14 May In your response posts to at least two other peers’ initial posts, choose ones that identified different public health services from the ones you chose and respond to th

Andrew Discussion:

Hello, my name is Andrew Zimmerman. I have been an emergency department (ED) nurse for about seven years and have been a Clinical Lead in the ED for the past two years. I am enrolled in the Executive Nurse Leadership track. I chose to pursue this degree because I am passionate about nursing leadership and improving nurses' work environment and culture. 

Two essential public health services are communicating effectively to inform and educate and ensuring an effective system for equitable access to health services (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2023). Communicating effectively to inform and educate is critical because it affects how the public understands health risks and adheres to preventive measures. Effective communication can change health behaviors, reduce certain diseases' incidence, and save lives (Williams et al., 2023). Assuring an effective system for equitable access to health services is vital in reducing health disparities and improving overall public health outcomes. 

Public health officials and the media are two key stakeholders required to communicate effectively to inform and educate. Public health officials develop clear and accurate health communications and are responsible for public health messaging that alerts the public about risks and prevention practices. They are essential to this service because they are the primary source of information, especially during times of crisis. The media are critical because they disseminate public health messages to the public. They can also help in promoting health campaigns and provide updates during emergencies. They can ensure that critical health information reaches large audiences.

Government and non-governmental health organizations are vital stakeholders in assuring an effective system for equitable access to healthcare.  Government agencies are responsible for policies, funding, and regulations that can help to ensure equitable access to health.  They are critical because they provide the resources needed for equitable healthcare and ensure compliance with health equity laws. Non-governmental agencies can provide direct healthcare services and act as advocates for equitable healthcare access. 

References

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2023).  10 essential public health services. https://www.cdc.gov/publichealthgateway/publichealthservices/essentialhealthservices.html

Williams, S. N., Dienes, K., Jaheed, J., Wardman, J. K., & Petts, J. (2023). Effectiveness of communications in enhancing adherence to public health behavioral interventions: A COVID-19 evidence review . Philosophical Transactions of The Royal Society,  381. https://doi.org/10.1098/rsta.2023.0129

Jennifer Discussion:

Hello Everyone. My name is Jennifer Espino, and I am from Massachusetts. After high school I went to school to become a medical assistant back in 2004. I have always loved helping people and the healthcare field was a perfect fit for me. After many years of medical assisting, I started to cross train as a secretary and work more with the administrative side of healthcare. I absolutely loved it and decided to further my education in healthcare administration. Understanding health policy and law is important for delivering the best care to patients, helping them learn more about their rights, and also using the knowledge learned to help inform future policies.

Two essential public health services are assess and monitor population health status, factors, and community needs, and investigate, diagnose, and address health problems and hazards.  Assess and monitor population health status, factors, and community needs is a service that involves regularly assessing the health status of a population, understanding the factors that influence health such as social determinants, and identifying community needs and assets by monitoring health trends so public health professionals can detect emerging health issues, track disease outbreaks, and allocate resources effectively ensuring that health interventions are evidence-based and tailored to the specific needs of each community (CDC, n.d.). This service is essential to our healthcare system because it addresses critical aspects of population health and actively promotes policies, systems, and community conditions that enable optimal health for all while addressing system barriers that contribute to health inequities. Two key stakeholders or interest groups are public health departments and agencies as well as community-based organizations. Public health departments and agencies are at the forefront of assessing and monitoring population health, collecting and analyzing health data, tracking health indicators, and identifying trends as well as conducting community health assessments to understand the health statues, needs, and assets of the population which is important for providing essential data and insights to inform public health policies, interventions, and resource allocation helping to identify health disparities, prioritize health issues, and develop evidence-based strategies to improve community health (ES1, n.d.). Community-based organizations work directly with communities, engaging community members, conducting needs assessments, and collaborating with health initiatives with their deep understanding of local contexts, cultural nuances, and social determinants of health which is important for bridging the gap between public health agencies and the community by advocating for community needs, promoting health education, and implementing programs to ensure that health interventions are culturally sensitive, accessible, and relevant to their community (ES1, n.d.). Effective collaboration between these stakeholders is essential for a comprehensive understanding of population health and the development of targeted interventions to improve well-being.

Investigate, diagnose, and address health problems and hazards is a service where public health professionals investigate health problems and hazards that are affecting the population including identifying disease outbreaks, environmental risks, and other health threats by doing so they can develop targeted interventions, implement preventive measures, and mitigate tasks which is essential to our healthcare system for preventing and controlling diseases, promoting health equity, and safeguarding community well-being (CDC, n.d.). Two key stakeholders or interest groups would be environmental health programs and community members and advocacy groups. Environmental health programs are essential for identifying, assessing, and mitigating health risks related to environmental factors and applying risk assessment and epidemiologic methods to investigate patterns and outbreaks of environmentally related illnesses, diseases, injuries, and health threats which is important to help prevent, and address health conditions caused by environmental hazards (ES2, n.d.). Community members and advocacy groups are directly affected by health problems and hazards, providing valuable insights and perspectives during investigations ensuring that public health responses are relevant, culturally sensitive, and effective which is important for public health professionals to gain a better understanding of local health issues so they can tailor interventions, improve communications during emergencies, and prioritize resources where they are most needed (ES2, n.d.). Collaboration among these stakeholders including government agencies, healthcare providers, researchers, and the public is essential for effective public health responses contributing to the investigation, diagnosis, and mitigation of health risks in our communities.

References

CDC – 10 essential public health services – Public Health Infrastructure Center. (n.d.).  https://www.cdc.gov/publichealthgateway/publichealthservices/essentialhealthservices.html

ES 1 – Assess and monitor | EHS | CDC. (n.d.).  https://www.cdc.gov/nceh/ehs/10-essential-services/1-assess.html

ES 2 – Investigate, diagnose, and address | EHS | CDC. (n.d.).  https://www.cdc.gov/nceh/ehs/10-essential-services/2-investigate.html