PUBLIC HEALTH PROGRAMS

Rural and Urban Health Clinics

Public health agencies operate local clinics that provide free or reduced-cost medical services to individuals, especially infants and children, pregnant and nursing women, migrant farm workers, and people with drug abuse problems, physical disabilities, and other conditions.

These clinics provide prenatal and pediatric care for children who have no regular access to medical care. The clinics may provide visiting nurse and other home health care services for the elderly. Public health clinics may also offer rehabilitation programs for people addicted to drugs or alcohol.

In developing countries and in rural and low-income communities in industrialized nations, public health clinics may be the only source of routine medical care. Members of the community go to clinics for regular exams or for treatment when they are injured or ill, as well as for immunizations and other public health services.

Clinics may provide free or low-cost medications, such as antibiotics or birth control pills. Often, community members may obtain counseling on health matters, such as proper infant nutrition, safe food handling procedures, or family planning advice.

Public health clinics routinely screen patients for a number of infectious diseases, such as sexually transmitted diseases, and may provide free treatment if patients test positive.

Each clinic tracks the incidence of certain communicable diseases in its area, and reports this information to national and international public health offices.

Public health clinics may also track down past sexual partners of STD patients, inform them that they may have been infected with an STD, and urge them to come in to a clinic to be tested.