Module 1: Best Practices in Public Health(1), (2), (3)
Taken together, best practice principles form a guide to ensuring the maximum beneficial impact of community-based health endeavors. These principles maximize program efficiency, effectiveness, quality, and sustainability.
Community-based health programs must:
- Eliminate barriers to care:
- The ultimate goal of community-based health programs is to eliminate barriers to health care in underserved communities. For the neediest patients, there are many obstacles to accessing this care on their own including language, financial, and educational barriers. Community-based health programs must aim to counteract these barriers by bringing education and awareness about health resources to relevant communities.
- The ultimate goal of community-based health programs is to eliminate barriers to health care in underserved communities. For the neediest patients, there are many obstacles to accessing this care on their own including language, financial, and educational barriers. Community-based health programs must aim to counteract these barriers by bringing education and awareness about health resources to relevant communities.
- Be visible:
- Awareness barriers often prevent patients from seeking medical care on their own. Community-based health programs must therefore be visible to their target patients. Community health events must be well-advertised, easily accessible, and recurrent.
- Awareness barriers often prevent patients from seeking medical care on their own. Community-based health programs must therefore be visible to their target patients. Community health events must be well-advertised, easily accessible, and recurrent.
- Be sustainable:
- For community health programs to be sustainable, they must overcome trust and resource barriers. To establish credibility and trust with community members, public health efforts must reach out and connect with local community leaders and organizations. Community-based healthcare programs must also identify and connect patients with sustained resources within their communities, such as free health coverage programs.
- For community health programs to be sustainable, they must overcome trust and resource barriers. To establish credibility and trust with community members, public health efforts must reach out and connect with local community leaders and organizations. Community-based healthcare programs must also identify and connect patients with sustained resources within their communities, such as free health coverage programs.
- Be accountable:
- Community-based health programs must be committed to low overhead costs and continual improvement. They must therefore be committed to transparency, and open to internal and external evaluations.
- Community-based health programs must be committed to low overhead costs and continual improvement. They must therefore be committed to transparency, and open to internal and external evaluations.
- Be ethical:
- Patients in medically underserved communities are entitled to the same rights and quality of care as private, paying patients. Patients must consent to health evaluations and/or procedures, and are entitled to confidentiality. Quality of care is not to be compromised. Volunteers, health students and medical professionals may not practice beyond their means under any circumstances, and patients must receive complete exams by physicians in clinic settings. Volunteers must also make it clear that screenings or educational events do not replace complete medical exams, and that patients must follow-through with physicians.
- Patients in medically underserved communities are entitled to the same rights and quality of care as private, paying patients. Patients must consent to health evaluations and/or procedures, and are entitled to confidentiality. Quality of care is not to be compromised. Volunteers, health students and medical professionals may not practice beyond their means under any circumstances, and patients must receive complete exams by physicians in clinic settings. Volunteers must also make it clear that screenings or educational events do not replace complete medical exams, and that patients must follow-through with physicians.
- Inspire and mobilize others:
- Successful community-based health efforts are contagious. Public health leaders continually inspire, train, and mobilize new volunteers to join the cause.
Module 2: Ethical, Quality Volunteering >>
Footnotes
(1) Cameron, R., Jolin, M.A., Walker, R., McDermott, N., and Gough, M. “Linking Science and Practice: Toward a System for Enabling Communities to Adopt Best Practices for Chronic Disease Prevention.” Health Promotion Practice. 2.1 (January 2001): 35-42. Accessed on 30 October 2208. <http://hpp.sagepub.com/cgi/reprint/2/1/35>.
(2) Thomas, J. “Skills for the Ethical Practice of Public Health.” 2004. Public Health Leadership Society. Accessed on 31 October 2008. <http://www.asph.org/userfiles/DrPH_Skills%20for%20the%20Ethical%20Practice%20of%20Public%20Health.pdf>
(3) “Principles of the Ethical Practice of Public Health.” 2002. Public Health Leadership Society. Accessed on 31 October 2008. <http://209.9.235.208/CMSuploads/PHLSethicsbrochure-40103.pdf>