Community Health Planning Proposal

Here, we published a sample of how we addressed a healthcare student's possible “do my assignment for me cheap” request. You can use it as inspiration or guidance for your paper, or look at the high-quality papers we provide and order from us.

CHPS moves health services to community locations, develops sustainable volunteerism and community health action, empowers women and vulnerable groups, and improves health provider, household, and community interaction. This program had origins in the activities and research findings of the Navrongo Health Research Centre (NHRC), which conducted a successful field experiment in the Kassena-Nankana District of the Upper East Region. The Navrongo experiment tested ways of addressing inequities in the health system by mobilizing health sector and community resources.

Overview of Demographics

The KFH-Woodland Hills Medical Center service area is home to about 1,428,966 people. Regarding gender, 50,62% of the population are female, while the rest 49,38% are male. The region is characterized by a diverse community with the white being the majority (46%), followed by Latinos (33%), Asian (6%), and African American (2%). The majority (63%) of the population is aged between 18 and 64, with a small percentage (24%) falling below the 18 years bracket, and the rest are older adults (Kaiser Foundation Hospital Woodland Hills, 2016). The identified specific needs of this community are many, encompassing unprecedented rates of fast food overconsumption and numerous cases of cardiovascular and circulatory diseases. Other significant health issues affecting the region include cancer, road accidents, adult obesity as well and infant mortality. It is also worth mentioning that access to primary care is highly limited. Besides, the locals are considerably inactive and rarely exercise. Overall, the physical environment is unfavorable, exposing the population to various illnesses. Therefore, there is an urgent need to address these issues to provide its inhabitants with better health care services.

Health Disparities

Health disparities of interest in this study include obesity, diabetes, and mental health. Based on community rankings, these health issues were identified as the primary health needs of this area. The ranking relies on surveys, focus group discussions and forums, as well as key informant interviews. In addition, the researchers utilized data from the Center for Disease Control and Prevention, among other government databases, to create the health needs priority list. Statistically, about a third of the adult population in this area and the United States, in general, are overweight. About 36,10% of the locals in the KFH-Woodlands Hills neighborhood are obese. However, this figure is slightly higher by 0,3 margins as compared to the rates at the country level. People in this region frequent fast food joints and rarely walk to work. Per 100,000 people, there are about 5,87 more fast food restaurants in KFH-Woodlands Hills. Those who commute by car to work amount to 76,07% compared to the state’s figures of about 73,16%. Although diabetes is prevalent in the region at 7,60%, it is slightly lower than the state’s, which stands at 8,05%. Similarly, the percentage of people in need of mental health services in the region is lower compared with the country statistics by a 0,2% margin (Kaiser Foundation Hospital Woodland Hills, 2016). Although these standards are slightly lower than the country’s figures, they are of great concern to the local community, as explained above.

Solution to Health Disparities Identified

Obesity

Obesity is primarily attributed to poor lifestyles, such as the lack of regular exercise and proper diet. Locals commute to work by car and frequently visit fast food restaurants (Kaiser Foundation Hospital Woodland Hills, 2016). As such, an ideal strategy to deal with the cases of obesity entails the establishment of programs and health education classes. The agency will achieve this objective in collaboration with local community-based organizations. This project aims to guide the residents on adopting healthier lifestyles through free preventive and disease management lectures. This strategy involves hiring a fitness and nutrition instructor per 100 people. Each group will volunteer at least 10 people, each taking charge of ten others. The selected individuals will be trained to teach others to bridge human resource constraints to ensure the project is successful. Besides, the project will involve setting up green spaces in the neighborhood to reach and involve more people within the community. Each training station will be provided with public exercise equipment, while disease management lessons will be offered online on social media and at health fairs around the neighborhood in churches, schools, business centers, and public service announcements. Most importantly, the program will involve extensive renovation of sidewalks to promote community walkability. The project will start as soon as today (13/02/2018) because it does not feature complicated logistics.

Diabetes

The drivers for diabetes in this community are mainly inactivity and excessive consumption of alcohol. Widespread mismanagement of high blood pressure is also a major contributing factor to the significant prevalence of diabetes in the area. As such, the intervention measures adopted must address the identified causes of diabetes. Regarding inactivity, the solutions provided in the section above apply in this case, too. The second cause can be managed through education programs to enlighten the population on the best ways to control high blood pressure (James et al., 2014). This will be achieved in partnership with local hospitals and community-based clinics. Although this plan will take longer to start and actualize, it can be performed in the short run by providing scheduled mobile services and regular health fairs in churches and health centers. The short-run implementation of this project will start immediately (13/02/2018), while the long-term vision is implemented gradually until its completion in a year. The heart of this program is medical practitioners and physical fitness personnel. Moreover, the organization would push for the restriction of the number of liquor retailers, increases in liquor licensing fees, and increases in taxes. This would be possible to achieve through negotiation and public awareness campaigns.

Mental health

The most significant contributors to poor mental health in the neighborhood are low levels of education and persistent poverty. An ideal strategy to solve this problem involves the creation of reliable social networks and support systems. In this regard, different health, social, and government agencies must collaborate to make health care accessible through resources and information sharing and eliminate the barriers to educational attainment (Kaiser Foundation Hospital Woodland Hills, 2016). This is achievable through awareness campaigns and the creation of scheduled mobile services as explained above. Within these training centers, people can develop secure social networks and support systems that will help them attain higher education and supplementary income. This project will also start immediately because it is pegged to other projects.

Success Factors

It is anticipated that the money would last for a year because the organization would enter into a partnership with other community-based agencies while at the same time adopting cost-saving measures. For instance, training fitness officers among the locals will supplement the organization with the needed professionals in service delivery through volunteering. Long-term success indicators entail an increase in the number of people with access to quality healthcare and a significant reduction in obesity, diabetes, and mental health issues. Short-term indicators include an increase in health care coverage, particularly among the vulnerable population, a significant reduction in workforce shortages, an increase in insurance coverage, and improvement in timely access to medical care.

Financial Control Measures

It is possible to reduce financial mismanagement by employing a variety of fraud-reducing activities. They include subjecting the organization to an external audit through an independent certified public accountant or firm. Besides, the agency will undertake periodic internal reviews by the firm’s audit committee. Moreover, the organization will create a compliant environment founded on a culture of compliance with law and ethics. Enacting a code of ethics will help minimize the conditions that favor fraud. Other measures include establishing an anti-fraud policy, training personnel, and maintaining proper books of account books (Alcott, 2012). These rules will guarantee adequate management of donor funds.

References

Alcott, D. (2012). Preventing and responding to fraud and financial mismanagement: Not for profit–safeguards. Westchester Bar Journal, 38(1), 71-74.

James, P. A., Oparil, S., Carter, B. L., Cushman, W. C., Dennison-Himmelfarb, C., Handler, J., ..., & Ortiz, E. (2014). 2014 evidence-based guideline for the management of high blood pressure in adults: Report from the panel members appointed to the Eighth Joint National Committee (JNC 8). Jama, 311(5), 507-520.

Kaiser Foundation Hospital Woodland Hills. (2016). 2016 community health needs assessment. Retrieved from https://about.kaiserpermanente.org/content/dam/internet/kp/comms/import/uploads/2013/10/KFH-Woodland-Hills-IS-Report.pdf