Business Vs Public Health

The wellbeing of society is of common interest to public health organizations, and private establishments. Unfortunately, public health and private business often meet each other with skepticism due to “differences in mission, perspectives, and priorities” (Majestic, 2009). A collaboration between public health agencies and private business leads to a reciprocal partnership that is mutually beneficial, and benefits everyone. Due to an ever-changing landscape in public health, a collaboration between public health and private business can bridge the gap between challenges and solutions that affect the health of the populace.
The Business of Public Health (Article Summary)
The role of public health evolves with society. Demographics, economics, political, and social influences drive these changes (Majestic, 2009). Some of the factors that directly affect this change include lack of funding, and lack of personnel. For public agencies, funding is a major concern. Without money, an agency cannot promote a program that helps the community, or pay to staff the …show more content…
The collaboration between public health and business is beneficial to everyone. For business, a sick employee, or one who calls out frequently due to conditions arising from underlying health concerns, affect the bottom line of the business. Lack of productivity, loss of profit, and increased healthcare costs all affect the bottom line of a business. Data shows the “chronic disease costs can be traced back to underlying health risks” (Simon & Fielding, 2006). This reason alone is enough for business to collaborate public health to address health concerns of chronic disease. A collaboration between public health and private business allows for the sharing of skills and resources from each to promote and improve public health (Majestic, 2009). For the public, society, or the individual employee, this collaboration leads to improved health and less