de Beaumont Foundation’s Post

The Public Health Paradox: Are We Really Making an Impact?🩺 I’m currently attending the International Public Health Conference, where the brightest minds gather to discuss global health. But here’s a challenging question: With all the conferences, research, and funding—why is there still a widening gap in health equity? Despite our advancements, communities worldwide are still struggling with preventable diseases, inadequate healthcare, and limited access to basic resources. Are we focusing on the wrong priorities? Or is the public health field inadvertently prioritizing theoretical debates over practical solutions? Are we more interested in publishing research than implementing actionable solutions? This is not just a conference question—it’s a call to action for all of us in public health. I’d love to hear your thoughts: - 💬 What’s the real barrier to achieving health equity? - 🔄 Are we overlooking the voices of the communities we aim to help? - ❤️ What tangible actions can we take to bridge this gap? Let’s spark a conversation that goes beyond conference rooms and leads to real-world change. #PublicHealth #HealthEquity #GlobalHealth #ImpactfulAction #ConferenceReflections #CallToAction #HealthForAll 

The shift to digital platforms in public health services has highlighted and exacerbated the digital divide, creating disparities in access to health information and services. Addressing this issue requires comprehensive, multi-channel strategies and targeted interventions to ensure equitable access to online health resources. Read more to discover how innovative approaches like community internet hubs, mobile health units, and digital literacy programs can bridge this gap and improve health outcomes for all. https://lnkd.in/gnNEKewZ

[WEBINAR] This is a reminder to register for the upcoming webinar titled: 'Monitoring #DHS performance towards #UHC: how can we find a pragmatic way forward?', organised by the South African Learning Alliance for District Health Systems (SALAD). Webinar Details: Date: Thursday, 15th of August 2024 Time: 16:00 –17:30pm SAST Online platform: Zoom Why attend? Health systems must respond to changing priorities. They must be regularly adjusted to reflect the most important needs of the population. Therefore, regular assessments of health systems performance help to identify and adjust priorities and inform decisions and consequent actions that will ensure the most appropriate responses to these priorities. Assessing the performance of a health system effectively is the first step toward its improvement. Join us as we reflect on current monitoring and evaluation approaches in DHS while exploring new ways of health systems performance. Register your attendance using this link: https://lnkd.in/dKaz_K9n #DistrictHealthSystems #UniversalHealthCoverage UCT School of Public Health UCT Faculty of Health Sciences

Public Health and Management: Partnership for Community Well-Being Public health is one of the most important pillars of sustainable development, focusing on protecting and promoting the health of individuals and communities in a comprehensive manner. However, achieving health goals requires more than just medical practices; it depends largely on the efficiency of management and organization. Effective management in public health contributes to directing resources, making decisions, and implementing appropriate strategies to prevent diseases and promote health. The role of leaders and managers in this field goes beyond managing institutions, to include building health systems that are able to adapt to ongoing challenges, such as epidemics and chronic diseases. So, how can management enhance the efficiency of public health programs? • Strategic planning: Developing long-term plans to achieve clear health goals. • Institutional development: Improving infrastructure and resources to meet growing needs. • Data analysis: Using data to make evidence-based decisions. • Collaboration and partnerships: Enhancing collaboration between government, private, and community institutions to achieve greater impact. We need innovative management visions that drive health programs forward, and make public health more comprehensive and sustainable. The future depends on a strong partnership between health and management to achieve the well-being of society as a whole. #PublicHealth #Management #SustainableDevelopment #CommunityHealth #HealthManagement

PHCC #TipOfTheWeek: Effectively communicate evolving guidance. As new information becomes available, guidance on #PublicHealth issues can change rapidly. To help your communities understand why, when, and how these changes are made: 🔹Acknowledge what you know now and what you're still learning 🔹Commit to keeping people updated 🔹Share updated information as soon as it's available, and explain what changes were made and why 🔹Listen and address feedback from your community to ensure clarity and minimize misunderstandings 💡Public Health Professionals: Which tactics work best when communicating about evolving guidance? #HealthCommunications #HealthLiteracy

"Health misinformation is a serious threat to public health. It can cause confusion, sow mistrust, harm people’s health, and undermine public health efforts.” —Dr. Vivek H. Murthy, Surgeon General of the United States Stop by the Cuyahoga Falls Library and ask for assistance utilizing their online resources to access health information. Here are a few tips. · Search for well-known health institutions · Look for .gov or .org. A “.com” is run by a for profit organization and content may be biased · Make sure the content was written by licensed health care professionals · Check how old the content is · Always follow up with your health care provider for additional information

Three fantastic health leaders, Ngozi Ezike, Jillian Griffin and Carrie Kozlowski, joined me last week to explore trust, health and how to build healthier behaviors. The 2024 Edelman Trust Barometer Special Report Trust and Health provided stimulus and our exemplary leaders shared their perspectives on building trust with a room full of healthcare ecosystem participants. Some lessons I took away: IT TAKES THE RIGHT TRAINED MESSENGER: Bringing “people like me” to the fore by training community health workers (CHW) is supporting health in the neighborhoods served by Sinai Chicago . As Dr. Ezike shared, for a health system that has long been in-and-of the community, community health workers reinforce health interventions in the home. Integrating CHWs into an organization’s strategy serves the community by providing important “connector” services and creates economic opportunity by training and employing its members. FIND AND ENGAGE YOUR COMMUNITY: Consumers today are surrounded by stimulus, content and channels. Reaching patient audiences where they seek information and engage is one strategy Jillian Griffin described as part of AbbVie efforts to reach patients seeking healthcare solutions and therapies. Sharing information and tools with advocates spreads much needed information across channels and beyond traditional media. PRIORITIZE THE OUTCOME: While facts may not lie, they don’t always convince. Anchored in psychographic segmentation, Carrie emphasized pursuing actions that create behavior change, a pillar for Upfront Healthcare. Taking a recommended beneficial healthcare action and adopting healthy behaviors are driven by a range of factors. Know your audience and tailor your efforts. Measure success with the outcome not the intervention. Meeting consumer expectations led to a vibrant conversation on building trust as well as communicating innovative pipeline promise and progress. The special report found providing quality health information is a top trust builder in the face of misinformation threatening health. People are more likely to trust business, NGOs and government to address health needs and concerns when they are reliable sources of trustworthy health information. Combining healthcare ecosystem trust with patient empowerment is one powerful way forward. #HealthTrust Edelman #TrustBarometer

Join this important webinar next Tuesday, Oct 22, on the emerging role of state health data organizations with Manatt Health, RWJF, and representatives from innovative #StateHDOs

I promised to address this policy once I’d read it. Well, I have now read it. Or should I say - skimmed through it. Would it have tempted me to come back home at the time I did or maybe even now? The simple answer is no. The issues are known. The policy says nothing new. It’s a wish list that I consider to be non attainable. Fails the SMART goals. More so, there’s nothing the health ministry has done since the inception of this administration that suggests that they wish to deal with the issues outlined. Primary health care, skilled rural workforce, universal health coverage - all very necessary talking points heavily highlighted in the policy. But where have they expended their energies so far? Regional cancer centers. Digital health records to be overseen by McKinsey. Some of us are back home out of personal conviction and not because of anything that the government or its agencies are doing. Because we continue to hope and to keep the faith. These folks are highly intelligent. They know what to do, I think. But it’s all about serving interests isn’t it? So we should ask - whose interests are being served by yet another ‘policy?’