What priorities did you identify and why?

If I were to do a community health assessment for my area, the priorities identified are mental health and substance abuse and access to care. As mentioned in a previous discussion board, a 2018 survey of the Kane County, IL population, mental health was identified as the #1 health issue of concern based on severity and scope followed by substance abuse as number #2 (Kane County Connects, 2019).

How did you gather the data?

• Surveys and questionnaires: Surveys and questionnaires can be done via, phone, mail, web, or in person. It would allow for easy collection of information.
• Pre- and post-program knowledge/attitude test: this method can be helpful when it comes to comparing the thoughts and ideas of the community before implementation of the plan versus after implementation.
• Focus groups and interviews: information is collected through meetings where team members speak directly with the community. They are able to gather information or feedback via speaking directly with the community in a group setting.
• Technical expert panels: Experts can be involved to review policy options, provide feedback, assess pros and cons, and consider intended and unintended impacts based on contextual features of the program.
• Observations and progress tracking: observation can help to gather data from the community on an ongoing bases. It allows you to record data as it is happening over the course of the program (Rural Health Information Hub, n.d.)

Is your plan supported with research?

Evidenced-based practice is an integration of research evidence, clinical expertise and a patient’s preferences. During the implementation phase using this type of problem solving approach to design interventions can help to insure they are customized based on the communities needs. It can also ensure that the interventions selected are based on proven research which can help to increase positive community outcomes (Eastern Illinois University, 2018)

Is the plan flexible or set in stone?

The plan must be flexible, even with the use of SCT or social cognitive theories which can help to predict response and behaviors of the community members, there is no way to determine for sure the results once the plan is designed and put into place. In to increase the chances of positive outcomes and accomplishment of goals set, the plan must be flexible, adjustable based on changing needs of the community.

Is the timeframe in meeting the goals realistic?

The implementation process is not an overnight process. It is important that the team understands that depending on the progress made and obstacles or challenges that arise, timeframes for meeting goals may need to be adjusted. Setting a realistic timeline can be an excellent way to motivate the team towards activity, to keep the team on track, to help avoid pitfalls, and ultimately, to achieve set goals with as little difficulty and sacrifice as possible (Cohen, 2016).

What community members are involved and what are their roles?

Internal and external stakeholders would be involved in the implementation process. Some stakeholders would include local health care agencies, community based organizations, government agencies and community members themselves. Local health care agencies may be able to provide software to use as a platform for data collection an other task that may require a software platform. Local health care agencies, community based organizations and government agencies can also provide health education resources and training to the community members as well.

How would you put your plan into action?

In to address health disparities, it is important to look at factors that may be contributing to. Mental health and substance abuse has been identified as a priority. Now the task at hand is to figure out why these two issues plague our community. Sometimes poor health seeking behaviors are responsible for health problems within a population or it may be related issues surrounding access to care.  Using frameworks such like Mobilizing for Action through Planning and Partnerships (MAPP) which is a community-driven strategic planning process for improving community health, can be used as a framework for implementation (National Association of County and City Health Officials.

Cohen, J. (2016). Set realistic timelines to achieve your goal. Retrieved from https://www.goalsontrack.com/blog/2016/07/13/set-realistic-timelines-to-achieve-your-goal/

Eastern Illinois University. (2018). Why is evidenced-based practice in nursing so important. Retrieved from https://learnonline.eiu.edu/articles/rnbsn/evidence-based-practice-important.aspx

Kane County Connects. (2019). Survey data: Mental health is no. 1 health issue in kane county. Retrieved from. HTTP://KANECOUNTYCONNECTS.COM/CENSUS-2020-KANE-COUNTY-IL/

National Association of County and City Health Officials. (n.d.). Mobilizing for action through planning and partnerships (mapp). Retrieved from https://www.naccho.org/programs/public-health-infrastructure/performance-improvement/community-health-assessment/mapp

Rural Health Information Hub. (n.d.). Collect and analyze quantitative and qualitative data. Retrieved from https://www.ruralhealthinfo.org/toolkits/rural-toolkit/4/quantitative-qualitative

Christopher Moran

The implementation of the community health assessment plan is an ongoing process that needs consistent attention in to prevent the plan from not becoming concrete. According to the Association for Community Health improvement, in to ensure that this is accomplished the following components need to be addressed; stakeholders need to be engaged, create an implementation team, develop an action plan, and develop a budget (2017).

Identifying the health concerns within the community would have needed to be accomplished during step one of the community health assessment toolkit. Utilizing the Community Health Improvement Plan (CHIP) it is possible to prioritize the issues and choosing the right strategies. The CHIP model is dynamic and interactive and redefines the areas of importance in to ensure that no one area is overlooked (Schifferdecker & Bazos, 2016). This is achieved through proper data collection.

Collecting information on the local economies health and ensuring that proper initiatives are in place involves collecting supported data. Collecting the data can be done with community questionnaires, previous information gathered, and hospital data from reoccurring patient issues. If the plan is not an initial and new concept plan, it should be compared to previous ones that have been utilized. This will give specific data points on where weaknesses are and areas of improvement. After all data is collected and analyzed the steps to implementation are taken while being flexible to ensure there is no unnecessary burden on those involved. The flexibility gives room for innovation and better approaches (Barnette, 2012).

The timeframe allotted to accomplish the public health assessment and implementing it needs to be realistic. Depending on the severity of the implementation to the economy, it may be best to look at years to fully implement. Those involved would be all the stakeholders, the local hospitals, and those in the community affected. Stakeholders would be backing the the implementation either financially or with manning. The hopsitals can give the needed information on whether the implementation has been benefiting or degrading the community. Last is those that are impacted. They will give the empirical data needed to know if the plan is functioning.

Do you think a large change to the community can be done overnight or do you think that it takes years to fully implement?

-Moran, C

References

Association for Community Health Improvement. (2017). Implement strategies. Retrieved from http://www.healthycommunities.org/Resources/Toolkit/files/step8-implementstrategies.shtml#.W5ZxaehKhPY

Barnette, K. (2012). Best Practices for Community Health Needs Assessment and Implementation Strategy Development:. A Review of Scientific Methods, Current Practices, and Future Potential. http://www.phi.org/wp-content/uploads/migration/uploads/application/files/dz9vh55o3bb2x56lcrzyel83fwfu3mvu24oqqvn5z6qaeiw2u4.pdf

Schifferdecker, K. E., & Bazos, D. A. (2016). A Review of Tools to Assist Hospitals in Meeting Community Health Assessment and Implementation Strategy Requirements. Journal of Healthcare Management, 61(1), 44–57. https://doi.org/10.1097/00115514-201601000-00009