Please respond to POST 1 AND POST 2 listed below in at least 150 words and 1 APA citation

Required

• Chapters 1-4 in Key Concepts in Public Health
• Withers, M., Press, D., Wipfli, H., McCool, J., Chang-Chuan, C., Jimba, M., & …, Samet, J. (2016). Training the next generation of global health experts: Experiences and recommendations from Pacific Rim universities. Globalization & Health, 12, 1-7. doi:10.1186/s12992-016-0162-z

Recommended

• Funk & Wagnalls New World Encyclopedia. (2014). Public health. (For a detailed description of what public health means in common terms.)

POST 1:

Within the getting started introduction assignment I mentioned a public health issue of alcohol abuse within my community. Although, I do not believe this is the top issue in our community, I do believe it has an effect. The goal is to build a healthy community mentally, emotionally physically. Therefore, the strategies that I would use to increase and maintain community involvement in solving this issue follow.

1.) Outreach to the community in how we can make changes. The goal in this strategy is to communicate, gain knowledge and understanding from the community itself. Going out in the community, especially within the college is of utmost importance in this strategy.

2.) Creating a committee to do research. Within the community outreach strategy another goal is to find individuals that also want to seek change in the community on this subject by creating a committee. Those could be found within the schools, other community events, local businesses and so on. Once created it is the committee’s goal to come up with research, strategies and ideas to create change as a group. Also, within this strategy, gaining the involvement of local businesses which will play a part in strategy number three as well as the committee utilizing marketing within the community and those businesses.

3.) Community engagement mentally, emotionally, and physically. The purpose of this strategy is to get out in the community to utilize those strategies to create change mentally, emotionally and physically. The goal is to create events for the community to attend and engage socially in without the consumption of alcohol. Some of these events would include talk groups for students, mothers, families etc., with similar issues mentally or emotionally, outdoor group activities, social get togethers to meet new individuals, the creation of events such as comedy shows, concerts, etc. The local businesses will play a big part in the events regarding sponsorship, holding events and so on.

All of the strategies listed above are completely doable within my community. As for a time frame, I believe 6 months to a year would be more than enough time to create the events listed in strategy number three. Regardless, each will take time and dedication within the community to see the actual change in how individuals partake in the events and spend less time seeking social aspects within a bar or club heavily induced with alcohol.

Reference

Mid-City CAN. (2011). What is Building Healthy Communities? Retrieved from

POST 2:

One of two examples that I mentioned in my introduction was the increasing risk of vaping. E-cigarettes are a relatively new tobacco product in the U.S. While much remains to be learned about the lasting health consequences of these products, the American Lung Association has evolving evidence about the impact of e-cigarettes on the lungs. A University of North Carolina study found that the two primary ingredients found in e-cigarettes, propylene glycol, and vegetable glycerin, are toxic to cells and that the more ingredients in an e-liquid, the higher the toxicity (Sassano, Davis, Keating, Zorn, & Kochar, 2018).

At least 15 incidents of lung injuries linked to vaping occurred before the 2019 year’s epidemic. The cases spanning the globe from Guam to Japan to England to the U.S. include reports of mysterious pneumonia and fatal bleeding from tiny air sacs (Langreth, & Etter, 2019). Involvement at every level, from direct service medical resources to the educational system, become involved. Politics, entertainment, schools, people, and families all recognized as a role necessary in helping prevent health risks from vaping dangers.

Community involvement in prevention and planning can play a significant role when real events occur. Planning, training, practice, and resource dedication are necessary to reach a ready status at the community level. Historically underserved communities end up being the areas that have the most significant challenges historically. Community organization is also critical for fast response to public health risk outbreaks. Excellent communication with easy-to-implement messaging can go a long way in training a community to be a willing partner in public health protection. This holistic approach leverages the power of many people by creating a collective response and directing it to a given action goal. Whether that is preparation, knowing where to coordinate, or how to organize, community involvement in public health makes a difference in the success.

Community mobilization is a long-term investment that is of mutual benefit to Healthcare providers, and policymakers on the one hand and the community on the other, leading to sustained support at all levels for better implementation for the program(s). Health is one of the most critical parameters in determining the quality of life, and people are essential assets in the fight to attain better health for themselves. The role of communities in the Public Health sector needs to be reviewed in order to improve community management of health programs further. Community mobilization and optimal involvement is basically about helping people to help themselves and thus transforming the Health ecosystem from bottom up (Upadhya, 2017).

There is an excellent promise in leveraging the strengths and resources of both health care and public health systems to create healthier communities. Hospital community benefit is one critical area of opportunity for greater collaboration. Historically, nonprofit hospitals, as a condition of their tax-exempt status, have been required to enhance the health and welfare of their communities. Through the Affordable Care Act, nonprofit hospitals will have the opportunity to direct their community benefit efforts toward public health interventions and collaborate more effectively with local health departments. There can be a policy to ban smoking/vamping, but if we do not have a way for smokers to get the help they need to quit, it is not as effective. Moreover, having doctors and nurse practitioners advising and giving someone tools to quit smoking does not work as well if there are not community changes in a place like smoke-free indoor spaces that make it easier for them to quit. There is an opportunity for collaboration at the very local level, doctors and nurses working together with public health so that both are aware of the community resources, and have the data to be able to focus on what the community needs (Kuehnert, 2012).

On the marketing spectrum, when addressing these concerns.
1. Paid media
2. Earned media
3. Social media
Strategies could be everything from petitions to protests. Community leaders can ask for resolutions, endorsements, or statements of support from area cities or elected leaders, influencers, organizations like healthcare groups. Community members could picket vaping manufacturers or retailers. Also, it can create a speaker bureau of doctors, nurses, teachers, who could educate community groups on vaping.

Engagement = Relationship + Action

Reference

Kuehnert, P. (2012). Public health & heath care working together. Retrieved from https://www.rwjf.org/en/blog/2012/11/public_health…

Langreth, R. & Etter, L. (2019). Early signs of vaping health risks. Retrieved from https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2019-09-25…

Sassano MF, Davis ES, Keating JE, Zorn BT, Kochar TK, Wolfgang MC, et al. (2018) Evaluation of e-liquid toxicity using an open-source high-throughput screening assay. PLoS Biol 16(3): e2003904. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pbio.2003904

Upadhya, S. (2017). Key to addressing public health challenges. Retrieved from http://www.piramalswasthya.org/community-involveme…

Edited by William Clark on Oct 8 at 1:25pm