What Is Community Health? Issues and Careers

Healthy communities serve the public good, and community health plays a critical role in improving health. Community health programs identify the health needs of diverse communities and connect people with services that improve their health.

Working in community health can be rewarding in many ways. In addition to helping at-risk communities, community health professionals earn above-average median salaries and benefit from high demand. Community health career paths include roles such as community health worker, public health advocate and community health educator. A master’s degree in public health can prepare graduates for higher-paying roles with greater responsibilities, including as a community service manager or public health manager.

Community Health Defined

A specialty within the field of public health, community health plays a major role in promoting health. Overall, public health aims to improve health through policy, outreach, research and health education. Community health focuses on public health at the local level.

Community health professionals investigate the health of specific communities, including social and environmental factors that impact health. They address barriers to health by connecting communities with health and social services, running programs that provide services, and advocating for health policies.

Effective community health programs can limit the spread of infectious diseases, improve school nutrition, increase access to health services and deliver services through mobile clinics. They can also encourage healthy lifestyle changes, reduce health care costs and support at-risk communities.

Why Is Community Health Important?

Community health encourages wellness among diverse communities, including racial, ethnic, rural, pregnant, low-income and elderly communities. Healthy communities benefit society, and community health bridges the divide between individuals and systems that improve health.

Instead of addressing individual health needs — this can miss broader social and environmental challenges — community health takes a broader view. As a result, community health efforts can impact a large number of people.

Community health professionals gather data on community needs, advocate for marginalized communities and connect people with critical services. They also recommend policies that improve health and run community health systems that serve the public.

Key Issues in Community Health

The field of community health aims to improve health outcomes. What exactly are the key issues in community health? Identifying health disparities, understanding the role of social factors in health and improving community health reporting are all critical to accomplish the ultimate goal of promoting health equity.

Understanding Social Determinants of Health

Public health researchers have shown that social determinants of health impact population health more than genetics or health care access. The term “social determinants of health” refers to the social and environmental factors that influence health outcomes, including socioeconomics status, housing security, nutrition and location.

Because these social determinants of health vary by community, addressing inequalities in health outcomes requires considering these nonmedical factors. Public and community health organizations aim to identify community concerns, research approaches to serve community needs and implement policies that combat community health threats.

Addressing Health Disparities

Health disparities are preventable population-level differences in health. Factors such as access to health care and health care costs represent key issues in community health because they increase disparities in health outcomes.

By working with local communities, community health professionals address the causes of health disparities. For example, in rural communities, a lack of access to preventive care can increase health disparities compared with urban communities. Community health resources, including public health services and community health centers, help address health disparities by providing low-cost care to communities.

Connecting Environmental Health

Population and environmental health both intersect with community health. Understanding environmental health challenges can address health inequities. Conducting community health assessments can identify environmental factors that shape health. Community health professionals also educate the public about health promotion and disease prevention.

Community health approaches emphasize access to health and social services to address environmental health issues. Similarly, health policy advocacy and health-focused community design play important roles in improving health.

Improving Community Health Reporting

Technology has transformed community health, giving specialists more tools to identify health threats, track the effectiveness of policies and solicit feedback from communities. Because numerous organizations work together to improve community health, integrating reporting systems can eliminate redundancies and improve the reliability of data.

As with other public health fields, community health increasingly relies on data tools and health technologies that require specialized expertise. By improving community health reporting, organizations can more quickly identify health inequities and address problems.

Promoting Health Equity

Health equity is an ideal in which all people can achieve their highest possible health. Community health plays a central role in promoting health equity by connecting communities with health and social services. The nation’s network of community health centers improves access to health care, for example. These health centers respond to ongoing and emerging public health threats, including pandemics and the opioid crisis.

However, to address barriers to health equity, community health professionals need to work with communities to understand their unique needs. Community health workers, for example, identify challenges specific to a community to inform the development of new programs, services and resources. They also identify barriers to care and connect communities with organizations that provide housing, transportation and food security services.

7 Community Health Careers

Community health professionals play a critical role in public health, health care and social services. Community health specialists in educational, advocacy, management and policymaking roles connect individuals with services and develop policies that improve community health outcomes.

While several community health careers require a bachelor’s degree, earning a Master of Public Health (MPH) can prepare professionals for advanced roles with greater job responsibilities.

1. Community Health Worker

Community health workers connect communities to health and social services, providing a critical public health role. Their responsibilities include community education, advocacy and outreach to improve the health of communities.

Building trust with their communities allows community health workers to help people access health care and improve their wellness.

The job duties and responsibilities of a community health worker include the following:

Serving as the liaison to coordinate care between communities and health systems
Connecting with people by using culturally informed resources
Advocating for community resources to improve public health
Coaching individuals and families to help manage community health challenges
Collecting data on health issues in the community

Community health workers earned a median annual salary of $48,200 as of May 2023, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS). Strong demand for health and social services support means a projected 13 percent increase in community health worker jobs from 2023 to 2033, the BLS reports.

2. Public Health Advocate

Advocacy roles in community health may involve assisting individuals as they access health and social services or advocating for broader public health policies. Their role can include educating the public on health issues, researching approaches to improve health and supporting families as they access care.

The job duties and responsibilities of public health advocates include the following:

Conducting research into public health challenges and recommending solutions
Promoting policies and health approaches that improve health
Advising patients as they navigate health care or social services systems
Promoting health, nutrition, wellness and other community health topics
Identifying and addressing health challenges facing communities

Community health advocates earned a median annual salary of around $42,000 as of September 2024, according to the compensation website Payscale.

3. Community Health Educator

Community health educators teach the public about wellness and health. They work in several settings, including health care facilities, public health departments and nonprofit organizations. In hospitals and other health care settings, community health educators may lead classes on health concerns within the community or create programs that prepare health care staff to communicate with patients.

In public health departments, educators may create educational programs to inform the public about nutrition, immunizations or other health issues. They may also recommend policies to improve public health and wellness. In nonprofit organizations, community health educators develop materials to inform their communities about health topics, including disease awareness and health promotion.

The job duties and responsibilities of a community health educator can include the following:

Assessing a community’s health needs to develop programs that improve health knowledge
Educating the public about health topics, including chronic conditions and infectious diseases
Connecting people with health services or resources to address their issues
Training community health workers or other health care providers
Advocating for policies that improve community health

Community health educators earned a median annual salary of $62,860 as of May 2023, according to the BLS. The BLS also reports 7 percent projected job growth from 2023 to 2033, representing faster-than-average growth.

4. Public Health Nutritionist

Public health nutritionists educate their communities about food and nutrition. They conduct research on nutrition and wellness to develop programs that address nutritional deficiencies and promote healthy eating. Nutritionists work in several public health settings, including public health departments, schools and social services organizations.

The job duties and responsibilities of a public health nutritionist include the following:

Identifying nutrition issues in the community and developing solutions
Leading programs to improve food access and nutrition
Developing guidelines for meal plans and nutrition assistance programs
Creating educational materials that promote nutrition
Advising policymakers on public health, nutrition and food access issues

Public health nutritionists earned a median annual salary of $69,680 as of May 2023, according to the BLS. Based on the growing demand for nutrition and preventive care, jobs in this field will increase by 7 percent from 2023 through 2033, the BLS projects.

5. Community Service Manager

Community service managers oversee programs and departments that provide services to the community. This can include community outreach programs and health services organizations. Community service managers who specialize in community health may also work in management roles at community health centers, which serve 32.5 million Americans, according to the National Association of Community Health Centers (NACHC).

Organizations that employ community service managers may specialize in particular groups, such as low-income children, veterans or older adults. They may also focus on challenges such as hunger, mental health, diabetes or substance abuse.

The job duties and responsibilities of community service managers include the following:

Identifying programs and services that improve community health
Evaluating data on program effectiveness to implement changes
Leading outreach activities that improve awareness of community services
Managing administrative tasks, including budgeting and grant funding
Overseeing staff members who provide services to clients

Community service managers earned a median annual salary of $77,030 as of May 2023, according to the BLS. Because of a growing need for social and community services, the number of community services management jobs will grow by 8 percent from 2023 to 2033, the BLS projects.

6. Medical and Health Services Manager

Medical and health services managers oversee the delivery of health care services to patients. Those who specialize in community health may manage programs that deliver care to the public, lead departments focused on preventive health or monitor health trends within a health care organization. Their job titles can include public health manager, community health administrator or health care administrator. An MPH or a Master of Health Administration (MHA) can prepare graduates for these roles.

In addition to working in hospitals and other health care settings, health services managers can work for public health departments, nonprofit organizations or health care government agencies. Drawing upon their administrative and management skills, these professionals ensure that health care services reach the community.

The job duties and responsibilities of medical and health services managers include the following:

Evaluating the quality of health care services to create quality improvement plans
Supervising staff members who interact directly with patients
Monitoring compliance with health care laws and regulations
Tracking services provided by their department
Implementing policies that improve efficiency and service delivery

Medical and health services managers earned a median annual salary of $110,680 as of May 2023, according to the BLS. Strong demand for health care services will increase the need for health services managers. The number of jobs in this field will grow by 29 percent from 2023 to 2033, much faster than average, the BLS projects.

7. Health Policy Analyst

Health policy analysts evaluate policies that impact community health. Drawing on their research and analytical expertise, they identify issues with health policies and develop solutions. They also track the effectiveness of health programs and recommend policy changes.

Working at the intersection of public health and public policy, health policy analysts play a key role in shaping community health policies. By researching the impact of current policies, they aim to improve health outcomes. Health policy analysts work closely with community organizations to develop effective policies.

The job duties and responsibilities of health policy analysts include the following:

Conducting research on proposed policies to evaluate their impact
Recommending improvements to current policies to improve outcomes
Advising policymakers on evidence-based approaches to community health
Considering issues such as health equity and health disparities when developing policies
Advocating for the most effective health policies

Health policy analysts earned a median annual salary of around $67,800 as of September 2024, according to Payscale.

Skills for Community Health Careers

What skills do community health careers require? While job-specific skills vary depending on the career path, community health professionals share these critical abilities:

Communication: Every career in community health requires strong communication skills. Professionals in this field communicate with individuals about their health needs and discuss policy approaches with policymakers. They also create informative health and wellness material that connects with both specialists and nonspecialists. Community health professionals also use their communication abilities as advocates, educators and leaders.
Analytical Thinking: Community health professionals evaluate complex data to understand a community’s needs and develop programs to meet those needs. Strong analytical thinking abilities allow public health nutritionists to incorporate the latest research into their recommendations. Those in management roles also draw upon their analytical skills to lead programs and departments.
Problem-Solving: When faced with complex challenges, community health professionals need to develop creative yet effective solutions. Problem-solving skills allow them to address community feedback, modify programs based on budget needs and develop strategies to accomplish their goals. When coupled with analytical data, problem-solving helps community health professionals put their plans into action.
Leadership: In management and advocacy roles, community health professionals draw upon their leadership abilities to motivate staff, connect with stakeholders and achieve organizational goals. Effective leaders know how to manage budgets, secure funding, analyze results and implement policy changes.
Instructional: Community health professionals lead instructional programs, educate patients about public health issues and advise people on how to access health services. Instructional skills, including instructional design, leading discussions and teaching, allow community health professionals to inform communities about nutrition, health and wellness.
Empathy: Public health challenges often trigger strong emotional responses. Compassion for individuals, families and communities experiencing health challenges helps community health professionals accomplish their goals. Coupled with cultural sensitivity, empathy allows community health specialists to understand a community’s needs and effectively advocate for communities.

An MPH can help develop the knowledge and skills required for careers in community health.

Launch Your Community Health Career at Augusta University Online

Community health professionals make a difference in people’s lives. If working in community health sounds like a good fit for your interests and skills, the MPH program at Augusta University Online can help you reach your professional goals.

The flexible, online program emphasizes community-focused strategies to improve health outcomes. MPH students strengthen their skills with concentrations in health management, health informatics and social and behavioral sciences. Coursework on health policy, environmental health, health promotion and health care management prepare graduates for diverse career paths within community health.

Through its mix of online coursework and hands-on fieldwork, the MPH program builds the public health knowledge and skills necessary for leadership roles in community health. Reach out to Augusta today to learn more about the online MPH program.

Sources:
American Public Health Association, Community Health Workers
American Public Health Association, Environmental Health
American Public Health Association, Food and Nutrition
American Public Health Association, Health Equity
Elevance Health, What Are The Differences Between Population Health, Public Health, and Community Health?
Health Affairs, “Public Health Advocacy Must Be Taught”
International Online Medical Council, “Community Health and Its Importance”
National Association of Community Health Centers, What Is a Community Health Center?
Payscale, Average Community Health Advocate Salary in Seattle, Washington
Payscale, Average Health Policy Analyst Salary
Results for Development, “8 Trends We Are Seeing in Community Health Right Now”
U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Community Health Workers
U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Dietitians and Nutritionists
U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Health Education Specialists
U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Medical and Health Services Managers
U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Social and Community Service Managers
U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Environmental Health and the 10 Essential Services
U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Social Determinants of Health (SDOH)
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Health Care Workforce: Key Issues, Challenges, And the Path Forward

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