What is public health?
You may know public health is important but may not understand what it is exactly or how it directly impacts your life. Once you start to look, you will see public health in action everywhere! Every time you go to the grocery store, turn on the faucet, eat at a local restaurant, take a walk in your nearby park, wear a seatbelt, or wash your hands, you are experiencing the benefits of public health.
While health care providers, like doctors, help treat people after they become sick or injured, those working in public health aim to prevent these things from happening and protect entire populations. Public health professionals protect our well-being.
“Public health is like an invisible shield.”
It protects you and your loved ones from:
- Infectious diseases
- Chronic conditions
- Injuries
- Environmental hazards
A healthier Massachusetts starts with us. The Massachusetts Department of Public Health (DPH) − in collaboration with the Commonwealth’s cities, towns, and Tribes − all work every day to ensure that every person in Massachusetts can equitably access excellent local public health services to be their healthiest selves. And together, we are on a journey to improve the health of every person in the state.
A journey that takes all of us working together!
Massachusetts local public health structure and authority
Massachusetts has a decentralized governance structure. This means that responsibilities and authority shift from the state to the local level. Each of the 351 cities and towns, as well as the two federally recognized Tribes, are independent from the state. This means they operate autonomously, or separately, from DPH.
Known as “home rule,” each city and town have has its own bylaws, regulations, and ordinances. They are put in place and enforced by their elected or appointed governing bodies, such as select boards, city councils, or Boards of Health.
That means 351 different ways of approaching public health!
While each local public health entity has significant authority, it operates within the broader legal framework in Massachusetts. For example, many state regulations on public health designate local boards of health to enforce within their jurisdictions. As such, DPH has limited options for intervening in matters enforced by local public health authorities.
Some Massachusetts communities have established public health districts, or Shared Service Arrangements, to deliver public health services more efficiently and effectively by sharing resources and staff. You can learn more about these efforts through the Public Health Excellence Grant Program.
Local public health responsibilities
Each local public health authority, board of health, or health department, is responsible for ensuring residents have access to a minimum set of public health protections. These are called Performance Standards. Responsibilities include enforcing the sanitary, environmental, housing, and health codes.
Some examples include:
- Protect the safety of the food supply through inspections of restaurants and food establishments.
- Disease control and health education, including disease reporting, food poisoning investigations, vaccinations, blood pressure education, and health promotion programs.
- Inspect septic systems, public pools and beaches, recreational camps, hotels, mobile home parks, body art establishments, tanning salons, and more.
- Enforce tobacco regulations and no-smoking laws.
- Prepare for emergencies and a wide-range of hazards, including extreme weather and other events.
- Substance use prevention and mitigation.
The Massachusetts Association of Health Boards provides a helpful summary of the duties of local Boards of Health in Massachusetts.
Along with these responsibilities, some local public health departments have resources that allow them to extend their services beyond the minimum required regulations. For example, some Boards of Health manage school health programs. Others may partner with community-based organizations for health assessments, policy, and program development. They also may develop prevention activities through grants or other funding from these organizations.
Who works in local public health?
Local public health professionals are municipal or regional employees who work to provide essential public health services throughout the Commonwealth. These professionals include health agents, social workers, emergency responders, inspectional staff, nurses, community health workers, epidemiologists, sanitation workers, health educators, and more!
Learn more about the local public health workforce and career opportunities available.
Contacting your local public health authority
Contact information for your local public health department can be found on the city or town’s website. The Massachusetts Health Officers Association also maintains a roster of contacts on its website.
If you have questions about your local health department or board of health, we recommend contacting them directly to learn about local regulations. You may also submit questions through the DPH web form.
Want to learn more about how OLRH engages with local public health and its partners? Find out more about how we’re fostering dialogues to find solutions to current issues and build a stronger, healthier Massachusetts.