Chapter 7 II. A. :
II. A (1238/1000 wds).
1. (308/250 wds)
The beginning years of Phase I, for public health service concerns, will doubtless be challenging, in the light of American society’s current levels of polarization and even health related lack of and sometimes active disinformation. A timeline for the education and advocacy needed to build enough support for a far more robust public health system could even run as long as the generation currently in charge of funding the system nationwide. Since many seem to lack a working memory of the case of Typhoid Mary, whose failure to understand and believe the nature of her illness and how she passed it on to others, it is now very clear that education matters. The lack of recall and understanding of the 1918 H1N1 global flu pandemic reminds us that history, also, matters. It also shows us that we need far wider education in both history and in science. Both of these cases also present strong arguments for accepting the ACA’s medicaid expansion in all states and territories of the US. Education around the role of neighborhood health clinics in relieving pressure on hospitals, and in increasing preventative care can also happen both formally, via workshops, and informally. Education and advocacy for birth control at local clinics can also help show how both safety, such as HIV prevention, and teenage pregnancy prevention, make strides for society both in the short term and over the long term. Finally, having nurses and psychiatrists in all neighborhood health clinics close enough by to be of immediate assistance can also lower the pressure on the 911 system, police, and ambulance services, and even libraries, where librarians now can administer anti-overdose medications, as well as homeless shelters, providing a place for residents of shelters to easily access a regular health services provider, and thus helping all of society, in the long term and even short term.
2. (259/250 wds)
Setting milestones and metrics for public health clinic and service related issues, without the input of local communities, is an uncertain gamble, at best. Nevertheless, a first attempt will be made, here, to suggest some potential metrics and milestones for the consideration of communities, as this phase develops. First, simple number of requests by local residents for a new health clinic, or for upgrades to their neighborhood clinics, can be one metric. Specific items, like PPE and free condom requests sent to clinics and Public Health Service officials from local communities may be another set of metrics to gather and asses, or at least publish and review, at this early stage of the project. Requests for and data regarding more nurses and other staff at each of the neighborhood health clinics in an area may make a good start at understanding the current situation, and where to direct efforts from there, in each neighborhood. Likewise, studying the number of already documented requests for clinical services in local communities, while amplifying and extending those requests for services, both by republishing and also through other means of spreading the word about the need and ways to fill that need, can get started during this early period. Finally, showing the benefits of added nurses in schools, libraries, and especially perhaps in neighborhoods known to be “food deserts” which will thus be particularly vulnerable, makes a start, and the number of reports and articles on this topic can be counted and assessed as part of the initial growth in this movement’s start-up stages.
3. (340/250 wds)
Tools and activities within reach of every person, of however limited means, require community input and engagement building at this early stage. Some obvious tools, at first glance, for education could be social media outlets. The reach and ability to publicize needed community information should not be neglected, thus press releases, tweets, FB posts and shares, and LinkedIn articles can be utilized to amplify the educational work of these early stages of this project, especially at this starting point of building a network from the ground up. Blogs and other outlets can pair with letters to the editor of local and national newspapers, as conditions warrant, to raise awareness of the public health needs of communities, and to advocate on their behalf. One idea may be, during the first 6 months, a “one tweet per day for health” campaign, to be taken up by 1-5 enthusiastic volunteers to start the ball rolling. Another related idea is a possible “1 walk away” drive to get 2-4 people, at first, walking together, or separately, discussing, tweeting and explaining the benefits of walking for both personal health, and community social spaces as well as public health benefits. In the first year, getting from 1-10 articles published, anywhere from LinkedIn, to Medium, to blogs, to the NYT, and reposted and shared widely, advocating the benefits of local health clinics and sponsoring local Walk Together times, would be a very good start. Within the first 2-5 years, having 2 dozen shares per month of articles and personal or community testimonials showing why we need more nurses in our neighborhoods might be good progress. By the midpoint, 7 years, of this first phase of our overall project, a goal of reaching at least 30 tweets, shares on FaceBook and blogs, LinkedIn articles etc, per month, explaining the need and advocating for more staffing and funding for local health clinics seems a reasonably doable accomplishment. Simple shares of articles, walking and talking, and sharing a smile for public health, are tools within the reach of nearly every person in society.
4. (313/250 wds)
Of all of the suggested actions above, for helping to bring these efforts to fruition, perhaps both the easiest practical, and the most potent symbolic, action that any person can take, is to share a smile on the street. If the overall goal of this entire project is to help move us as a society toward empathy, human dignity, and contribution, the easiest thing, yet also the most difficult thing, sometimes, that one can do for another human being is to acknowledge the human dignity of the other, with a nod, a friendly wave, or a smile. Walking, alone or with others, is also both a practical health activity, and a powerful symbol of standing and walking together, as when Rabbi Abr. Josh. Heschel said, he felt like his legs were praying. This solidarity can also be shown quickly through an easy retweet of an article, which can add up over time, assuming that the articles are of high educational quality. Posts on LinkedIn may be taken more seriously than over other social media, and can perhaps generate more thoughtful discussion and advocacy for adding nurses and clinics to neighborhoods in more communities. Other tools may include creating drawings, stories, comics, and film, book, or TV show reviews with the theme of “Sharing is Caring,” while incorporating the walk together and share a smile ideas as tools within a tool, in this case. Any idea that can generate discussion of the need for a clinic on every corner moves us closer to the larger society also beginning to advocate for these needed changes on behalf of those who are less able to advocate for themselves: the most vulnerable in our society. Getting everyone involved in a specific activity can help build community engagement, and should certainly increase the discussion around community education in public health. Just remember Typhoid Mary, and then, the 1918 global pandemic.
Inspiring Critical Thinking and Community via Books, Lessons, and Story 