Ensuring Quality Preventive Care: The Texas Department of Health's Put Prevention Into Practice Initiative

n the current public health arena, assurance of qualityclinical preventive services to all populations will be possibleonly if collaborations are nurtured between public healthand the private sector health care delivery systems. This articleexplores key preventive health programs that serve as thehistorical context for the evolution of the Texas Department ofHealth–Put Prevention Into Practice (TDH–PPIP) initiative,outlines documented barriers to implementation of preventiveservices in primary care, and reviews national public healthprograms launched to reduce these barriers. Lastly, a discussionregarding the joint responsibilities of the public health and theprivate sector professionals in assuring quality preventiveservices to all populations is initiated. Collaborative efforts, suchas the TDH–PPIP, initiative improve the availability and quality ofclinical preventive services and, thus, result in significantadvances in the public health goal of ensuring conditions inwhich people can be healthy.