Sustainable Health Promotion Project for Homeless Population - Essay Example

Sustainable Health Promotion Project for Homeless Population Name Institution Date Health Promotion Introduction According to Ottawa Charter, health promotion strategies are aimed at ensuring protection of both manmade and natural environments as well as conserving natural resources (Patrick et al, 2012). Additionally, health promotion is a presentation of an intensive political and social process that embraces actions that are aimed at empowering people through instilling skills and capabilities as well as improving environmental, economic and social conditions to lessen their effects on individual and public health (Hubley & Copeman, 2013; Keleher et al, 2007; WHO, 1998). According to the Canadian Public Health Agency, population health approach is aimed at improving the entire population’s health through eliminating inequalities among different population groups (Cardarelli et al, 2013; IFIHP, 2000; VCH, 2006). Sustainability in health promotion refers to the intervention effects or in other words the means through which the intervention effects are produced. It has been argued that there is a need to retain and maintain the programs for health promotion for the desirable effects to be realized. However, there are situations where maintaining a health promotion agency in actual sense is considered of greater importance as compared to maintaining specific programs as a means of ensuring the effectiveness of health promotion. Actually, in some situations, health promotion may be achieved without necessarily involving a continuous intervention (Swerissen & Crisp, 2004; Taylor et al 2014). There are various health promotion approaches which include; empowerment, behavioral, medical, educational and social change. In this project, I will use educational, behavioral and empowerment approaches. This paper focuses on health promotion program using logic model. Logic Model A program logic model has been defined as a tool that brings clarity as to what a program entails and its intended outcomes (QIIP, 2010), that is it gives a summary of the program’s underlying logical flow associated with program’s planning, implementation, development as well as the evaluation of the entire program (Goodstadt, 2005; Keleher et al, 2008). Logical models plays four main roles associated with the nature of logic model. The four types of logic models are namely; explanatory logical model, change/influence process model, program/action logic model and the evaluation/outcomes logic model (Goodstadt, 2005). The logic model is an essential planning tool that plays the role of providing a diagrammatic description showing the program’s goals and objectives, the various activities to be engaged in as a means of accomplishing the goals, the program’s outputs, the short term and long term outcomes as well as the impacts (QIIP, 2010). A logic plan also plays the role of communicating to others about a proposed program through pointing out all the requirements for the program implementation. In addition, it allows the interested parties to examine the assumptions made in a program would lead to realization of the intended effects. Another role played by the logic model is that sometimes it may reveal the inclusion of some activities in a program that may not lead to the realization of the intended effects. This makes it possible to get rid of activities that are not well linked to the objectives outlined in a particular program. It is important to use a logic plan because it gives an overview of how a program is intended to work. It gives a description of the various activities to be executed in program as well as the anticipated changes to be realized when the outlined activities are executed as planned. The logic model gives understanding of the basic knowledge about a program that may be required by the interested parties (Goodstadt, 2005). Planning Stage Homeless persons are faced with many barriers that hinder them from enjoying a healthy life. The homeless lacks basic health needs which include; lack of safety, nutrition, and shelter. In planning a logic model that would ensure promotion of health among the homeless, there is a need to compile all the essential requirements that would make the program effective. The major concern in the planning involves the implementation of a basic resource facility that would help in provision of a comprehensive health as well as support services to this population. Some of the essential services required by the homeless include; basic screening, clinical disease care, dental care, vision care, podiatric care, behavioral health services and psychiatric care (Cardarelli et al, 2013). To ensure that all the health needs for the homeless are met, specialists in various fields are required. The essential professions who would become stakeholders and partners in program plan execution would include nurses and professional psychologists. These professionals (nurses and psychologists) are significant in that they will play various roles as outlined in the program so that the program expectations can be realized. Homeless people present with acute illnesses such as respiratory infection, skin infections and dental problems. They also present with communicable diseases such as HIV/AIDS, lice, tuberculosis, lice and various sexually transmitted diseases (Cardarelli et al, 2013). The professional nurses will play the role of screening and treating any manageable conditions as well as identifying and referring other unmanageable conditions to the specialists. Homeless population also present with behavioral and mental illnesses such as schizophrenia, bipolar-disorders, depression, antisocial personality, substance abuse and borderline personality disorder. The professional psychologists will be involved in identification and management of any psychological, mental, spiritual as well as behavioral conditions that require their attention. They would also be involved in referral of any identified condition that is beyond their capability to the specialist (Cardarelli et al, 2013). Implementation Stage During the implementation stage, there will be a need to have in place a case management team. These case managers will play the role of linking homeless individuals as well as homeless families to the professionals offering the services. They will also be involved in providing support as well as being the advocates for their clients. As a result a continuum of care will be established and this will enable the needy individuals to receive care from the professionals in various organizations without any difficulty. There will be a need of multidisciplinary team of managers because the homeless face complex problems which may hinder the performance of one entity. The diverse approach will be essential because there are various services needed in care provision for the homeless (CDCP, 2011). Centralized record keeping is also essential in that it helps in maintaining a valid record for every person who has received care. This serves the purpose of generating a demographic characteristic for every patient, the nature of services received, as well as the nature of the condition that was being attended to (CDCP, 2011). Such information would also be essential when it comes to evaluating the effectiveness of the program. Medical outreach approach would also play a critical role in the program implementation. The medical outreach approach will involve offering services from medical setups or having in place mobile medical facilities or using both approaches. Outreach is important in that it connects the needy individuals with the service providers who will be facilitating their physical and mental wellness. There will be an establishment of adequate service referrals and staffing. This is because collaborative approach will be essential in ensuring that all the conditions presented are taken care of adequately through referring to the specialists and to the facilities that are adequate in catering for each condition (Naidoo & Wills, 20009). Evaluation An evaluation plan describes how one will monitor and evaluate the effectiveness of a program and how to give recommendations for program improvement or in implementation of policies. Evaluation is key in determining the effectiveness of the interventions applied in a health promotion. It plays the role of collecting evidence related to the efficacy of a program, justify the use of the resources that were used, identifying means of improving the practice as well as identifying outcomes that were not initially expected (CDCP, 2011). There are various steps in evaluation process and they include engaging the stakeholders, describing the program, focusing the evaluation, gathering credible evidence, planning for conclusion and disseminating the findings. The three main phases of evaluation include; program description, gathering credible evidence and disseminating the findings (Keleher et al, 2008). Program Description There is a need to have a shared understanding of the program among the shareholders and the people involved in planning the program. In this phase the purpose of the program, the stages of development, the activities involved, and the ability of the program to improve health and the context of implementation is clarified. Narrative description of the program ensures that all the shareholders understand the program. The logic plan will play a crucial role in synthesizing the major elements of the program. The description is based on the program’s objectives and its context. The description will have a statement of need which highlights the health issues that are being addressed. It will also have an input or program resources that are put in place to aid the implementation of the program. Another element captured in the description is the program activity which shows the various activities to be performed. It will also indicate the program’s stages of development which reflects the maturity of the program. Lastly, the phase of program description will capture the environmental context where the activities of the program will be implemented (CDCP, 2011; WHO, 1998). Gathering Credible Evidence In this phase of evaluation, appropriate question for gathering data will be formulated and an appropriate method for analyzing the data will be put in place. The evidence that will be gathered in support of the answers to the evaluation questions will be collected in a way it will appear credible to the people who will come across the evaluation outcomes. The evaluation will be guided the applied evaluation design, process of implementation, as well as the standards upon which evaluation will be based upon. The standards will include feasibility, utility, accuracy and propriety (Cardarelli et al, 2015; CDCP, 2011). Disseminating the Findings The findings of the evaluation need to reach the intended audience. In this case, the after evaluating the program, the findings will be published and delivered to the intended audience. It will be include both reactive and proactive information dissemination channels. This means that it will not only include the information that the intended users have identified as essential to them but also the information that is deemed important to them (CDCP, 2011). Conclusion Health promotion program is an important approach in ensuring that the population enjoys a health life. The homeless population has more challenges as compared to other population in that they lack proper nutrition, safety and shelter. Some of the challenges that need to be addressed in the program meant for health population among the homeless are acute diseases, contagious diseases and psychological conditions. A good planning is essential as a means of ensuring that all the activities intended to be carried out are geared towards realizing the objectives of the program. References Cardarelli, K., Carlson, E., Jackson, R., & Ward, K. M. (2013). A Plan for the Delivery of Health Care to the Homeless. 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