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This publication provides the Foundational Public Health Services’ framework outlining the unique responsibilities of governmental public health and can be used to explain the vital role of governmental public health in a thriving community; identify capacity and resource gaps; determine the cost for assuring foundational activities; and justify funding needs.
Almost 10 years after its creation, the FPHS framework was refreshed to assure it continues to reflect the evolving nature and modernization of governmental public health. The 2022 revision highlights include:
- Most notably, Equity was added as an eighth Foundational Capability, elevating its importance as a cross-cutting skill and capacity, and reinforcing its critical role in ensuring community health and well-being.
- Definitions for Foundational Capabilities and Areas were refined for greater clarity where needed. Key topics important for today’s public health practice and modernization were emphasized in the definitions, such as equity and social determinants of health, data, technology, and the public health workforce.
- The component titled “local protections and services unique to a community’s needs” was renamed “Community-specific Services”, and still acknowledges the flexibility needed to accommodate local additional services that are unique but critical to a given community.
- The framework graphic was reorganized to better capture the connectivity among components. The framework now starts with the Capabilities as the base, recognizing the importance of building a strong infrastructure to support implementation of the FPHS.