Populations
The mission of the San Francisco Department of Public Health is to protect and promote the health of all San Franciscans. In other words, we are concerned with the health of the entire population. The Department is a highly visible provider of individual health services in San Francisco, but health services are not the only thing that contribute toward the health of a population. According to the Institute of Medicine (2003), "health care is just one of several determinants of Health (McGinnis et al., 2002)." Therefore, population health is concerned with social circumstances, environmental conditions, and behavioral choices, as well as medical care. Unequal distribution of these determinants of health is the cause of health inequities among various segments of the population. The causes of these health inequities must be addressed if the entire population is to be healthy.
Some of our programs are particularly concerned with African Americans, newcomers (recent immigrants), youth, and older people:
African American Health
San Franciscans of African descent are disproportionately affected by many well-established health risks (for example, racism, obesity, high blood pressure) and as a result have more health problems and shorter life expectancy than other San Franciscans. The African American Health Initiative is concerned with improving the health of San Franciscans of African descent.
Newcomers (Recent Immigrants)
While some recent immigrants enjoy better health than other San Franciscans, others (particularly refugees) are less fortunate. The Newcomers Program is a clinic-based and community-based health program that has been serving refugees and immigrants in San Francisco since the late 1970s.
Youth
YouthPOWER was conceived as a grant-funded program to utilize environmental prevention strategies to reduce alcohol and marijuana use among middle and high school-age youth in San Francisco’s Bayview Hunters Point.
Seniors
The Community and Home Injury Prevention Program for Seniors (CHIPPS), is a health promotion program whose goal is to prevent injuries to seniors. In addition, we partner with Senior Action Network to promote healthy aging.