SU_PHE5001_W4_Project_Williams_S

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South University, Savannah *

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5001

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Medicine

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Jan 9, 2024

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docx

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Uploaded by sabrinawilliams20

1 Public Health Inclusion: Partnering with the ‘Public’ of Public Health Public Health Inclusion: Partnering with the ‘Public’ of Public Health Acknowledging the public in a democratic sense rather than a demographic sense is what will allow for better public health in the present and the future. It is important for public health practitioners and leaders to address, acknowledge and partner with the public community in order to be successful (Benjamin, 2006). There is a great need for insight and discussion from the public in order to successfully implement policies and programs in the community in which are being served. Increasing democratic practices allows for an opportunity of more public engagement and potential public sponsorships within the community (Benjamin, 2006). Public health practitioners and leaders tend to only think of the public in which they serve as a demographic. By only referring to the public as a demographic there is a limit on what ideas, suggestions, and solutions the public gets to have a say so in. By only addressing the public in a manner of being only demographic, it makes the public feel as though their opinions do not matter (Bernadas, 2021). When discussing the public only in a demographic sense, public health practitioners will not be able to establish successful partnerships with community members that can eventually lead to more long-term success. What public health practitioners and leaders

2 Public Health Inclusion: Partnering with the ‘Public’ of Public Health sometimes fail to realize is the importance of community (Bernadas, 2021). In order to change behaviors, it is important to acknowledge the communities the behaviors are taking place in. Community norms and determinants are what shape the individuals within the communities, therefore it is also up to the community to reshape those same norms and determinants (Bernadas, 2021). Referring to the public with a democratic understanding is what will lead to public health success. By referring to the public in a democratic way, individuals in the community will have more access to public health forums and discussions (Boaz et al., 2014). Having individuals take part in discussions will make it easier to approach and intervene in situations that may be occurring in a community. There has been research that suggests that approaching the public at a democratic level will help to work towards public health equity through citizen influence on public governance and interpersonal factors (Hirono, 2023). The people in the community have an influence not only on their loved ones and themselves, but also on their peers and neighbors as well. Citizens do not wish their health to be ‘policed’ and will only steer away from reinforcements and suggestions if they feel as if they are being forced into plans made by public health practitioners and officials who may not have an understanding on how the individuals in the community process suggestions (Hirono, 2023). There are better outcomes when there is a successful partnership between the community and public health practitioners, however, public health practitioners must first face the fact that these democratic based partnerships are a major step towards the right direction (Hirono, 2023).

3 Public Health Inclusion: Partnering with the ‘Public’ of Public Health If public health practitioners and leaders were to attempt an approach at democratic consideration with the public, it would be best to establish an area where the public feels the most comfortable and has access to. Public health practitioners will have to work with community leaders in order to find a safe space such as a city hall or conference center where the public will be able to have access to have access ( Degeling et al., 2017). Although some may suggest that community leaders should be the ones to represent the community alongside the public health practitioners, I believe it will be best to allow all citizens to attend meetings and discussions. If allowing the public full access is not possible, there should be a thorough way of selecting representatives from the community. A selection of community representatives should all live in the community and be a part of the different groups that are to be represented within the community (Degeling et al., 2017). There should also be a way of notifying the community when meetings are being held and of what will be discussed in those meetings (Calanan et al., 2023). I think there should be an alert system put in place such as through news networks in the community that will alert citizens of all postings. Another way of notifying the community can also be through mailing services, social media and other communication networks (Calanan et al., 2023). It is important to make the public aware of all things that are happening within their communities. If the public feels that they are not being notified, they may take that as a way of not feeling included. It is also important to address the methods that will be used to facilitate the discussions so that all opinions and voices can be heard (Boaz et al., 2014). Discussion posts and forums can be a way that community citizens will be able to relay their ideas and thoughts about different public health matters; these types of methods are slowly being introduced in many

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