Essay on Social Change Impact and Applied Project Submission

Public health systems in the United States are often defined as all private, public and voluntary units that play a role in the delivery of crucial public health services in a certain jurisdiction. Such a concept ensures that the contributions made by each entity to the communitys health and well-being are recognized when it comes to evaluating how public health services will be evaluated. In this essay, I will explain how my proposed intervention addresses the 10 Essential Public Health Services. The proposed intervention will address the health service that informs, educates, and empowers people about health issues.

My proposed intervention will involve community-based and educational programs meant to improve the availability, effectiveness and quality of health services. They will be designed in such a way that they improve health, prevent disease and injury, and enhance the overall quality of life. The health status and any behaviors related to it are determined by influences on various levels such as policy, personal, environmental, and institutional/organizational. Since there are dynamic and significant interrelationships among the assorted levels of health determinants, there is a way in which community-based and educational programs that I propose have a better chance of succeeding in improving health and wellness. It involves dealing with influences at all levels and within various settings or environments.

The settings or environments include schools, communities, healthcare institutions, and workplaces. Each setting offers opportunities for reaching people with the use of social structures currently in place. Often, people experience high levels of contact within such settings, whether directly or indirectly. Programs that are capable of combining several settings, if not all four of them, can have a bigger impact when compared to those applying a single setting. Although the number of people actually reached might in some cases overlap, those who do not access a certain setting may get another. If I apply non-traditional settings, I can encourage the sharing of informal information within communities via social interaction. By reaching out to individuals in different settings, it would facilitate better tailoring of health education and information. The programs I propose will enhance and encourage health and wellness through education of communities on topics like chronic diseases, behavioral health/mental illness, violence and injury prevention, unplanned pregnancies, tobacco use, oral health, drug abuse, physical activity, obesity prevention, and nutrition.

Health together with the quality of life depends on numerous community systems and factors as opposed to merely a functional medical care and health system. One way of effectively improving the health of as many people as possible in the community is by bringing about changes within systems that are currently in place, such as improving school health policies and programs. For a certain community to improve the health of its members, they must alter aspects of the social, physical, political, and organizational environments on a regular basis. Such actions will minimize or altogether do away with factors that lead to health problems. They can also bring about new elements capable of promoting better health. Examples of changes include setting up new policies, practices and programs, altering the aspects of the organizational or physical infrastructure, and changing the beliefs, attitudes and social norms of the community. In instances where health promotion activities for the community are put into motion by a health organization or department, organizers are tasked with the responsibility of engaging the community. Achieving the vision of healthy individual living in well-off communities can only be done if the community, in its entire social, economic and cultural diversity, is a real partner when it comes to altering health conditions.

The reason I chose the proposed intervention is because community-based health programs are much better than those of institutional care. Various states in the US are promoting the use of these services as a means of assisting people afford the high costs associated with traditional medical services. It also helps them manage to continue living as independently as possible. Examples of these services include mobility and health support, personal care, therapy, housekeeping assistance, respite care, and socialization. Together with the cost-effective advantages of my proposed program, people with special needs can benefit from better care and more freedom in a community-based setting.

The trend whereby community-based programs are getting preference over institutional services is growing if current Medicaid reports are anything to go by. Institutional care of a person suffering from a physical or mental disability significantly minimizes his or her ability to interact with others and make independent choices. A reason for this is because a majority of continuing health care institutions plan their activities and operations based on staff rotations as opposed to patients conditions. Hence, patients tend to spend more time in solitary situations lying on bed as opposed to receiving care or socializing with others. The community-based health program that I propose allows sick people to remain independent while having better control of their day-to-day schedule. It allows them have cherished relations with friends and family members while at the same time getting the medical attention they need.

References

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Eldredge, L. K. B., Markham, C. M., Ruiter, R. A., Kok, G., & Parcel, G. S. (2016). Planning health promotion programs: an intervention mapping approach. John Wiley & Sons.

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Kim, K., Choi, J. S., Choi, E., Nieman, C. L., Joo, J. H., Lin, F. R., ... & Han, H. R. (2016). Effects of community-based health worker interventions to improve chronic disease management and care among vulnerable populations: a systematic review. American Journal of Public Health (ajph).

Smith, G. A., & Sobel, D. (2014). Place-and community-based education in schools. Routledge.