Preliminary Care Coordination Plan for Environmental Health
Environmental health is a concept that embraces the intimate relationship between the state of human health and the ambiance in which people live, including factors such as air and water quality, chemical exposures, and disposal of hazardous waste. This paper on the initial coordination care plan aims to address the non-medical effect of environmental hazards on the physical, mental, and social well-being of a group of people in a community. A plan that is grounded in achievements and takes into account different areas such as physical, psychosocial, and cultural considerations will help to reduce the risk to health. The aim to reach these goals is by using community resources, encouraging partnerships, and sharing project results. This plan should boost environmental health and the quality of life.
Health Concern: Environmental Health
Physical Considerations
Exposure to environmental dangers puts individuals at high risk of physical health conditions. For instance, air pollution can cause respiratory diseases such as asthma and bronchitis, and the environmental impact is more intense on children versus their adult counterparts, leading to developmental delays and cognitive impairments. Furthermore, infected water sources may result in damage to gastrointestinal systems and increase the risk of waterborne diseases (Manisalidis et al., 2020). Resolving environmental issues involves implementing preventive measures that reduce the community’s exposure to pollutants and improve the health and well-being of the people.
Psychosocial Considerations
Exposure to environmental hazards triggers physiological stress responses mediated by the nervous, endocrine, and immune systems. Pollutants like air particulates activate the release of stress hormones, contributing to anxiety and psychological distress. Additionally, environmental stressors impact brain function and neurotransmitter activity, exacerbating mood disorders such as depression. Recognizing this bidirectional relationship between environmental exposures and mental health is crucial (Thomson, 2019). Addressing psychosocial considerations involves managing physical manifestations of stress while providing support to mitigate the psychological impact of environmental hazards on mental well-being.
Cultural Considerations
Cultural variables are of pivotal importance—they define the susceptibility of a person to natural threats and their options for protection. The patterns of exposure and reactions to environmental dangers are based on the people’s socioeconomic condition, as well as cultural practices and values. For example, cultural ways like the traditional style of cooking can expose people to a high level of contaminants (Rahmani et al., 2022). Healthcare and environmental facilities with lower levels of importance are often found in areas with a greater number of underprivileged people, which can make the underprivileged groups more susceptible to environmental health threats. Cultural considerations in the medical frame need to include taking stock and remedying the socio-cultural determinants of health, which are necessary for equal absorption of environmental health interventions and resources by all.
Specific Goals
Increase Awareness and Education
Having an active awareness and knowledge campaign related to environmental health within the community is an important step. These programs are intended to train people in information and methods that can help a person avoid health hazards and acquire treatment and possible support. By imparting analytical skills and realizing the links between academic knowledge and the challenges of environmental exposures, individuals can make informed decisions to protect themselves and their families from these environmental exposures (Martin et al., 2022).
Provide Access to Screening and Testing
Granting screening and testing facilities for pollutant surveillance will undoubtedly lead to improvements in lifestyle. Though these services are the foundation on which an individual can get information on sources of exposure, they also provide the elucidation of the risks to the individual’s health (Stewart & Wilkinson, 2020). This empowers a lot of early detection of environmental health problems associated with the environment, which eventually leads to urgent intervention and treatment.
Implement Interventions for Risk Reduction
To keep the population well protected from environmental health risks, creating strategies to minimize hazards is imperative. This means arguing for regulation factors and policies that help to improve air and water quality and promote sustainable practices, as well as supporting programs designed to mitigate pollution and contamination (Eriksen et al., 2021). Through community-wide efforts aimed at resolving the commitment to wellness start, individuals and generations could be spared various health problems.
Enhance Community Resilience
Ensuring the community’s resilience regarding the effects of hazards and effective response is fundamental to efficient preparedness and responsiveness. This theatre involves the setting up of emergency plans, communications networks, and the community they live in becoming part of environmental health education initiatives. Building up community unity and the resilience of residents to cope with environmental stressors should help communities endure and recover more rapidly after the adverse effects (Ma et al., 2023).
Available Community Resources
Community resources can help maintain the health of the environment, introducing a wide range of projects that can be applied to local issues. These entities, which range from advocacy groups to local health departments, serve to increase the public’s understanding of health issues and improve public health activities targeted toward effectiveness.
Environmental Health Clinics
Clinics are at the forefront of the health system because they have operational feedback on environmental concerns, and the services offered target environmental health. Medics in clinics perform screenings, assessments, and tests to identify the exposure and effect on health due to the environment. Besides, they educate, counsel, and provide relevant referrals for additional investigation and medication. Instead of area-wide medical care programs, such clinics respond to environmental health concerns in a more targeted and specific manner that is essential for managing and diminishing health problems from environmental hazards.
Community Clean-Up Programs
A volunteer-based community clean-up program is a powerful tool for controlling environmental challenges through the identification of problems at the grassroots level. Such programs plan a systemwide program that includes the removal of pollutants, debris, and other contaminants from the public spaces and community areas. Programs that support a clean environment and ensure responsible community members can then be used to reduce risk from environmental hazards in the community, which, in turn, improves community health. Secondly, it helps to grow a sense of stewardship and institutionalize a perception of community accountability and protection of the environment by holding those who threaten the environment accountable.
Advocacy Groups
Environmental health activists leverage their power and cash to expand the policy influence and solve environmental health concerns. They call for stricter regulations, better control mechanisms, additional public programs focused on ecological well-being, and so on, thus channeling policies and reinforcing the idea of environmental justice. They also try to empower communities through their support and advocacy services, which then allows the communities to demand their rights and access to environmental protection.
Local Health Departments
Health departments are important players in this area as they conduct risk assessments, disease investigations, and public health actions to ensure the community is protected. By collaborating with health government agencies and healthcare providers, health departments can establish and implement environmental health programs to help safeguard the community through surveillance and response programs.
Nonprofit Organizations
With the aim of protecting environmental and public health, nonprofits give lessons, research, and aid to communities to help them not only confront environmental dangers but also resolve health inequality issues. Sustainability advocates and organizers advocate for sustainable practices while at the same time protecting the community’s health through community organizing.
Care Coordination Approach
To coordinate care for people with environmental health problems, a multidisciplinary approach is essential.
Establishing Accountability and Responsibility
Role clarity among all members brings about efficient implementation of care plans with accountability for outcomes. This means finding the vital people or teams in charge of different stages of care, such as assessment, planning, implementation, and aftercare.
Transitions of Care Support
A smooth flow of interaction between healthcare facilities and community resources contributes to the smooth passage of care, thus reducing gaps and promoting overall effectiveness. It also means creating protocols and media for communication to guarantee that there is no interruption of services and that people receive uniform support while they move across various care settings.
Communication and Knowledge Sharing
Effective communication platforms will facilitate the exchange of information between healthcare providers, community organizations, and individuals, which leads to collaboration and informed decision-making. This may encompass regular meetings, electronic health record systems, and databases so that others can access the relevant information easily (Berntsen et al., 2019).
Proactive Care Planning
Developing care plans that are customized to an individual’s environmental exposures and health status will entail preemptive actions and prevention of the occurrence of negative effects, which will, in turn, improve health outcomes. This involves doing comprehensive evaluations to identify potential health threats and developing customized plans that take individuals’ particular targets and requirements into account.
References
Berntsen, G. K. R., Dalbakk, M., Hurley, J. S., Bergmo, T., Solbakken, B., Spansvoll, L., Bellika, J. G., Skrøvseth, S. O., Brattland, T., & Rumpsfeld, M. (2019). Person-centered, integrated and pro-active care for multi-morbid elderly with advanced care needs: a propensity score-matched controlled trial. BMC Health Services Research, 19(1). https://doi.org/10.1186/s12913-019-4397-2
Eriksen, S., Schipper, E. L. F., Scoville-Simonds, M., Vincent, K., Adam, H. N., Brooks, N., Harding, B., Khatri, D., Lenaerts, L., Liverman, D., Mills-Novoa, M., Mosberg, M., Movik, S., Muok, B., Nightingale, A., Ojha, H., Sygna, L., Taylor, M., Vogel, C., & West, J. J. (2021). Adaptation interventions and their effect on vulnerability in developing countries: Help, hindrance or irrelevance? World Development, 141(1), 105383. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.worlddev.2020.105383
Ma, C., Chen Qirui, & Yanbing Lv. (2023). “One community at a time”: Promoting community resilience in the face of natural hazards and public health challenges. BMC Public Health, 23(1). https://doi.org/10.1186/s12889-023-17458-x
Manisalidis, I., Stavropoulou, E., Stavropoulos, A., & Bezirtzoglou, E. (2020). Environmental and health impacts of air pollution: A review. Frontiers in Public Health, 8(14), 1–13. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpubh.2020.00014
Martin, L. J., Hill, V., Maples, C., Baker, T., Shereen Elshaer, & Melinda Butsch Kovacic. (2022). Shared purpose: Leveraging a community-academic partnership to increase local environmental health awareness via community science. Journal of Participatory Research Methods, 3(3). https://doi.org/10.35844/001c.38475
Rahmani, M., Muzwagi, A., & Pumariega, A. J. (2022). Cultural factors in disaster response among diverse children and youth around the world. Current Psychiatry Reports, 24(10). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11920-022-01356-x
Stewart, A. G., & Wilkinson, E. (2020). Population health screening after environmental pollution. Geosciences, 10(12), 477. https://doi.org/10.3390/geosciences10120477
Thomson, E. M. (2019). Air pollution, stress, and allostatic load: Linking systemic and central nervous system impacts. Journal of Alzheimer’s Disease, 69(3), 597–614. https://doi.org/10.3233/jad-190015
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Question 
Assessment 01 – Preliminary Care Coordination Plan
For this assessment, you will develop a 3–4-page preliminary care coordination plan for the
selected health care problem below (Environmental Health). Include physical, psychosocial, and cultural considerations for this healthcare problem. Identify and list available community resources for a safe and effective continuum of care. NOTE: Pick a community in the United States of America.
Before you complete the instructions detailed in the courtroom,
Preliminary Care Coordination Plan for Environmental Health
Health Care Problem: Environmental Health
• Physical considerations: Environmental hazards such as air pollution, lead
exposure and toxic waste can cause physical health problems.
• Psychosocial considerations: Environmental hazards can cause emotional
distress, anxiety, and depression.
• Cultural considerations: Cultural beliefs and practices may influence an individual’s
exposure to environmental hazards.
• Community resources: Environmental health clinics, community clean-up
programs and advocacy groups can provide resources and support for individuals
affected by environmental hazards.
Return to the detailed instructions in the courtroom to complete this paper.