Public health affects you every day. The following is a list of what we do to protect your health.
Documenting Life’s Events
Vital Records to get copies of:
• Birth certificates
• Death certificates
• Marriage licenses
• Divorce decrees
Insuring Those in Need
• Medicaid - helps low-income Utahns who qualify for assistance.
• Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) insures many of Utah’s children.
Baby Steps
• Baby Your Baby - learn what’s best for newborns.
• Baby Watch Early Intervention - helps children with disabilities reach their full potential.
• The UDOH has additional programs that screen newborns for diseases and a provide services to children with special health care needs.
Educational Campaigns
• Media promotions such as public service announcements, billboards, news releases and other outreach methods help us reach the public.
Obesity
• Gold Medal Schools - promote physical activity and healthful eating for Utah’s school children.
Positive Partnerships
• The UDOH has developed a network of public health partners, including Utah’s 12 local health departments.
Patient Safety Initiatives
• The UDOH’s Patient Safety program works to increase patient safety in health care facilities.
Safe Enough to Call it Home
• Regular inspections and investigations into customer complaints are just part of this critical licensing bureau for Utah nursing homes and assisted living centers.
EMS: When Every Second Counts
• The Bureau of Emergency Medical Services regulates and licenses 128 Emergency Medical Services (EMS) agencies and oversees the certification of more than 10,000 EMS personnel.
Making Sense of the Numbers
• The Indicator-Based Information System for Public Health (IBIS) - an online data resource to track trends in public health and behavior.
Under the Microscope
• Utah Public Health Laboratory - staff help protect the public by testing for diseases and chemicals, including those that could be used for terrorism.
Utah’s Medical Examiner
• The medical examiner’s office examines all sudden or unexpected deaths.
Disease Detectives
• Epidemiologists work to prevent, identify and contain outbreaks of dangerous infections.
Avian Influenza: Not Just for the Birds
• No one knows if “bird flu” will cause tomorrow’s influenza pandemic, but preparations are already underway.
To the Summit and Beyond
• The UDOH has held summits on childhood obesity, Utah’s uninsured rural hospitals, health insurance “safety net” issues and pandemic flu.
Love Them, Protect Them, Immunize Them
• The Utah Department of Health continues work to increase the number of children who are fully immunized.
Preparedness
• Emergency preparedness and response has become a major part of public health since 2001.
What the Future Holds for Health Care
• Utah is a leader in the nation for E-health initiatives. UDOH is coordinating the effort to use technology to share patient information between providers for improved medicine.