Public Health: Public Health Career Pathways

• The purpose of an epidemiologic investigation is to halt ongoing problems, to prevent further illness, and to learn from the situation how to prevent similar outbreaks in the future.
• This is done by collecting data, and formulating and testing hypotheses and developing control strategies. It involves the collection and analysis of data to determine the cause of illness and to implement controls to prevent additional illness. Example: Cholera
• Step-by-step instructions on how you can do your own in-class investigation

• Environmental epidemiologists at the Centers for Disease and Control (CDC) develop innovative approaches to collect and analyze exposure and health data. The data helps them better understand the relationship between human health and emerging environmental exposures.
• Testing the water we drink is crucial to our health, and this is one example of how epidemiologists work in environmental health.
• Contaminated water and poor sanitation are linked to the transmission of diseases such as cholera, rhea, dysentery, hepatitis A, typhoid, and polio. Absent, inadequate, or inappropriately managed water and sanitation services expose individuals to preventable health risks. This is particularly the case in healthcare facilities where both patients and staff are at additional risk of infection and disease when water, sanitation, and hygiene services are lacking.
• Learn more from the World Health Organization's (WHO) Drinking Water Fact Sheet.

• Earn a degree in Biohealth Sciences at OSU
• CDC - Emerging Environmental Hazards

• Air quality continues to be in issue in Central Oregon and across the country. This is especially true in the summer as wildfires spread. Air quality can have significant impacts on the health of people, animals, and the environment. One way to measure this impact is with the air quality index. To learn more about how this index works, visit the Oregon Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) Air Quality website.
• The Deschutes Collaborative Forest Project also provides a lot of information on how smoke can impact health. Learn more at their Smoke and Health page.
• Air quality control is just one example of public health professionals working with other professionals to improve the health of everyone. Public health professionals may work with the forest service and other departments to help in emergencies and provide safe spaces for people when the air quality is unhealthy. Some public health professionals may focus on policy and work to limit the amount of pollutants that businesses can release. The Clean Air Act is one example of how we can hold industries accountable. Learn more at the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Clean Air Act Overview page.

Water is a major environmental health focus. Learn more about water in Deschutes County and Oregon.

• What do you know about the Deschutes River? Get better acquainted at the Deschutes River Conservancy's Get to Know the Deschutes River Basin.
• Declining Aquifer Levels Raise Alarm among Hydrologists, Officials by Michael Kohn, The Bulletin, April 13, 2024.

Drinking Water

• Where does our drinking water come from? Take a tour of the City of Bend's Water System to understand how water systems work.
• You can also find an overview of the process at the CDC's Water Treatment page.
• Not on a public water system? Learn how private wells should be maintained and tested from the CDC's Well Maintenance page.

Wastewater

• Handling wastewater properly is just as important as having fresh and safe drinking water. Watch of virtual tour of the City of Bend's water reclamation facility. Or, learn how the City of Prineville uses the Crooked River Wetlands to improve its wastewater capactity and handling.

Water Quality Data

• City of Bend Water Quality Reports
• Find information about Oregon's public drinking water systems with the Oregon Health Authority's Water System Search
• Learn how to read a Consumer Confidence Report (CCR) from a water provider with this guide from the CDC.

• Air Quality, Energy, and Health from the World Health Organization
• Climate Change and Human Health from the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)
• Environmental Health Activity from the CDC: Lurking Radon and Lung Cancer
• Environmental Health Activity from the CDC: Something Wicked This Way Comes: The 2014 Ebola Response
• Environmental Health from Healthy People 2030
• Environmental Health Topics from the National Center for Environmental Health
• Environmental Public Health from PBS Learning Media
• Essentials of Environmental Public Health Science : A Handbook for Field Professionals, edited by Naima Bradley, et al., Oxford University Press, Incorporated, 2014. (COCC sign-in required to read off-campus.)
• Oregon Health Authority's Environnmental Health Registrataion Board provides information on how to become a registered Environmental Health Specialist.

Understanding the Social Determinants of Health (SDOH) is very important for all public health professionals. However, those who work in health education and promotion need to be aware of these determinants every day so they can design education and programs focused on improving health equity for everyone.

• Follow this link to learn about the 5 domains included in the SDOH: Social Determinants of Health (Health.gov)
• Next, pick a topic within each domain from this link to research how that topic can influence someone’s health: Social Determinants of Health Literature Summaries

Health literacy plays a very important role in health education and health promotion. Health literacy is ensuring that the public can access, understand, and utilize the information being given to them to improve their health

• Read more from the World Health Organization about the importance of health literacy: WHO Fact Sheet: Health Literacy
• The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) also have some great information on health literacy:Understanding Health Literacy
• This guide from the CDC is long, but it's a great resource on creating easy and more accessible materials for everyone: Simply Put: A guide for creating easy-to-understand materials (PDF)
• To practice assessing health literacy find some local fliers or websites that are are focused on health and evaluate how easy it is to understand and analyze the information. Some things to pay attention to are
  • the font type and size,
  • if the authors use common everyday words,
  • and if the images are easy to see.

• Creating and Distributing Public Service Announcements (PSAs), from the CDC
• Health Equity Assessment Toolkit (HEAT)
• Health Promotion Activity from the CDC: Food for Thought
• Health Promotion, from The World Health Organization (WHO)

• Working toward health equity is an ongoing goal of public health and health management policy. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), “Health Equity is the state in which everyone has a fair and just opportunity to attain their highest level of health.” There are many factors that can impact health equity such as the social determinants of health, healthcare access and use, education level, income, and where an individual lives. Learn more about these factors and how they impact health equity from the CDC's "What Is Health Equity?" page.
• Individuals working in health management policy strive to implement equitable practices into health care policy and management. They need to be aware of the factors that impact equity and have the tools to improve access and health for all.
• The Oregon Health Authority has a Health Equity Committee. If you would like to learn more about the work being done in Oregon, visit the Health Equity Committee's page.

• The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) does a great job explaining what policy is and how it relates to health. Read through their Definition of Policy page, and then think about some policies that are in place that impact your health and the health of your community. Next, based on what you know about public health and the needs of your community, what are some new policies that you think could improve the health of where you live and beyond?
• Here are some examples of legislation and policy related to health in Oregon: Oregon State Legislature, Legislative Policy and Research Office: Health Care Reports

• How to Write an Editorial Letter, by Evren Süer and Önder Yaman
• Oregon Health Authority, Office of Health Policy
• Oregon Health Authority; Equity and Inclusion Division
• Oregon Public Health Association; Oregon Health Equity Task Force
• Office of Disease Prevention and Health Promotion (OASH); Health Policy
• Public Health Ethics Activity from the CDCRage Outbreak: Making Grueling Public Health Decisions

Video

Links

• Use this toolkit to learn about the information, resources, and materials needed to develop a community health program in a rural community

• Individuals in rural communities are at higher risk of opioid overdose than those in urban communities. Rural areas have a lower percentage of people reporting illicit drug use than urban areas. However, the effects of illicit drug use are higher in rural areas.
• More information:
  • Rural Health Info's Rural Response to the Opioid Crisis
  • The Centers for Disease Control's (CDC)Drug Overdose in Rural America as a Public Health Issue

• Find out if you are in a rural area
• Learn what programs work and what has already been done in other rural communities
• Check out the Centers for Disease Control's (CDC) Rural Health Resources
• Learn how the CDC evaluates programs for effectiveness.

COCC's Public Health Program can lead into jobs in the workforce and transfer degrees.

As you earn credits at COCC in either an AAOT or Certificate you can be earning your way to a four year degree. Learn more about programs where you can transfer into a junior level standing with an AAOT in public health.

• Eastern Oregon University
• Oregon Health & Science University (OHSU)/Portland State University
• Oregon State University
• Oregon Tech - Oregon Institute of Technology
• Pacific University
• Southern Oregon University
• University of Oregon
• University of Portland
• Western Oregon University
• Willamette University

• Certified Health Specialist (CHES)
• Certification in Public Health (CPH)

• American Public Health Association (APHA)
• Oregon Public Health Association (OPHA)
• Oregon Rural Health Conference