Community Health and the Local Hospital - Assignment Example

Community Health and the Local Hospital ID Lecturer How is community health addressed within yourhospital/academic medical center? Is there a separate department or a component of a traditional department (e.g. marketing, public relations or education?) What is the budget? Who is the desired audience and how are programs and projects developed? Who is in "charge" of this area and what are their qualifications?The community health is addressed within the hospital/academic medical center with utmost priority and concern by the community members as the community is large and needs proper medical attention and care.

There is a separate department that handles the community health aspects which is undoubtedly something significant for the sake of the community. The budget is around US$25000 each year as it is served towards addressing the needs of the underserved. The desired audience is comprised of individuals who cannot manage to look after their health domains and need assistance medically. The in charge of the area is the municipal health director who has done his Masters in Clinical Psychology and has over 8 years’ experience overall.(2) The Department of Community Health within a hospital setting is often viewed as a "loss leader" to introduce the community to the hospital services or as a department which is necessary to substantiate the fact that a not-for-profit hospital is indeed fulfilling their responsibilities as a tax exempt organization.

What are your thoughts? What part of the total hospital budget should be given to this area?One should believe that quite a significant proportion of the total hospital budget must be dedicated towards community health realms. The Department of Community Health can be seen as a loss leader within the hospital regimes but then again onus should be on achieving results more than making it tax exempted. A not-for-profit entity might not win favors if it fails to address the health needs of the people. (3) It is imperative that the Dept.

of Community Health be linked to the strategic initiatives of the hospital. One of the challenges is to help other department directors and managers see the value of wellness initiatives and health promotion events and how these initiatives link to their services. What are your thoughts on how to break down these barriers?Indeed it is important that the Department of Community Health is somehow connected to the long term initiatives of the hospital. In essence, the other department directors and managers might not be able to estimate the value of health events and wellness programs but they can realize with facilitation from the relevant quarters so that the health concerns are not compromised upon under any basis.

I would certainly break these barriers through dialogue and comprehension which wins many favors across the board. (4) A local hospital recently conducted a community needs assessment that was completed in April 2002. (See Lecture and click on Executive Summary). One project was completed in July, 2002 and we are beginning to implement some others. How would you interpret the information provided in the executive summary? Since, then we have received additional information. Now, what is your conclusion?

Is the hospital meeting the needs of the community?I believe the hospital is adequately meeting the needs of the community yet there are some grey areas which must be covered in the coming days. There is always room for further improvement and I would not shy away from deducing the same.