The fields of
community and urban public health have a set of core values that guide
the Center’s professional practice and inform our core values.
In addition, our core values are influenced by the policy statements
of various national and international health organizations. Our core
values are:
Well-being:
Health is the presence of physical, mental, emotional and social well-being,
not just the absence of illness.
Social
Justice: Individuals, families and communities have the right
to health and well-being.
Integration:
Individual health exists in a matrix of social, community and political
structures. Therefore, the health of one affects the health of all.
Empowerment:
Individuals, families and communities have the ability to change in
ways that improve their health and well-being.
Community
Partnerships: Solutions to public health problems are best
achieved by tapping into the collective wisdom of our professions,
our clients and their communities through collaborations and partnerships.
In so doing, we learn as much from our communities as they learn from
us.
Service:
In order to most effectively serve our clients, their communities
and our professions, our activities should be guided by the highest
scientific and programmatic standards of theory- and evidenced-based
practices, in concert with the highest scientific ethical principles.
Ethics:
Our work is guided by the internationally-recognized ethical principles
of beneficence, respect, and justice.* We evaluate our work in terms
of the benefits we provide to the communities we serve.
Education
and Dissemination: We have an obligation to share our findings
and our products as widely and wisely as possible in order to influence
health policy, scholarship and practice, and to promote the well-being
of the general public.
Staff
Development: Supporting the personal and professional growth
of our staff advances our mission.
*For a full explanation of these terms, please see the Belmont
Report of the National Commission for the Protection
of Human Subjects of Biomedical and Behavioral Research (1979).
Core Values