Community and Public Health provides public health services to the people living in the Canterbury, South Canterbury and West Coast regions, serving as the Public Health Unit (PHU) for the three District Health Boards covering those areas.
Community and Public Health promotes health, and works to prevent illness and hospitalisations. Their aim is to address the determinants of health, and create environments, policies, communities, and families/whānau that support healthy choices and lifestyles.
Their goals are to:
As health and wellbeing is largely influenced by factors outside the health system, such as housing and education, Community and Public Health supports other sectors to achieve their goals in a way which also improves health and wellbeing.
