Ensuring quality preventive care: the Texas Department of Health's Put Prevention into Practice initiative

In the current public health arena, assurance of quality clinical preventive services to all populations will be possible only if collaborations are nurtured between public health and the private sector health care delivery systems. This article explores key preventive health programs that serve as the historical context for the evolution of the Texas Department of Health-Put Prevention Into Practice (TDH-PPIP) initiative, outlines documented barriers to implementation of preventive services in primary care, and reviews national public health programs launched to reduce these barriers. Lastly, a discussion regarding the joint responsibilities of the public health and the private sector professionals in assuring quality preventive services to all populations is initiated. Collaborative efforts, such as the TDH-PPIP, initiative improve the availability and quality of clinical preventive services and, thus, result in significant advances in the public health goal of ensuring conditions in which people can be healthy.