Director of Public Health
Features
State of Public Health
State of Public Health Report 2008
Health Indicators Tasmania 2008
Solarium Consultation
Population Health is an approach that turns the focus of attention on whole populations or subpopulations rather than on individuals, seeking sustainable changes to social and health systems in order to reduce health inequities and improve general health and wellbeing.
In Tasmania the Population Health unit contributes to a wide range of health promotion and health protection initiatives as well as playing a key advisory role to the Minister on preventative health issues.
The Director of Population Health is also the Director of Public Health, Dr Roscoe Taylor.
Population Health consists of the following work units:
Public and Environmental Health
Monitoring and promoting health through food safety, nutrition regulation, communicable disease prevention and control, radiation regulation, tobacco control, pharmaceutical services (drugs and poisons) and environmental health.
Population and Health Priorities
Preventing and reducing common population risk factors such as physical inactivity and poor nutrition and alcohol harms and addressing national health priorities including diabetes, cardio-vascular diseases, cancer, asthma and arthritis. Develops health promotion and prevention strategies tailored to population groups with special needs such as Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders, refugee and multicultural health, women’s health, youth health and men’s health.
Epidemiology Unit
Analysis of data and statistics on a wide range of areas relating to population health outcomes including risk factors, demographics, mortality and disease.
Tasmanian Infection Prevention and Control Unit (TIPCU)
The TIPCU provides professional advice, leadership and information about healthcare associated infections (HIAs) to health professionals in DHHS Tasmania. The team also provides representation of the State at a national level.
Program and Business Development
Provides high level support and advice to Population Health in the areas of planning and performance, budget and Finance, administrative support. PBDU also has responsibility for the Needle and Syringe Program.