Summary
The time is right for the public health and prevention field—including governmental public health and all the others who are engaged in and care about this area—to take a fresh look at what we do and how we do it. The innovative steps that communities and practitioners have taken to advance health must be deliberately integrated into a comprehensive new way of promoting the health of the public. To be as effective as we need to be, we must take into account the 21st-century health, equity, and safety needs that communities face.
So what will it take to leverage more opportunities that move in the direction of greater health, safety and equity for all? And how can public health work more effectively alongside community members and leaders, key community institutions, healthcare, and other stakeholders to achieve this goal? The goal of Towards a 21st Century Approach: Advancing a Vision for Prevention and Public Health is to sketch a multifaceted set of practices that will enable health advocates and practitioners to help people thrive.