Health programs focus on prevention and treatment of disease, injury, and disability. They may include community health services, special clinics, public school health education and services, and media campaigns. They address a wide variety of issues, such as sexually transmitted diseases, gynecological care, well-baby and well-child services, chronic illness, substance abuse, and general health promotion. Many of these programs are targeted to poor communities and focus on providing treatment for those who would not otherwise be able to afford it.
To be successful, community health programs must engage a wide range of individuals and organizations across sectors to develop, implement, and support them. This includes government agencies, private businesses, and non-profit organizations. Compelling data and evidence, broad coalitions, and effective communication of results are essential components of effective health programs. In addition, a program’s success and benefits must be communicated in ways that appeal to different audiences, including decision makers and the media. Anecdotes and case studies are often used to provide a human face to illustrate the impact of abstract data, while communicating the threats to health and life that a program aims to reduce or eliminate.
Some of the most successful health programs are based on a technical package of a limited number of interventions that, when implemented together, will achieve and sustain substantial and sometimes synergistic improvements in a specific risk factor or disease outcome. This approach sharpens and focuses what could be an overwhelming commitment to “action” by committing to implementation of proven interventions that have been shown to work. It also avoids the costly mistake of using a large number of interventions, each of which may have only a small effect.
A program must have strong performance management, ensuring that it is achieving the intended outcomes through rigorous monitoring, evaluation, and feedback. This is necessary to identify and implement needed improvements, such as increasing the reach of a prevention strategy or improving the efficiency of a health promotion campaign. A program must be resource-efficient and cost-effective, demonstrating that it is meeting its goals in terms of its intended outcomes while using minimal resources.
The federal government provides a variety of health programs. These include assistance for the working poor, people living with HIV, rural communities, and transplant patients, as well as scholarships and loans for health professionals and students. HHS programs focus on preventing disease, promoting healthy habits, and protecting the environment. They also help ensure that everyone has access to affordable health insurance coverage, especially those who are most in need. For example, the Affordable Care Act allows states to operate Basic Health Programs that can provide low-cost health benefits to citizens and lawfully present non-citizens with incomes below 133 percent of the federal poverty level. This can allow them to purchase qualified health plans on the Health Insurance Marketplace. These programs are expected to be fully operational by 2021.