columbus public health

columbus public health

Promoting Public Health in Columbus

1. Introduction

Chapters in this book and many supplemental resources are accessible at no charge on the website of The Ohio State University College of Public Health. This should make it more affordable for impoverished students to use.

High quality examples and outstanding questions are included at the end of each chapter to help students think critically about the material that has been presented. The questions were designed to further enhance the linking of classroom to real world practice. Instructions for the educators, on how to use this book as a tool in the classroom, can be found in the last appendix.

This book will be useful for students that have taken a course in public health and are about to embark on a practicum or internship experience. It will also be useful for students who have an interest in volunteer work or future employment with a public health agency. In addition, this book can serve as a teaching tool for educators in colleges of public health and at the community level. This will offer an opportunity to show students how to put theories learned in the classroom into actual practice.

This book is written for students and teachers with an interest in public health and Columbus, Ohio. It is designed to show the reader how we went about applying social and behavioral sciences in the practice of public health. It is important to utilize these field experiences to translate the theories of the classroom into sound public health practice. Students need to have the “real world” experiences where they can use the skills learned in the classroom to create programs and interventions in actual communities.

2. Assessing Public Health Needs

Assessing public health in a large urban area is a challenging task, especially when that area has disparate communities. Columbus has areas of both concentrated affluence and concentrated poverty, and they tend to be separated by race and ethnicity. There are essentially two Columbuses, with huge disparities in income, education, housing, and employment. The overall level of health in any community reflects the cumulative health of individuals in that community. To oversimplify, the health of a community is a function of the health of its individual members, but it is also influenced by the environment in which people live, work, and play. The health of individuals and communities is also influenced by access and the quality of medical care, public health activities, and other services. Therefore, to assess public health needs in Columbus, we need to know: – What are the most important health problems in each community? – What groups are the most affected? – What assets exist in the community that can be used to address these problems?

3. Implementing Effective Health Programs

Considering that health is greatly influenced by the environment and policies in other sectors, CDH is working to incorporate healthy public policy into all programs and organizational activities both within its own department and around the community. This can be achieved by building support for health issues in non-health sectors, creating an organizational culture that promotes health, and developing policies to identify and solve key health issues in the community. By considering these various factors, an effective health program can be developed to institute a positive change for the health of the community.

CDH has also recognized the importance of involving the community and building partnerships to mobilize resources and plan effective health programs. An excellent example of this is the Chronic Disease Advisory Group, which involves many community organizations and state agencies to develop a strategic plan for reducing the burden of chronic diseases in Ohio. By involving the community, CDH can develop a program that is more dynamic, works towards community ownership of the health issue, and will continue to grow long after the development phase. This process will ensure that the programs developed are in line with the values, beliefs, and goals of the community and are therefore more likely to be successful.

An effective health program takes a variety of factors into consideration. CDH has employed its new knowledge of the health problems that Columbus faces to identify and prioritize issue areas and utilize evidence-based decision making. A major achievement in this process has been the recent development of the Health Value in Health Policy tool. This tool compares the disease burden of specific illnesses to the cost and effectiveness of the related medical treatments in Ohio. Information gained from this tool can be used to prevent sickness and maximize years of healthy life by focusing resources on the most effective health care services.

CDH has taken this model to heart and is working in a variety of ways to promote health in Columbus. One of the first steps to improving the health of a community is raising awareness of the health problems that the community faces. CDH has done this in a number of ways, such as supplying data to community leaders and identifying health indicators and sentinel events that reflect the health of the community. This information has been shared with the citizens of Columbus in order to gain their input and keep them informed.

Promoting health and preventing disease is an important concern for Columbus citizens and the Columbus Department of Health (CDH). This section explores some of the strategies that CDH is using to promote health in Columbus. These strategies are reflected in the concept of the Health Field Model, which states that health is created by a variety of factors including biology, personal behavior, the physical and social environment, and medical care. According to this model, effective health promotion requires a multifaceted, integrated approach.

4. Collaborating with Community Partners

Finally, we come full circle to the resources provided by Columbus and where to allocate money and time to gain the best outcome.

With PFP, we want to talk about the initiative to rub off an entire overweight family. Among the city of Columbus, there are an uncountable amount of families who turn a blind eye to the obesity or overweight crisis that has a hold on our city. To help remind families about the possibility of maintaining a healthy balance between diet and exercise to prevent overweight issues, PFP can initiate a Family Fitness Day Event at local parks. The event will be an open invitation to all households to involve themselves in a basic fitness program. To enlighten the event, PFP can hold a poster contest among children grades K-12, which prompts the child to illustrate a picture of effective fitness. There will be prizes for the best and most creative work. By doing this, PFP can instill a revelation to Columbus families that they can avoid health problems and have a positive well-being as a part of community involvement.

A practice’s precaution towards making a culture of health can improve regarding the individuals and households it serves. To allow it to practice successful teamwork, it must gain recognition of the nature and scope of its workforce and the behavior of the patients they are serving. We misinterpret teamwork by the theory of collective agreement. Research says teamwork frequently goes wrong until a few measures are taken. For definite organizational transformation, it can spark intelligent decisions about teamwork, motivation, and outcomes, and change behaviors. To boost teamwork, there must be strong leaders for the teams to follow.

5. Ensuring a Healthy Future for Columbus

Building a healthier future for Columbus will depend a great deal upon increasing public awareness and demanding increased action to alleviate the large and growing inequalities in health. Health inequalities arise from inequalities in society. The poorer social and economic conditions of neighborhoods and communities, school and employment opportunities, housing, public safety, and access to healthcare all play a critical role in determining the health of individuals and residents in these localities. People who are underprivileged and poor are inflicted with harmful levels of stress due to their material conditions, which can affect their mental and physical health. High stress levels can lead to damaging coping behaviors such as the abuse of drugs and alcohol. People living in poor communities are also exposed to higher levels of air and water pollution, which can damage health. Creating a healthier future for all in Columbus will require changing policies and conditions in these high-risk communities.

Two assumptions often made by the average citizen are that all individuals and families in America have equal opportunity to be healthy and that health is simply a matter of individual responsibility. Unfortunately, for the underprivileged residing in many deprived neighborhoods, there are often no opportunities for better health, and health isn’t just a matter of individual initiative or choice. Therefore, ensuring a healthy future for all citizens of Columbus isn’t just a matter of educating individuals regarding healthier lifestyle choices. A healthier future for all will depend on the collective action that can change the social, economic, and physical environments that affect the health of all citizens of Columbus.