Community health

Community health refers to non-treatment based health services that are delivered outside hospitals and clinics. Community health is a subset of public health that is taught to and practiced by clinicians as part of their normal duties. Community health volunteers and community health workers work with primary care providers to facilitate entry into, exit from and utilization of the formal health system by community members as well as providing supplementary services such as support groups or wellness events that are not offered by medical institutions.^[1]

Community health is a major field of study within the medical and clinical sciences which focuses on the maintenance, protection, and improvement of the health status of population groups and communities, in particular those who are a part of disadvantaged communities. It is a distinct field of study that may be taught within a separate school of public health or Preventive Healthcare. The WHO defines community health as:

Environmental, Social, and Economic resources to sustain emotional and physical well being among people in ways that advance their aspirations and satisfy their needs in their unique environment.^[2]

Medical interventions that occur in communities can be classified as three categories: Primary care, Secondary care, and Tertiary care.^[3] Each category focuses on a different level and approach towards the community or population group. In the United States, Community health is rooted within Primary healthcare achievements. Primary healthcare programs aim to reduce risk factors and increase health promotion and prevention. Secondary healthcare is related to "hospital care" where acute care is administered in a hospital department setting. Tertiary healthcare refers to highly specialized care usually involving disease or disability management.

Community health services are classified into categories including:

1. Preventive health services such as chemoprophylaxis for Tuberculosis, Cancer screening and treatment of Diabetes and Hypertension.
2. Promotive health services such as health education,  family planning, vaccination and nutritional supplementation
3. Curative health services such as treatment of Jiggers, Lice infestation, Malaria and Pneumonia.
4. Rehabilitative health services such as provision of prosthetics, social work, occupational therapy, physical therapy, counseling and other mental health services.