A History of Public Health

In 2000, the Nebraska Legislature enacted Legislative Bill 1436, allocating millions of dollars to the Tobacco Free Network of Nebraska from the Tobacco Settlement Fund (Nebraska's share of the Multi state Master Settlement Agreement) over a three year period.  This helped expand, create, and coordinate the existing tobacco coalitions in Nebraska.  In the year 2001, Legislative Bill 692  provided $11 million to expand Nebraska's statewide public health system.  Until 2001 local public health departments only served 22 of the 93 counties in Nebraska.  As a result of Legislative Bill 692 almost all of Nebraska's counties have access to local or district health departments.   

Today, Two Rivers Public Health Department is honored to serve the counties of Buffalo, Dawson, Franklin, Gosper, Harlan, Kearney, and Phelps.

Building TRPHD’s Identity and Reputation: Our health department is well known and respected throughout our communities.  Local community partners, leaders, and the public utilize our services and resources because they are easily accessible. Our communities and partners have a better understanding of what we do and that we are here to collaborate with them to improve the overall health of their communities.

Building Internal Capacity: TRPHD is poised to best meet the needs of our diverse, local communities because:  We have an engaged, strong, qualified, and diverse board and staff | We embrace a culture of health and help our staff and board prioritize their own well-being | We have an accessible office location that supports programmatic work | We are recognized as an accredited, high-capacity local health department, and | We have sustainable funding to support our programs. 

THE 10 ESSENTIAL PUBLIC HEALTH SERVICES : To protect and promote the health of all people in all communities

ESSENTIAL PUBLIC HEALTH SERVICE #1
Assess and monitor population
health status, factors that influence
health, and community needs and
assets

ESSENTIAL PUBLIC HEALTH SERVICE #3
Communicate effectively to inform
and educate people about health,
factors that influence it, and how to
improve it

ESSENTIAL PUBLIC HEALTH SERVICE #6
Utilize legal and regulatory actions
designed to improve and protect the
public’s health

ESSENTIAL PUBLIC HEALTH SERVICE #7
Assure an effective system that
enables equitable access to the
individual services and care needed
to be healthy

ESSENTIAL PUBLIC HEALTH SERVICE #9
Improve and innovate public health
functions through ongoing evaluation,
research, and continuous quality
improvement

ESSENTIAL PUBLIC HEALTH SERVICE #10
Build and maintain a strong
organizational infrastructure for
public health

ESSENTIAL PUBLIC HEALTH SERVICE #8
Build and support a diverse and
skilled public health workforce

ESSENTIAL PUBLIC HEALTH SERVICE #5
Create, champion, and implement
policies, plans, and laws that impact
health

ESSENTIAL PUBLIC HEALTH SERVICE #4
Strengthen, support, and mobilize
communities and partnerships to
improve health

ESSENTIAL PUBLIC HEALTH SERVICE #2
Investigate, diagnose, and address
health problems and hazards
affecting the population