area. niques and the reasons for their developOne of the early preventive programs ment will be discussed in the setting of of public health was an attack on the causes public health. of the increasing maternal and infant mor tality rate of the early part of this century. CHANGES IN PUBLIC HEALTH This resulted in the Shepard-Towner Act In the past, public health was primarily which provided grants to states for im concerned with the control of transmissible proved services to mothers and infants, diseases through the protection of milk and This marked a new era in public health water supplies and the disposal of wastes, programs for these vulnerable groups in There was then less emphasis on the parour population. In the early part of the ticipation of the individual. The public century also, emphasis on continuity of care, health officer utilized his authority to conexamination of contacts, and specific pro trol both community infections and inditection from infections were seen as im viduals with communicable diseases. Alportant in control of tuberculosis and the though this authority still rests in the venereal diseases. From these programs it public health department, it is today utilized became clear that patients, families, and in a different way. Efforts are made to gain community groups needed help, both the participation of the individual through through health education and through so his understanding of his need for care in cial work efforts, in utilizing medical re order that infections within the community sources. Large numbers of patients, too, may be controlled. Now a broader prowere leaving sanatoria against advice and gram of services exists, including some prorefusing other forms of medical care fre grams of medical care for families and comquently because of their attitudes toward munity groups. Public health is concerned their illnesses or because of other social situations. Similarly, public health became " .... concerned because some patients with can ELIZABETH P. RICE, M.S., is associate professor of „ , , , • ... , social work in public health at the Hazard School del^f m f"m? ^ treatment or Of Public Health, Cambridge, Massachusetts. This had Problems of terminal care. Such were article is based on a paper presented to the Medical needs in public health in the first quar Social Work Section of the Cleveland Area Chapter, ter oi this century when social workers were National Association of Social Workers in November first added to a state health department. 1957. It was chosen for this issue by the Medical Methods also were changing in public Social Work Section. health. Former authoritative techniques