How to Implement a Public Health Campaign Essay

After a healthcare program has been developed, there are considerations as well as steps that need to be followed to ensure its successful implementation. The way in which a program is implemented influence its reception by the people, the stakeholders, and partners located in the community. The implementation tasks that need to be considered include relationships with community partners, hiring and supervision of program staff, retention of workers, staff training, and liability.

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The first step will be the implementation of the program is building a working relationship with the community partners (Rural Health Information Hub, 2018). It is essential to creating a good partnership with potential partners in the community because they are crucial for the success of the program. Some of the ways through which community partners assist in the success of the program are through the provision of funds for the program and guidance needed during the development and the implementation phases of the program. In my proposed program aimed at reducing tobacco smoking among teenagers and young children, the potential partners needed to succeed in the program include volunteer groups, universities and colleges, state and local health departments, local hospitals, and community service organizations.

The second phase in the implementation of the program involves the recruitment of program staff (Rural Health Information Hub, 2018). A critical factor that will be considered when recruiting staff required for the success of the program is how they will fit into the community and the organization. In the proposed anti-smoking campaign program, only individuals with skills and education specific to the anti-smoking campaign will be selected into the program because they will be better placed to contribute to program efforts. Because the program will be based in the rural community, community health workers will come in handy in the delivery of culturally competent services. Volunteers will also be recruited to help in efforts to reduce tobacco smoking among the youth through the delivery of emotionally and rationally appealing messages. The community health workers will employ o full-time basis while volunteers will be given stipends. On the other hand, the target group (youth smokers) will be given a stipend to motivate them to stay in the program.

Third, after staff recruitment, efforts are undertaken to retain them (Rural Health Information Hub, 2018). It is worth noting that the direct-care work conducted to ensure program success can highly demanding and tiresome, hence can result in high turnover rates. In the proposed anti-smoking program managers, turnover will be reduced through staff support, the motivation of staff, and by creating a sense of togetherness in the organization. Some of the ways through which staff can be motivated are by providing them with health benefits, recognizing their achievement, merit-based wage increases, and staff orientation and training.

Another critical consideration for the implementation of health programs is staff training (Rural Health Information Hub, 2018). Training of staff is aimed at creating a robust and positive work environment. This training should target newly recruited staff who may have inadequate skills to perform their roles effectively. In my proposed anti-smoking campaign programme, newly hired staff will be partnered with an experienced team to help in mentoring and providing individual attention to the new staff as they learn the skills needed to accomplish program's objectives and goals.

Lastly, during implementation, the health program should undergo research and evaluation. This is undertaken to ensure that the program is working as expected and to make sure that any challenges that are encountered are addressed in time. Therefore, evaluation is usually done with the aim of either improving the program or proving that the program is working as expected. Only programs which are capable of achieving its objectives and goals are worth funding.

Barriers in Implementation of Public Health Campaign and Ways of Addressing Them

One of the barriers to the implementation of a public health campaign is cultural barriers (Khiun, 2016). Cultural barriers affect the manner in which people from different ethnic groups receive and process public health messages. Depending on the culture of an individual, these health messages can be understood differently. To address this barrier, program implementers need to develop culturally sensitive and appropriate materials for campaigns. Culturally appropriate messages can be achieved through audience segmentation, which is defined as the process of categorizing large and heterogeneous groups of people into smaller groups with homogeneity (Kreuter & McClure, 2004; Felix & Paul, 2008; Fried & Mumcu, 2016). Cultural segmentation ensures that the health messages are customized to specific cultural groups based on their needs (Novick, Morrow, & Mays, 2008).

Another challenge that can be encountered in public health campaigns is inadequate program resources (Frieden, 2014). One of these resources may be finances (Lloyd-Sherlock, 2000). If money meant to ensure successful implementation of the program are not availed in time, it is expected that the program may come to a halt. For instance, if the program requires a $200,000 budget for completion and only $100,000 is available during the implementation, the program will not achieve its goals.

References

Felix, M., & Paul, G. (2008). Marketing higher education: theory and practice. McGraw-Hill Education (UK).

Fried, G., & Mumcu, C. (2016). Sport Analytics: A data-driven approach to sport business and management. Taylor & Francis.

Frieden, T. R. (2014). Six components necessary for effective public health program implementation. American Journal of Public Health, 104(1), 17-22. http://doi.org/10.2105/AJPH.2013.301608

Khiun, L. K. (2016). Liberalizing, feminizing and popularizing health communications in Asia. Routledge Publishers.

Kreuter, M. W., & McClure, S. M. (2004). The role of culture in health communication. Annu. Rev. Public Health, 25, 439-455.

Lloyd-Sherlock, P. (2000). Healthcare Reform and Poverty in Latin America. University of London, School of Advanced Study, Institute of Latin American Studies.

Novick, L. F., Morrow, C. B., & Mays, G. P. (2008). Public health administration: principles for population-based management. Jones & Bartlett Publishers.

Rural Health Information Program (2018). Implementation considerations. Retrieved from https://www.ruralhealthinfo.org/toolkits/community-health-workers/4/considerations