Development of a classification of common interventions to describe the work of local public health agencies.

settingThe Middlesex-London Health Unit (MLHU) is a local public health agency serving a population of 500,000 people in southwestern Ontario.

interventionPublic health can have a nearly infinite scope. Given the impact of our social, economic, and physical environments on health, everything can rightly be considered a "public health issue." However, the role of a local public health agency in addressing a "public health issue" varies widely and is not always clearly described. We have described and defined the interventions of a local public health agency and have developed a classification of common interventions. These interventions outline the work that we do for the community, clearly and concretely articulating the actions we take to protect and promote health. OUTCOMES: The work of local public health agencies can be categorized and classified by these common interventions: • Communication and social marketing • Education and skill building • Healthy public policy development • Community and partner mobilization • Surveillance • Inspections • Investigations • Case, contact, and outbreak management • Clinical services delivery • Health resource inventory management • Vector control IMPLICATIONS: The benefits of defining the interventions of a local public health agency include an improved understanding of the skills required to do the work; opportunities to strategically target prioritized public health issues, utilizing the full suite of interventions to maximize impact; the ability to adapt to changing priorities; opportunities to effectively measure organizational performance; clarity with partners regarding roles and responsibilities in addressing public health issues; and an enhanced ability to tell others what we do and demonstrate our value.