Public health seeks to continuously improve health and well-being by a process which starts with the identification and prioritization of health problems in the community (assessment). Information about the health status of the population is used to analyze the health issue to understand the contributing factors and how they operate in the community, assess resources available for health improvement efforts, define priorities and develop effective policies and plans to improve health status (policy development).

In response to identified problems, the community develops evidenced-based strategies to address problems, establishes a collaborative approach, and implements improvement strategies (assurance). Ongoing monitoring of health status information enables us to assess trends and evaluate the effectiveness of programs and interventions in improving our health status.