Hannah Ortiz

Public Health Philosophy

Many overlook the dimensions of health and only focus on the physical aspects in one’s life.
The term health can be much broader than just physical traits, it can range from mental, emotion-
al and even spiritual well-being. I came into the public health field knowing I wanted to help im-
prove the lives of others around me and within my community through occupational therapy.
Serving a population mainly composed of post-operative patients who have gone through a
traumatic injury. I find my passion is focused on the mental health and well-being of these pa-
tients who can currently no longer go about their day to day lives due to impairment. Implement-
ing and modifying programs within rehabilitation centers that allows patients to express and
communicate amongst other patients who have shared similar if not the same injury or surgery is
an area within the public health field I’d aim to improve.

This passion for occupational therapy stems from a personal injury which resulted in impairment
of both my left and right hands. These injuries eventually needed surgery and shortly after I
started three months of post-operative occupational therapy. During these months of therapy I
reshaped my vision of what public health educators are capable of creating within a community.
Quality improvement within the healthcare field was possible for me as a public health educator.
It is important as public health educators to acknowledge all dimensions of health rather than just
one. As a public health educator it is my duty to lead by example in the field by staying true to
my ethics and core values.

The promotion of health and well-being is the ultimate goal. Reaching this goal is accomplished
through organized action and targeted program strategies. However, much of this goal is reached
through repetitive planning and evaluation. Impact and outcome evaluation allows health educa-
tors to study and record pre and post test data that result from a specific program. This allows
public health educators to reassess and plan accordingly from these results for future implemen-
tation of programs.

Within the next two years, I foresee myself working hand in hand with post operative patients in
rehabilitation. I plan to give these patients an overall health assessment of their current physical
state after surgery, their mental state during therapy sessions and what needs can be at service to
them while undergoing this uprooting process. Serving within the public health care field means
I can educate the unknown on what Public health is, how it differs from medicine, yet the two
can still go hand in hand, both relying on science and research. It is important for society to have
a better understanding of how public health help serves you, whether it be through your commu-
nity, families or even individually.