Grace Wang ¹ Carolyn Watts ^2*

¹ University of Washington, Institute for Public Health Genetics
² University of Washington, Department of Health Services

^* To whom correspondence should be addressed. E-mail: watts{at}u.washington.edu.

	Abstract

States include genetic services among their public health programs, but budget shortfalls raise the question, is genetics an essential part of public health? We used the Essential Services of Public Health consensus statement and data from state genetics plans to analyze states’ public health genetics programs.

Public health genetics programs fulfill public health obligations: birth defects surveillance and prevention programs protect against environmental hazards, newborn screening programs prevent injuries, and clinical genetics programs ensure the quality and accessibility of health services. These programs fulfill obligations by providing 4 essential public health services, and they could direct future efforts toward privacy policies, research on communications, and rigorous evaluations.

Key Words: Genetics, Government, Health Policy, Health Service Delivery, Public Health Practice