Infectious disease and public health physician Thomas R. Frieden said, “I loved clinical practice, but in public health, you can impact more than one person at a time. The whole society is your patient” (Frieden as cited in Quintana, 2017). Besides our aging population, the prevalence of chronic health issues, and environmental factors impacting public health, even patients leaving clinical settings often need follow-up support and additional care. As Hilary Clinton insightfully connected community to education – “It takes a village.” – so, too, must community members come together to support public health.
In this assignment, you will identify a community health issue or need, gather information and input from your interprofessional team and a political representative or community health organization, and develop and share a plan of action to address the issue or need.
Step 1. Identify
Identify an important healthcare need or issue relevant to your hypothetical patient and to the patient’s community or your own community. Research and record data as evidence of the need or issue.
Step 2. Research
Conduct research on needed and available resources to improve the healthcare need or issue in the community. Rely on evidence-based strategies when reviewing information, materials, organizations, agencies, and actions to address the healthcare need or issue.
Step 3. Propose
Propose a specific action to address and improve the status of the healthcare need or issue. Identify desired outcomes, stakeholders, actions, resources, and a timeline for implementation.
Step 4. Collaborate
Schedule a meeting (virtual or in-person) and meet with your interprofessional team (synchronously if possible) to present your proposal draft. Solicit input to strengthen the proposal. Discuss potential organizations or agencies to support the plan, including political organizations or individuals. Modify your plan according to input you receive from your team.
Step 5. Present
Schedule a meeting and present your plan to a political figure or representative of a political or community organization either in person or electronically. Solicit support and input for improvement of the plan.
Step 6. Revise
Revise your plan as needed. Include a paragraph regarding the feedback obtained from the political figure or representative.
Step 7. Share
Prepare a slide presentation with a title slide, at least 8 content slides, and a reference slide to facilitate sharing your final plan with your interprofessional team and other stakeholders. Schedule a live virtual meeting, inviting your interprofessional team members, political connection/representative, at least one representative from your workplace, and representatives from any organizations or agencies who could support the initiative. Conduct a live virtual meeting in which you share your plan. Record the meeting, including a closing question-and-answer session. (Be sure to inform participants the session is being recorded.)
Step 8. Evaluate
Prepare and ask participants to complete a short questionnaire to evaluate the quality of the meeting and the merits of the plan.
Step 9. Submit
Submit the following:
Organized details and notes from the team meeting and meeting with political representative,
A 10-slide presentation with a references slide,
Email or other mode of invitation for the final virtual meeting,
Link to recording of final virtual meeting,
Evaluation questionnaire, and
Brief analysis of evaluation responses.
(10 hours of combined indirect and direct care experience)
