"Because in many areas . . . education is limited and modern facilities which simplify health promotion and maintenance e.g. garbage disposal facilities, sewage sytems, public water treatment, and distribution systems are not available, it is not always easy for indidivuals to assume responsibility for their own health. It is the purpose of health education to give information to the community and individual families which explains the relationship between personal habits and health/illness and demonstrates accessible and culturally acceptable methods for altering lifestyle in order to enhance health. It is the purpose of environmental health (and other preventive health methods) to design and assist individuals to make use of appropriate facilities and practices in order to implement the knowledge given them by health educators. Likewise, community nutrition programs are designed to demonstrate and assist people to put their knowledge into practice." Recently the World Health Organization has set as its target that all people of the world would have access to better health care “by the year 2000", and it specified that the method would be through "primary health care." In the Marshall Islands, as in many developing countries, the health worker at the "primary" (usually rural) level must integrate both "curative and preventive/promotive" recommended here as well. health care into his practice. This is By combining the Primary Care (curative) clinical services, and the Public Health (preventive) services under one department this goal will be easier to accomplish. The existing primary care workers in the M.I. at the dispensary/clinic level are generally under-utilized (most see an average of only 3-5 patients a day). Due to lack of supervision, education, and material support their ability to function as “community/family health" educators has been minimal to non-existent. In many developing countries of the world integration of the "curative" and "preventive" role in one person is being utilized. Two factors make this integrated approach logical in the Marshall Islands - the generally small curative work load and the impossibility of public health personnel being able to visit the outlying islands on any regular schedule. The following public health components will be approached from this perspective.