CHALLANGES FACING PUBLIC HEALTH SERVICES
In the past weeks, you have examined and explored the challenges and issues facing delivery of public health services in a given community and across the nation. The goal of public health is to prevent disease and promote health.
To that end, take a moment to review your own communities health needs through a purview of current events, your own setting by informally interviewing public health professionals, or reviewing national databases like the ones listed below:
America’s Health Rankings. (2015). Retrieved from http://www.americashealthrankings.org/
The Commonwealth Fund. (2015). Overall Ranking, 2014. Retrieved from http://datacenter.commonwealthfund.org/#ind=1/sc=1
For this discussion, you are asked to do the following:
- Describe a significanat health issue in your community or state.
- Compare its significance to the national priorities of Healthy People 2020 goals (is it a national priority or just one found in your state/community).
- Explain what type of effort it will take to fully address it (leadership skills, financing, organizational buy-in, stakeholders, perceptions, barriers)
- Evaluate the efforts YOU can take to address this issue. (As a public health practitioner, what is YOUR role such as: Will you develop, lead or be part of a public health program to address the issue? Will you work on financing, organizational buy-in, stakeholders…what are you going to do to address this concern?)
