Ian Culbert
Executive Director,
CPHA
Public health initiatives enhance well-being and reduce hospital visits.
Across the country, hospitals are overburdened, emergency rooms are closing temporarily due to staff shortages, and patients are facing unacceptably long wait times for essential care. While these challenges are multifaceted, one solution lies in plain sight: public health. Underfunded and underappreciated, public health—through its emphasis on health promotion, disease and injury prevention, and early intervention—can alleviate pressure on our acute care system while improving population health outcomes.
Public health focuses on preventing illness and injury before they occur. This might seem straightforward, yet the impact of prevention activities is profound. Vaccination campaigns, for instance, have historically eradicated or drastically reduced the prevalence of life-threatening diseases like polio and measles. Tobacco control policies, including taxation and public education campaigns, have significantly reduced smoking rates, preventing countless cases of cancer, heart disease, and stroke. More recently, during the COVID-19 pandemic, public health professionals played a vital role in managing the crisis by promoting vaccination, implementing public health measures, and providing timely information to Canadians.
The benefits of prevention extend beyond individual health. By reducing the incidence of disease and injury, public health programs reduce demand for hospital beds, emergency room visits, and long-term care services. This is particularly crucial at a time when Canada’s healthcare workers are stretched to their limits. Every illness prevented represents resources that can be redirected to those who need acute or specialized care.
Yet public health does more than ease the burden on our healthcare system—it offers a dynamic and fulfilling work environment for a wide range of professionals. Public health is a multidisciplinary field that welcomes doctors, nurses, epidemiologists, social workers, community planners, and more. It provides opportunities to address some of the most pressing issues of our time, including climate change, systemic inequities, and the corporate determinants of health.
Consider, for example, how a public health nurse might lead a school immunization program, ensuring that children are protected against preventable diseases. An epidemiologist could analyze data to identify emerging health threats, such as opioid overdoses or infectious disease outbreaks, and inform policies to address them. Physicians working in public health might develop policies that tackle chronic diseases by promoting healthier environments, while health promoters work with communities to strengthen collective action, such as facilitating neighborhood initiatives that create accessible spaces for physical activity and healthy living.
The diversity of roles within public health is matched only by the potential to make a difference at a population level. For health professionals who aspire to not just treat illness but to prevent it, public health provides a unique opportunity to create systemic change and improve the lives of millions.
However, to fully realize the potential of public health, governments at all levels must increase investment in prevention and health promotion. Funding for public health should not be seen as a luxury but as a necessity to address the root causes of illness and injury and to build a resilient healthcare system.
Canadians value their healthcare system, but its sustainability depends on embracing a broader vision of health. Prevention is not only better than cure—it is essential to ensuring that our healthcare system can meet the needs of future generations. Public health is the path forward, both for a healthier population and a more sustainable healthcare system. It’s time we invest in it—and invite more professionals to join this vital mission.
To learn more about strengthening Canada’s public health systems, visit cpha.ca.
