NUR 4244 – Deliverable 7 – Public Health and Community Nursing Guiding Document

NUR 4244 – Deliverable 7 – Public Health and Community Nursing Guiding Document

Developing an action plan can help people turn their visions into reality. An action plan describes the way your organization will meet objectives through detailed steps that describe how and when steps will be taken. Each action step should include information on what actions or changes will occur, who will carry out these actions when the changes will take place, and for how long, what resources are needed to carry out these actions, and communication (“Developing an Action Plan.” n.d.)

To make an impact at the population level, it is important to be sure that the strategies get to the root of the identified need. The range of personal, social, economic, and environmental factors that influence health status are considered determinants of health. The interrelationships among these factors are what determine individual and population health. Interventions that target multiple determinants of health are most likely to have an impact (“Determinants of Health, 2020). When organizing a planning group, making the planning committee as diverse and inclusive as possible is important. The group should look like the people most affected by the problem or issues. Health equity is when people have the opportunity to attain their full health potential, where no one is disadvantaged from achieving this potential because of their social position or other socially determined factors. Achieving health equity, eliminating disparities, and improving the health of all groups shall be the goal of every healthcare action plan. Social determinants of health are influenced by economic and social conditions. These conditions are shaped by socioeconomic positions such as money, power, and resources that people have, which are all influenced by socioeconomic and political factors such as policies, culture, and societal values. All these factors impact the health and well-being of people and the communities in which they interact (“Social Determinants of Health,” 2019).

Regardless of the problem at hand, action planning can help the community. Action planning assists in understanding the community’s perception of the issues and their potential solutions. Action planning can help assure inclusive and integrated participation across the community. Lastly, action planning can help build a foundation on what can and what should be done based on the community’s unique assets and needs, creating a way in which members of the community can participate in taking action (“Community Action Guide”, n.d.). Action planning allows the community to work together to achieve a common vision.

NUR 4244 – Deliverable 7 – Public Health and Community Nursing Guiding Document

Public and community health nurse’s role in action planning includes skills used in community participation and approaches to optimize community health promotion and disease prevention. Public health nurses can incorporate evidence-based findings from their assessments into program development by having discussions and distributing information to develop a tailored program in the community. Public health nurses can gain these skills by creating collaborative partnerships with community leaders and stakeholders and identifying resources and solutions to problems within the community. These skills are enhanced by empowering communities to address their health issues and increasing individual and community self-efficacy for health promotion (Kulbok et al., 2012).

Engaging strategic partnerships both within the community and within healthcare organizations within the planning process can help increase the odds of making an impact on community health. Internal partnerships with healthcare organizations can assist with the development and implementation of community health improvement strategies by engaging others who focus on or have an interest in the needs within the community. External partnerships include developing a plan with community stakeholders for support in the implementation process. Having an implementation committee that involves those who have participated in previous stages as well as new stakeholders who can offer fresh insight and resources. It is also important to involve members of the population who will be affected by the implementation strategies to ensure the plan is appropriate for the community. It may also be beneficial to involve local and state health departments in developing the action plan (Hanleybrown et al., 2012). Creating and strengthening these relationships can be important to the success of developing and implementing strategies.

NUR 4244 – Deliverable 7 – Public Health and Community Nursing Guiding Document

Implementation puts into action the plan developed to address community health needs. In this stage, it is important to continue to engage internal and external stakeholders throughout the implementation to gain ongoing support. Creating an implementation team is useful in meetings to assess progress and challenges and can make any modifications to the action plan. The implementation team would address if goals are being met, what is working, potential barriers, and ongoing strategies. During implementation, communication is key for early success. The implementation team must communicate the starting point, goals, and how progress will be measured. Evaluating progress towards achieving goals set and communicating what actions are being taken to reach those goals are important to lasting success (“Developing an Action Plan”, n.d.).

References

Community Action Guide: Framework for Addressing Community Goals and Problems. (n.d.). Retrieved October 28, 2020, from https://ctb.ku.edu/en/table-of-contents/overview/model- for-community-change-and-improvement/community-action-guide/main

Determinants of Health. (2020). Retrieved October 28, 2020, from https://www.healthypeople.gov/2020/about/foundation-health-measures/Determinants-of- Health

Developing an Action Plan. (n.d.). Retrieved October 28, 2020, from https://ctb.ku.edu/en/table- of-contents/structure/strategic-planning/develop-action-plans/main

Frequently Asked Questions. (2019, December 19). Retrieved October 28, 2020, from https://www.cdc.gov/nchhstp/socialdeterminants/faq.html

Hanleybrown, F., Kania, J., and Kramer, M. (2012). Channeling change: Making collective impact work. Retrieved from http://jcisd.org/cms/lib/MI01928326/Centricity/Domain/218/Making%20Collective %20Impact%20Work%20Stanford%202012.pdf

Kulbok, P., Thatcher, E., Park, E., & Meszaros, P. (2012, May). Evolving Public Health Nursing Roles: Focus on Community Participatory Health Promotion and Prevention. Retrieved October 28, 2020, from https://ojin.nursingworld.org/MainMenuCategories/ANAMarketplace/ANAPeriodicals/OJI N/TableofContents/Vol-17-2012/No2-May-2012/Evolving-Public-Health-Nursing- Roles.html

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A public health colleague has approached you about being a consultant to work with a community group to help guide them through the action planning process. She has asked you to prepare a step-by-step guide on how to develop an action plan for the community group. The guiding document you create will be used to provide an overview of the process for developing a community action plan and will be used during an upcoming community meeting with interested consumers, local community members, and public health officials.