MISSION STATEMENT
The mission of the Department of Health is: "To effectively and efficiently deploy available public health human and material resources to promote physical and mental health and prevent disease, injury, and disability in American Samoa."
Purpose
The purpose of the Department of Health is to:
- Prevent epidemics and the spread of disease
- Protect against environmental hazards
- Respond to disasters and assist communities in recovery
- Assure the quality and accessibility of essential primary health services, including the provision of community health services when needed
ESSENTIAL SERVICES AND FUNCTIONS:
In order to carry out its purposes, the Department of Health performs the following essential functions:
- Monitors health status to identify community health problems
- Diagnoses and investigates health problems and health hazards in the community
- Informs, educates, and empowers people about health issues
- Mobilizes community partnerships to identify and solve health problems
- Develops policies and plans that support individual and community health efforts
- Enforces laws and regulations that protect health and ensure safety
- Links people to needed personal health services and provides essential community-based primary health care when otherwise unavailable, or inappropriate
- Assures a competent public health and personal health care of the workforce
- Evaluates effectiveness, accessibility, and quality of personal and population-based health services
- Researches for new insights and innovative solutions to health problems
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