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i4~ Another important program is home health services. Dr. Harper stated that there was a range of services for a health department to engage in which would vary, depending on the philosophy of the Health Board, the people in public health, and community leaders. Services will vary also with the amount of resources which aze available. Further, services will depend upon the morals and the thics of the community. Dr. Harper stated that there is nothing to restrict the range of involvement of public health in services. Dr. Harper stated that he thought of a health department as an organi- zation that would be concerned with the total health of the community. The health department does not necessarily have to be a provider of services itself, but should be concerned with whether or not services are available. xhe health department should be a monitor and overseer of health, working with other community groups, private physicians, and calling upon what- ever modality of services might be most appropriate. Dr. Harper spoke of primary care programs. He stated that today many leaders felt it was quite appropriate for the health department to either take the leadership in organizing primary services, or to actually provide these services. Dr. Harper stated that a typical health departmenti would have a director, who could be a physician or a non-physician. A large portion of the organization would be public health nursing, who would be involved in the range of health related activities, or generalized nursing services to the public. Another wing of the health department would be involved in sanitation. The sanitation's responsibilities would range from food protection to involvement of septic tanks. In general, the functions of a health department depend on the needs within the community and the available resources to take care of the needs. Other functions which Dr. Harper mentioned are: 1. Progressive Health Education, an attempt to educate the public about the maintaining of sound health. 2. The control of health hazards in the environment. 3. Intervene in detecting chronic illnesses and provide services or referral programs for these illnesses. 4. Provide certain kinds of services which axe not available in the community, whether they be treatment or other types. 5. Monitor and assess the community to find out what health pro- blems exist is a prime role of the health department. A question and answer period ensued. Dr. Harper stated that there was a lot of money for public health if people were willing to go after it. He informed the Board of Health of standards which will hopefully become effective July 1, 1977. These standards ~ave twenty-one program activities which all health departments will be expected to engage in to meet minimum standards. Dr. Harper stated that there were many advantages for health departments and medical institutions within a community, to become affiliated in the providing of services. He stated that health depart- ments association with local medical institutions could range from having a contractual agreement to actually allowing the institution to operate the department. Other options would be to provide certain services to the health department and supervise the professional aspects of those services, or an arrangement on a spot basis to sent in individuals who are trained to work under the supervision of someone else in the depart- ment. A fourth model would be to have graduate students provide services. Students would receive training and at the same time provide services undex the direction of a preceptor, hired by the University or the health depart- ment. Dr. Harper stated that the School of Public Health does not want to