Public health core functions--Alabama, Maryland, Mississippi, New Jersey, South Carolina, and Wisconsin, 1993.

The three core functions of public health are assessment, policy development, and assurance. Within these core functions, CDC has identified 10 basic public health practices that are integral to the operation of state and local health agencies (Table 1). As a part of assessing the core functions of public health, public health officials at local health departments in six states (Alabama, Maryland, Mississippi, New Jersey, South Carolina, and Wisconsin) were surveyed in 1993 by the state local liaison affiliates of the Association of State and Territorial Local Health Liaison Officials, the School of Public Health at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, and CDC. This report summarizes the findings from this survey.