Public Health

Public health is the science of working to improve the health of people and their communities.

Social Determinants of Health

Social Determinants of Health (SDoH) are the economic and social conditions which affect a person’s health status. SDoH’s are the health promoting factors that are found in a person’s living and working conditions (such as the distribution of income, wealth, influence, and power).

To learn more about the Social Determinants of Health, visit the CDC’s website here.

Information and graphic taken from: Healthy People 2030, “Social Determinants of Health”, https://health.gov/healthypeople/objectives-and-data/social-determinants-health.

ACEs

Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) are potentially traumatic events that occur during childhood. ACEs can include violence, abuse, and having a family or care provider with behavioral health or substance use problems. The stress from ACEs can change brain development during childhood and affect how the body responds to stress throughout the lifetime. ACEs have been linked to chronic health problems, mental illness, and substance misuse in adulthood. However, ACEs are preventable.

Preventing ACES can help children and adults thrive and potentially:

Lower risk for conditions like depression, asthma, cancer, and diabetes in adulthood.

Reduce risky behaviors like smoking and heavy drinking.

Improve education and employment potential.

Stop ACEs from being passed from one generation to the next.

Information on ACEs taken from: the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, “Vital Signs: Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs)”, https://www.cdc.gov/vitalsigns/aces/index.html.