Health Advocacy Campaign
Health Advocacy Campaign
Population Health Issue
Diabetes is among the most challenging health issues among African Americans. Compared to non-Hispanic whites, African Americans are up to 80% more likely to contract diabetes at some point in life. According to the DHHS, 3.7 million African Americans are currently suffering from diabetes. This is more than fourteen percent of the entire population that hails from this race (Jack, 2010). The prevalence rates of diabetes among African Americans are disproportionately higher compared to other races.
This results from a variety of risk factors such as genetics, obesity, dietary habits and standards of living. Over the years, government health agencies have been at the forefront of controlling diabetes among African Americans. Additionally, nongovernmental entities have also spearheaded numerous campaigns to fight diabetes among African Americans. Despite these initiatives, the health issue is still prevalent (Unger, 2010). This calls for an aggressive health advocacy program that will alleviate the high prevalence rates of diabetes among African Americans.
Summary of Advocacy Programs
Bray et al. (2011)
This advocacy program encompasses the application of integrated care delivery to enhance the control of diabetes among African Americans. The authors emphasize on the need to incorporate training programs in caring for diabetic African Americans. In addition to training, this program also advocates for additional funds for health care institutions to promote the quality of care among diabetic African Americans. The authors highlight that an integrated framework will be instrumental in addressing the racial disparities for diabetes in America (Bray, 2011).
Treadwell et al. (2010)
This program encompasses a health initiative for controlling diabetes among African Americans using a community-based framework. The authors emphasize that community-based initiatives would be effective in addressing the high prevalence rates of diabetes among African Americans. This program mainly focused on Lorain County that has a high percentage of African Americans. Empowering the patients was an essential perspective of this initiative. Although the initiative only included men, there was substantial improvement in the quality of health among participants (Treadwell, 2010).
Attributes that Made the Programs Effective
High standards of effectiveness were evident in both programs. In the first initiative (Bray, 2011), the development of an all-inclusive policy was a critical success factor. The policy sought to empower diabetic African Americans with sufficient knowledge on how to deal with the problem. The program was also effective because it involved different stakeholders such as physicians, nursing practitioners and policymakers. The second program was effective because it encompassed evidence-based practice. Such an approach helps in strengthening the quality of outcome in different types of health advocacy campaigns. This initiative was also effective because it focused on one gender.
Plan for a Health Advocacy Campaign
Public Health Issue and Proposed Policy Solution
Diabetes among African Americans is the public health issue targeted in this health advocacy campaign. In this race, diabetes affects all age groups and genders. This results from the numerous risk factors of diabetes among African Americans. This advocacy program seeks to introduce a policy that will allocate more resources to public hospitals for fighting diabetes among African Americans. In 2009, the average number of diabetes-related deaths per 100,000 of African Americans was 40.4 (Jack, 2010).
Among African American men, the death rate was 45.3 while the death rate among women was 36.6. On the other hand, the average number of diabetes-related deaths per 100,000 of Non-Hispanic whites was 18.4. This shows the sharp disparity in diabetes-related deaths. During the current fiscal year, the federal government allocated $1 billion for fighting chronic diseases (Unger, 2012). This amount is insufficient considering rising costs of treatment and health care. Such funds would thus not help in alleviating the scourge of diabetes among African Americans. This advocacy program will sensitize policymakers on the importance of additional resources for public hospitals to fight diabetes among African Americans.
Specific Objectives
The policy seeks to increase the annual budgetary allocations for fighting chronic diseases including diabetes among African Americans. The policy also seeks to enhance the involvement of public hospitals in fighting diabetes among African Americans. Another objective pertains to the enhancement of public awareness about dealing with diabetes. The policy intends to alleviate the prevalence rates of diabetes among African Americans.
Communicating with Stakeholders
Several strategies will come in handy while communicating to stakeholders about the policy. The stakeholders include the DHHS, CDC, health NGOs, physicians and nursing practitioners in public hospitals. Representatives of diabetic African Americans will also form an essential part of the stakeholder analysis. Seminars will form an essential platform for addressing different stakeholders about the policy (Jansson, 2011). The seminars will be beneficial in terms of enlightening the stakeholders about the significance and necessity of the policy change. One-on-one discussions will also be vital while communicating the policy change to stakeholders. All stakeholders will be presented with a copy of policy framework. They will then offer their response of feedback after reviewing the policy. Their recommendations and input will also from an integral part of the final policy draft.
Influencing Policymakers
Influencing policymakers is a critical aspect of securing support for the policy. In order to influence the health care practitioners, they will be enlightened on the beneficial implications of the new policy to public hospitals. For instance, the policy has the capacity to reduce the number of diabetes admissions in hospitals. The government agencies such as DHHS and CDC will be enlightened about the positive implications of the policy on population health across all states (Jansson, 2011). The policy is also an effective instrument for the federal government to save of health costs. It will also be critical to sensitize the patients about the impact of the policy upon their health. Through the policy, patients will have the ability to manage diabetes.
Applying the Effective Programs
The two advocacy programs could be applied to this policy framework in different ways. From both programs, it is evident that the inclusion of stakeholders is a crucial perspective in promoting the effectiveness of policies. For this policy, the input of all stakeholders will form a crucial part of the final draft. Apart from stakeholder involvement, it is also essential to gather sufficient resources for the implementation framework (Ivanov, 2008).
Such resources will help in preventing potential breakdown of the policy at a crucial stage of implementation. The programs will also from the framework of communicating effectively with health care practitioners. The program would not be effective without integrating health care practitioners into the decision making process. From the advocacy program that involves the establishment of community-based initiatives, it is clear that constant follow up is essential. This form a critical component of consideration while implementing the new policy.
References
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