Voluntary Health Agencies

In nearly every community there are nongovernmental or voluntary agencies that supplement the work of the health department. The voluntary public health agency is as American as apple pie. It is typical of the character of the county and of people helping people in trouble. A review of the history of American voluntary agencies usually reveals that each was started to meet a special need of a group of people. In pioneer days the greatest concern of such agencies was to care for the sick and for the indigent. When the founding fathers of the United States made no constitutional provision for a department to provide for the public’s health, it was the voluntary agency that first filled this gap.

Private gifts supported the efforts of the pioneering health and welfare agencies, and in general that holds true for the voluntary health agency today, Contributions by people in the local community, endowments, bequests, and, in some instances, fee collected by the agency for its services are the primary source of revenue. Now that many of these voluntary agencies have become national in scope there are some that conduct annual national fund drives, with part of the locally contributed funds going to support the national organization. Administration, policy making, and education usually stem from the national offices, with direct service to people a function at the local community level.

Citizen groups represent the voluntary agencies at both the national and the local level. They serve in an advisory or in an administrative capacity to assure that the services given meet the needs of those to be helped. Such voluntary organizations as the American Public Health Association, the American Cancer Society, the National Foundation, and the American National Red Cross are examples of agencies that have made significant contributions to the development and progress of public health in this country.

Almost all voluntary agencies have well-defined programs of service and health education designed to inform and guide the public in promoting and maintaining health. The program of the agency or its field of interest determines the emphasis it gives to specific health problems. Its interest may be, for example, heart disease, tuberculosis, cerebral palsy, cancer, or sum clearance. Collectively, voluntary agencies make their influence felt in the enactment, health care for the aged, and health insurance, all of which are related to the health of the public.

Although today government carries most of the load of public health service, the voluntary agency is still needed to carry out experimental programs and to assist and supplement the health education of the nation’s people. Another contribution of the voluntary agency, and perhaps its most important public health function, is to assist government agencies in setting and maintaining high standards of service to people.