National Public Health Performance Standards - Essay Example

One of the national performance standards is to Inform, educate, and empower people about health issues. According to the crafters of this standard, its main service includes providing health information, offering the public with health education and promotion of health activities which are designed to reduce the risk of health among the people, consequently promoting better health to the public (“Centre For Disease Control And Prevention”, 2013). Focusing on partnering health education and health promotion programs with schools, faith communities, and work sites, personal care providers, among others so as to implement and reinforce health promotion programs strengthens the standard.

Through such programs, the public is aware of the most important health messages they wish to send across to the people. More particularly, the exploitation of a number of channels to communicate these messages such as social media and media advocacy has successfully communicated these messages to the people. Thus, the biggest strength of this standard is the effective communication of important health information and education to the public through different channels. School programs and religious organizations used as platforms for the spread of the information successfully make sure that all people receive the information on time.

Outbreaks of diseases and immunization as well as education of the public on the various ways of maintaining their health are the strength of the standard (“Centre for Disease Control and Prevention” 2013). Because of the application of these standards, I would expect the public to be more vigilant about the need to maintain their health. According to the feeding activities of the people, it is clear that they are least concerned with their health status. However, through proper education and awareness creation, people should understand the benefits of showing concern of their health watch on their high-level consumption of high cholesterol food and begin to exercise regularly, therefore, keeping their body fit to live longer and more comfortably (Kay, 2009).

There are barriers that are likely to be present while applying these standards to my local health department. Ignorance of the people is the most likely barrier to be experienced. Experience has proved that people mostly ignore a warning, only to regret in the future. In my local health department, information disseminated to the public is disregarded. Moreover, people are too busy that they hardly spare time for health workshops planned in the area. Whenever a public health education workshop is held on a weekday, there is a low turnout of people.

Even if slated for the weekend, people simply pop in and then leave citing that they have other issues to attend to. At other times, the public is less concerned with the health pamphlets issued to them, yet they have time to read financial advisory journals and other books. There is little concern about the health issue, which is more important than even their investment plans.While communicating to the public in time of a crisis is important, sometimes it is a tricky affair as the means or reaching the people takes a while.

What is the most efficient way in which such information could reach the public? Devising such a means would ensure that the public is always on alert, and the meaning of such a method communicated.