Individual Assessment of an Environmental Health Issue
Individual Assessment of an Environmental Health Issue This assignment will develop a beginning understanding of environmental health issues encountered in the community setting. Students will consider how Healthy People 2030 objectives impact their community and apply concepts such as “social justice” and “the greater good” in evaluating public health initiatives. Learning Objectives 1. Describe the impact of various environmental public health issues on a chosen community. 2. Investigate current or proposed strategies that address solutions to environmental public health hazards. 3. Explore population health concepts such as social justice and equity as it applies to the chosen environmental health issue. Instructions Each student will choose one of Healthy People 2030’s (HP 2030) objectives (see table below) to guide their assessment of an environmental health issue. The student will explore how their community is affected and impacted by this theme and what is being done to safeguard or improve societal and environmental health. Students may choose either their own neighborhood or the community that will be assessed for the Windshield Survey clinical assignment. Students should review the below table of HP 2030 objectives and choose a topic; click on the link to review the objective on the HP 2030 website. Students will then search relevant public/governmental agency websites and media/newspaper publications to help understand the environmental issue from historical, present, and future oriented perspectives. The EPA’s My Environment website may also be helpful (click on link). Students will then create a 2-3-page paper that addresses the following: • • • • • • Briefly describe the selected environmental health issue and HP 2030 objective. Explore the selected environmental health situation from historical, present, and future-oriented perspectives. o E.g., how has the environmental issue evolved over time? What do you expect to see in the future regarding this issue? Discuss how your chosen community is affected/impacted by this environmental health theme. o Review the “Questions to answer” column in the below table to help guide your assessment. Discuss any strategies planned or implemented to address this environmental health issue to safeguard or improve societal and environmental health. o Consider the barriers and facilitators for success of these strategies. o If no interventions are currently in place, propose strategies that are evidence-based. Within the paper, students should consider and address population health concepts such as “social justice”, “the greater good” and “equity”. o Does your community suffer from an unequal burden of the chosen environmental issue? What evidence shows that your environmental issue is a greater burden in this community than surrounding areas or Chicago? How do the resources and interventions available for your chosen community compare to surrounding areas? How can community health nurses promote environmental health? Focus specifically on the issue you choose and consider how that environmental issue may change or impact the way you provide community nursing care to the population. What nursing interventions are appropriate? • • • • o Hint: Review the Public Health Wheel of Interventions Students should utilize and appropriately cite relevant public/governmental agency websites and media/newspaper publications to substantiate their writing. Students will submit their APA formatted paper to Brightspace by the due date noted in the course calendar. o Example of APA Formatted Paper. The grading rubric for this assignment is available on Brightspace. This assignment accounts for 5% of your total course grade; see course syllabus for additional information. Healthy People 2030 Objectives to choose from: HP objective number EH-D01 Statement (Click on link) Questions to consider: Increase the proportion of schools with policies and practices that promote health and safety — EH‑D01 Healthy schools – focus on air quality and infrastructure of buildings. What year were the schools built? What type of ventilation and air monitoring systems are currently utilized? What are the policies and procedures currently in place? How are these policies communicated to parents? PREP-D01 Increase the proportion of parents and guardians who know the emergency or evacuation plan for their children’s school — PREP‑D01 Healthy schools – focus on emergency preparedness. What emergencies do the schools within your community prepare for? What current policies and plans exist within the community’s school system? What interventions are already in place in the schools to keep students safe? How are students and parents notified of current policies and procedures, drills, etc.? EH-03 and/or EH08 Reduce exposure to lead — EH‑08 Where do community residents receive their water from? How is water safety monitored in the community? What community-wide interventions are in place to address water safety, and how are they communicated to residents? What other interventions are available to the community e.g. lead pipe replacement, free testing for lead in water, etc.? How is the population monitored for potential lead exposure? Increase the proportion of people whose water supply meets Safe Drinking Water Act regulations EH-05 Reduce the amount of toxic pollutants released into the environment — EH‑06 What industries exist within the community that have the potential to release toxic pollutants? What historical occurrences of toxic releases into the neighborhood have occurred? What are the present and future risks? What interventions are currently in place (i.e. air/water/soil monitoring, advocacy for policies, community education and engagement?) Is the community aware of the issue? FS-01 through Foodborne Illness Objectives Foodborne illness outbreaks related to Salmonella, campylobacter, E. coli and/or Listeria. Research any foodborne illness that has occurred in your chosen community. What was the source of the outbreak and the mode of transmission? E.g., was the illness due to improper handling, insufficient handwashing, not cooking food to a safe temperature? What community health interventions were put in place, or would you suggest? What health education must be provided to community members, and to which groups specifically? Increase trips to work made by mass transit – EH-02 What mass transit options exist within your chosen community? What proportion of the community utilizes mass transit? What barriers exist that prevent the community from riding buses or trains? Does the community encourage residents to utilize mass transit? What environmental issues are exacerbated by individual vehicle use? FS-10 (can choose which objective(s) to focus on) EH-02 References Demarco, R.F. & Healey-Walsh, J. (2020). Community and public health nursing: Evidence for practice (3rd Ed.). Philadelphia, PA: Wolters Kluwer. ISBN: 9781975111694 Lippincott CoursePoint+ Enhanced for DeMarco and Healey-Walsh: Community. and Public Health Nursing: Evidence for Practice, 3rd edition (2020). ISBN: 9781975132736 Office of Disease Prevention and Health Promotion. (n.d.) Objectives and data. Healthy People 2030. U.S. Department of Health and Human Service. https://health.gov/healthypeople/objectives-anddata
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