Promoting Positive Health Behavior
Promoting Positive Health Behavior
Every Woman Matters Program
The Every Woman Matters program is a plan that seeks to promote preventive health care among women. Through this program, tests are done for breast cancer, cervical cancer and blood sugar levels among others. Essentially, this program targets women with meager income. As a result of their financial plight, such women cannot afford the hefty costs for regular medical checkups. The funds for the Every Woman Matters program come from state and federal kitties (Backer, 2005).
The main goal for the Every Woman Matters program is to promote preventive health among women. This is based on the rationale that early screening would help in averting serious health problems among women. Additionally, some health conditions are only treatable if they are detected early enough. In the United States, people without health insurance are at risk of chronic illnesses due to the lack of regular medical checkups. The Every Woman Matters program seeks to bridge this gap by taking preventive health care to the masses (Backer, 2005).
Although this program has excellent goals, it has been largely ineffective. Numerous perspectives help in examining the ineffectiveness of the Every Woman Matters program. Firstly, there lacks objective feedback from the support staff of the program. Without such feedback, it has been difficult to achieve the various goals of the Every Woman Matters program. Feedback helps in assessing progress while also identifying the potential areas of weakness. Additionally, such feedback would be helpful in planning for future implementation programs. The second reason behind the program’s failure pertains to the inadequacy of resources (Shi, 2010).
Even after the program’s expansion there lacks additional resources from the state and federal authorities. The strain of resources has resulted into logistical complications during the implementation phase of the Every Woman Matters program. The program also lacks sufficient flexibility in order to deal with the numerous changes. Essentially, such rigidness results from the stability of the hospital systems on which the program is dependent. Ineffective leadership strategies have also led to the considerable failure of the program (Vann, 2011).
Successful Prevention Programs
The National Breast and Cervical Cancer Program (NBCCCEDP) is among the most successful programs that advocate for early screening. This program covers the entire country and seeks to promote preventive health care services. Even though this program mainly targets women, eligible men are might be tested for breast cancer. There are various reasons behind the success of the NBCCCEDP. Firstly, this program encompasses excellent leadership structures. These leadership structures have a federal, state and county outlook (Vann, 2011).
These structures help in streamlining the different aspects of decision making. Through effective leadership, it has been easier to resolve different problems or issues characterizing the program’s implementation. Another reason behind the program’s success pertains to resource allocation mechanisms. A preventive health program might be successful or not depending on the existing framework for resource allocation. For the NBCCCEDP program, resource allocation is based on priorities. For instance, a larger population receives a greater share of funds as compared to a smaller population (Vann, 2011).
Apart from the NBCCCEDP, another program that has been successful is the New Jersey Cancer Education and Early Detection (NJCEED) Program. In contrast to the NBCCCEDP, the NJCEED is a state program for New Jersey. This program seeks to promote early detection of cancer. Additionally, this program has the goal of promoting awareness about the prevention and management of cancer. As with the NBCCCEDP, the NJCEED has been highly successful. The program’s success emanates from different factors or perspectives. Firstly, only people from New Jersey are eligible for the program. Essentially, this means that the program focuses on a manageable population size. It is easier for the New Jersey Department of health to monitor the progress and shortcomings of the program (Rodriguez, 2009).
The second reason behind the program’s success pertains to the implementation framework. All the phases of implementation conform to the program’s goals. This approach facilitates for excellent levels of flexibility. The State Government of New Jersey, through the Department of Health, allocates adequate resources for the implementation of the NJCEED program (Rodriguez, 2009). This is also one of the factors behind the success of the NJCEED program. From a different perspective, the NJCEED program also involves the community (Shi, 2010).
For instance, the program not only promotes early screening but also educates the public about preventive health. Consequently, this approach has been instrumental in avoiding any form of resistance for the program. Frequent follow-ups are also essential components of the NJCEED program. Such follow-ups are necessary in monitoring the progress of any preventive health program. Through these follow-ups, it is easier to streamline future programs. Additionally, tracking helps in identifying the relevant areas of improvements. Persons with health insurance cover are not eligible for inclusion in the NJCEED program. This enhances the efficiency levels for the program. Additionally, this approaches helps in focusing upon the most deserving individuals (Rodriguez, 2009).
Strategies for a more Effective Prevention Program
Inadequate feedback has been a crucial factor behind the ineffectiveness of the Every Woman Matters program. As the nursing leader in charge of developing follow-up, this would be the first area to address. The lack of feedback can hamper the effectiveness of any program for preventive health care. It is thus essential to work closely with the support staff in order to enlighten them on the benefits of feedback. Such feedback helps in identifying the areas of weakness for the entire program. By addressing these areas, the efficiency of the Every Woman Matters program would improve. The support staff on the ground should provide information and data as frequently as possible. This helps in addressing challenges as soon as they occur (Shi, 2010).
Additionally, effective communication channels are necessary in enhancing the flow of information. This would encompass the integration of modern technological platforms in order to enhance speed. The enhancement of the program’s efficiency would also encompass the identification of the most pressing priorities. This approach would play a critical role in enhancing resource allocation for the entire program. Understaffing has also been a critical factor that hampers the effectiveness of the Every Woman Matters program. The workload for the current staff members is too much to handle (Backer, 2005).
The recruitment of additional staff members into the Every Woman Matters program is thus imperative. Essentially, this will help in promoting the productivity of the officers towards the program. As the nursing leader, I would also push for additional resources from the state and federal authorities. The current resource allocation for the Every Woman Matters program is insufficient to cater for the attainment of goals. Through additional resources, the program will be more effective (Shi, 2010).
References
Backer, E. L. & Geske, J. A. (2005).”Improving female preventive health care delivery through practicechange”, JABFM, 18(5)
Rodriguez, R. E. (2009). “Educational parties as a strategy to promote breast health awareness and screening in undeserved female populations”, Oncology Nursing Forum, 36(2)
Shi, L. & Singh, D. A. (2010). Essentials of the U. S. health care system, Sudbury, MA:Jones & Bartlett Learning
Vann, J. & Julie, C. (2011). “Slipping through the cracks of the Breast and Cervical Cancer Prevention and Treatment Act”, Journal of Nursing Law, 14(3)
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