The purpose of preventative medicine is to identify health conditions that can affect a patient's health in the future. One agency that focuses on preventative measures in the health care arena is the Center for Disease Control and Prevention.
Description and Structure of the Center for Disease Control and Prevention The Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) was founded in 1946 (www.cdc.gov, n.d.). The CDC is one of the thirteen agencies that operates under the Department of Health and Human Services which is, "…the principal agency in the United States government for protecting the health and safety of all Americans…" (www.cdc.gov, n.d.). "Today, CDC is globally recognized for conducting research and investigations and
The principal function of CDC WONDER is to help support the primary function of the CDC.
People Prepared For Emerging Health Threats "People in all communities will be protected from infectious, occupational, environmental, and terrorist threats" (www.cdc.gov, n.d.). This theme is categorized into three parts: pre-event, event and post event (www.cdc.gov, n.d.). "Preparedness goals will address scenarios that include natural and intentional threats. The first round of these scenarios will encompass influenza, anthrax, plague, emerging infections, toxic chemical exposure, and radiation exposure" (www.cdc.gov, n.d.).
The pre-event focuses on increasing the development of interventions that could potentially protect people from chemical, biological, and naturally occurring illnesses, and radiological agents that could promote infection. Another goal is to decrease the amount of time it takes to coordinate with other agencies when faced with a potential biological, chemical, or terrorist health threat. A decrease in the amount of time it takes to notify the public of health risks that are associated with "chemical, biological, radiological agents in tissue, food or environmental samples that cause threats to the public's health" (www.cdc.gov, n.d.).
The event encompasses decreasing, "…the time to identify causes, risk factors, and appropriate interventions for those