Healthy Kids Initiative Paper

Healthy Kids Initiative In week five we discussed program planning and management and why public health core functions are a critical factor in implementing community initiatives. “The essential functions of public health include assessment, policy development, and assurance” (Chamberlain, 2018, p. 1). In order to have community programs and initiatives, there must be an evaluation of the community in its current state. The second step would be the “development of plans and policies to address prioritization of health needs of the community”(Chamberlain, 2018, p. 4). The final step would be assurance. Assurance “evaluates effectiveness, accessibility, and quality of personal and population-based environmental health services” (Centers for

The assessment most appropriate to discover the health issues in my community would be surveying. By doing surveys we can determine the knowledge the youth have and the problems they are facing. Data can be collected through community outreach. For example the health department could use polls, surveys, phone calls, and do interviews. When it comes to possible health hazards, the Florida health department provides a current hazard list in their website. The current hazards on the site are Zika fever and hurricane and severe weather. “Zika fever is a mild febrile illness caused by a mosquito-borne virus similar to those that cause dengue and West Nile virus” (Florida Health, 2018, p.2). In regards to hurricanes and severe weather the site offers information on “making a disaster preparedness kit, safety tips for home cleanup and repair, how to prepare you and your family before, during and after a storm” (Florida Health, 2018, p.4). Some of the factors contributing to the lack of health education in my community are the socioeconomic status of the families, their location, and the lack of social support

All of these programs are necessary however we need a way to educate the youth and young adults about all aspects of health such as sexual health safe practices and prevention, hygiene, and stress management. This problem should be a priority because the children are our hope for tomorrow and as a society we want them to as educated as possible. A new policy would greatly benefit our community. If a policy were implemented to require the youth to have successfully completed a health program with no cost to the family we would not have this issue in my community. Implementing this policy was also possibly eliminating other health issues if the community is educated from a young age.
Assurance Function
The action plan would be to promote and advocate healthy lifestyle practices by having well qualified public health professional reach the youth. Public health professionals have to be up to date on the latest ways to educate the community. This may be with the use of current technology. Peer education would be a great way to get the youth active. They can teach their fellow peers what they learned in the program. They can also help plan workshops and activities. The evaluation would be done with the use of assessments and the overall improvement of health since attending the