ABSTRACT
This chapter examines public health in the context of emergency management with emphasis on the roles, functions, and activities during emergencies and disasters. It provides a holistic overview of public health practices starting with a discussion on early public health practices by ancient humans. The chapter provides a discussion of the foundational aspects of present-day public health practice. In addition, public health emergency management plays an important role in emergency and disaster response. It became apparent there are unique challenges and issues between the emergency management community and the public health, healthcare, and medical communities. The unique and rare nature of such public health emergencies and the greater lack of awareness, education, understanding of roles, responsibilities, and capabilities between the communities of homeland security, emergency management, first responders, public health, medicine, and health care, continue to challenge responses to these types of incidents. One major issue affecting public health and healthcare emergency management has been chronic public health underfunding.
