Environment: PHN Education and Health Policy

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Environment PHN Education and Health Policy

• Armenia Williams, DPA, RNC, FNP
• Associate Professor
• Byrdine F. Lewis School of Nursing
• Georgia State University
• Atlanta, Georgia

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Environmental Issues and Public Health

• Air and Water Quality
• Food safety
• Toxic substances
• Military exposures
• Regulations related to environment health
• Traffic safety
• Environmental justice

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Health Policy Course Focus on Environmental Issues

• This course focuses on the complex forces that
  influence public policy and program planning.
  Emphasis is placed on ecological, economic, and
  social issues and the role of the practitioner as
  an advocate for the civil and social rights of
  the public. These components provide insight
  into future trending, forecasting and program
  planning in the public sector.

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Course Objectives

• 1. Describe the policy-making process.
• 2. Identify the roles of federal, state and local
  governments in policy-making.
• 3. Identify key characteristics of the health
  care industry, including current reimbursement
  systems for health care financing.
• 4. Compare alternative health care delivery
  systems.
• 5. Identify trends that will influence health
  care delivery in the future.

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Course Objectives cont.

• 6. Examine the economic, social and political
  forces that influence health care delivery
  systems.
• 7. Analyze the motivation for regulation of the
  health care industry and its impact on care
  delivery.
• 8. Identify emerging roles for health care
  practitioners.
• 9. Assess the impact of health policy on delivery
  of health care services and health care outcomes.

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Course Objectives cont.

• 10. Analyze the roles of various influences on
  health policy formation, i.e., voluntary and
  professional organizations, health care
  practitioners, private corporations, political
  parties, and other interest groups.
• 11. Examine legal parameters for health care
  practice and their influences on health care.
• 12. Examine ethical foundations for health care
  practice and their influences on health care.

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Course Assignments

• Tracking state bills through the legislative
  process From Bill to Law
• Selection of one bill to track during one
  legislative cycle
• Twelve hours of required tracking using a journal
  to document the process
• Requires one to one interaction with the bill
  sponsor or legislative staff, visits to the state
  capitol for observation of the process, and
  analysis of the bill and its impact on health

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Assignments cont.

• Creative project to examine the impact of
  legislation and/or regulation on public health
• Examples

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Assignments cont.

• Discussion board on Web Ct as a group activity to
  discuss topics related to health policy
• Examples
• Water Quality
• Air Pollution
• Environmental Justice
• Health Disparity related to a specific ethnic
  group

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Assignment Grading Criteria

• Journal (individual assignment) Faculty grading
• Creative Project (group assignment) Both faculty
  and peer evaluation by the entire class
• Discussion Board (group assignment) Both faculty
  and peer evaluation by the student group members
  of the group process and participation

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Course Outcomes

• Application of the health policy process in a
  variety of interactive situations and assignments
• Use of literature and Internet resources to
  facilitate environmental applications
• Analysis of health policy issues
• Experience with varied strategies to influence
  agency, legislative and bureaucratic levels
• Advocacy skill practice

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Desired Student Outcomes

• Future focus on environmental issues as an
  informed public health professional
• Awareness of the varied contextual influences on
  health policy, especially related to
  environmental policy decisions
• Advocacy for those who experience health and
  environmental disparity
• Application of varied skills to influence health
  policy related to environmental issues
• Client centered care that integrates
  environmental influences into the nursing process