“Ten Essential Public Health Services are defined by the Essential Public Health Service workgroup, CDC. These services fall under the 3 core functions of public health, which are “Assessment,” “Policy Development and Planning,” and “Assurance.”

The Health Education and Health Communication Division represents both essential services number 3 and number 8. The division works to “inform, educate, and empower people about health issues,” and seeks to assist in ensuring “a competent public health and personal health care workforce.”

All ten essential services are listed below.

1. Monitor health status to identify community health problems.
2. Diagnose and investigate health problems and health hazards in the community.

3. Inform, educate, and empower people about health issues.
4. Mobilize community partnerships to identify and solve health problems.
5. Develop policies and plans that support individual and community health efforts.

6. Enforce laws and regulations that protect health and ensure safety.
7. Link people to needed personal health services and assure the provision of health care when otherwise unavailable.
8. Ensure a competent public health and personal health care workforce.
9. Evaluate effectiveness, accessibility, and quality of personal and population-based health services.
10. Research for new insights and innovative solutions to health problems.

Some essential public health services fit under more than one of the 3 major functions of Assessment, Policy Development/ Planning, and Assurance.

The Ten Essential Public Health Services were adopted in the Fall of 1994, and published in July of 1995 by the Public Health Functions Steering Committee 1994. The Public Health Workforce: An Agenda for the 21st Century. Full Report of the Public Health Functions Project, US Department of Health and Human Services, P. 21.

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