Posted: February 25th, 2023

Part 1: Advocacy Letter Read Writing Letters to Elected Officials

There are 2 parts of this assessment. In Part 1, you will choose a health care law or policy at the state or national level, then write a letter of advocacy to a state or federal legislator for support of the health issue. In Part 2, you will research a community agency of your choice. You will analyze current community needs and communicable diseases, developing an educational program for the selected organization.
Part 1: Advocacy Letter Read Writing Letters to Elected Officials from the Community Toolbox: ctb.ku.edu.
https://ctb.ku.edu/en/table-of-contents/advocacy/d…
Assume you are a public health nurse manager working for an organization in your state that garners support for key public health issues. The CEO of your organization has requested the following:
Identify 1 global healthcare issue that impacts health populations in your zip code through law or policy at the state or national level, for which it is crucial that continued funding be approved.
Visit the Healthy People 2030 website to help identify an issue.
Research the law or policy to determine:
The main purpose of the selected law or policy
The main population affected by this law or policy
How this law or policy affects the population it is intended to serve
The impact of current domestic and global issues on this law or policy
Predict the need for advocacy (support of and strategic approach) for the selected health issue using data from a community health needs assessment (CHNA) report from a public hospital in your zip code 94704 and ISP reports.
Investigate the California Legislative Information or United States Congress websites to determine if there is pending action or established policy supporting the identified health issue.
Identify 1 state or federal legislator representing your selected zip code 94704. Search by address to identify your legislators on the California Legislative Information or the United States Congress websites.
Determine the legislator’s support for the health issue in your community. If necessary, call the legislator’s office and ask an aide what actions are being taken on behalf of the community on that issue.
Write a letter of advocacy to the legislator on behalf of your organization regarding the health issue. Use the 4-paragraph format described in the Community Tool Box:
Acknowledge the legislator.
Write a compelling argument about the importance of the health issue in the local community.
Provide data supporting your proposed strategy for the issue.
Establish yourself as a professional ally to the legislator.
Format your assignment as a concise 350-word letter. Edit thoroughly!
Include a references page for the CHNA, ISP, legislative research, and legislator.
Note: You do not need to actually send the letter to the representative to meet the requirements of this assignment.
Part 2: Community Education In this part of the assignment, you will demonstrate your ability to analyze your local community. You will select and research an agency that focuses on current community needs and communicable diseases. You will prepare an outline for a program you might offer to the chosen agency. For example, during the COVID-19 pandemic, you would focus on teaching community members how to mitigate the virus and prevent further spread. In this assignment, you will educate an identified population about all local communicable diseases, such as TB, hepatitis, and STDs, as well as chronic illnesses, such as diabetes.
Step 1Choose a local community agency with whom you might work. Examples include but are not limited to:
Elder day health
Child daycare
School setting
Place of worship
Community clinic
Health agency
Homeless shelter or service
Red Cross
Insurance company case manager or public health nurse
Prison
Conduct a SWOT analysis of your chosen agency.
Prepare a 350-word summary of your SWOT analysis.
Step 2 Recommend an appropriate disease prevention teaching project that your chosen agency could offer to the local community. (1 clinical hour)
Summarize the public health issues facing the selected agency.
Select 1 issue and prepare an outline of the problem or issue faced.
Explain how your selected agency could address the issue.
Determine an appropriate teaching project to develop and potentially implement.
Prepare a 350- to 400-word summary of the disease prevention teaching project that the agency could offer. You will continue this teaching project in Week 4.
Step 3Present the teaching outline to the leadership of the community agency with whom you are working. (2 clinical hours)
Present the outline of your recommended disease prevention teaching project.
Conduct a discussion with appropriate agency personnel and obtain feedback regarding your presented teaching outline and how it might impact and be applied at that agency.
Compile your advocacy letter, the SWOT analysis, and the summary of the disease prevention teaching project for submission.
Submit your assignment.
NOTE: PLEASE REFER TO MY OTHER INVITE AND USE SUTTER HEALTH ALTA BATES SUMMIT MEDICAL CENTER IN BERKELEY, CA 94704 IF POSSIBLE FOR THE COMMUNITY AGENCY OF CHOICE.
Part 1: Advocacy Letter

[Your Name]
[Your Address]
[City, State Zip Code]
[Date]

[Legislator Name]
[Address]
[City, State Zip Code]

Dear [Legislator Name],

I am writing to you as a public health nurse manager on behalf of our organization, [Organization Name], to advocate for the continued funding of a critical health issue that impacts the population of our community in zip code 94704.

The selected issue is the opioid epidemic, which has devastated many lives and communities throughout the country, and particularly in California. The main purpose of the law and policy related to this issue is to prevent opioid abuse and addiction, increase access to treatment and recovery, and reduce overdose deaths. The main population affected by this law and policy is individuals who suffer from chronic pain and substance use disorders, as well as their families and communities.

The opioid epidemic affects the population it is intended to serve in several ways. First, it has led to a sharp increase in overdose deaths, as well as non-fatal overdoses and emergency department visits. Second, it has contributed to the spread of infectious diseases such as HIV and hepatitis C. Third, it has put a strain on healthcare systems, social services, and law enforcement. Fourth, it has caused significant economic and social costs, including lost productivity, healthcare expenses, and criminal justice costs.

Current domestic and global issues have exacerbated the opioid epidemic, including the COVID-19 pandemic, which has led to increased stress, isolation, and disruption of addiction treatment and recovery services. Additionally, the epidemic of fentanyl and other synthetic opioids has made the opioid crisis even deadlier.

According to the recent community health needs assessment (CHNA) report from Sutter Health Alta Bates Summit Medical Center, opioid overdose deaths continue to be a major public health concern in our community, and require a comprehensive and coordinated response. We need your support to ensure continued funding for prevention, treatment, and recovery services, as well as policy changes to address the root causes of the epidemic, such as overprescribing, lack of access to non-opioid pain management, and social determinants of health.

We are pleased to see that there are several pending actions and established policies supporting the opioid epidemic at the state and federal levels, including the Comprehensive Addiction and Recovery Act (CARA), the SUPPORT Act, and the California Medication Assisted Treatment Expansion (MAT) program. We urge you to continue your leadership on this issue and support efforts to strengthen these policies and allocate sufficient resources to implement them.

As a professional ally to you, we are committed to working with you and other stakeholders to address the opioid epidemic and improve the health and well-being of our community. Thank you for your attention to this critical matter.

Sincerely,

[Your Name]

References:
Community Health Needs Assessment Report, Sutter Health Alta Bates Summit Medical Center, 2021.
California Legislative Information, https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/
United States Congress, https://www.congress.gov/

Part 2: Community Education

Step 1: SWOT Analysis of Sutter Health Alta Bates Summit Medical Center

Strengths:

Comprehensive range of medical services, including emergency care, surgery, cancer care, and women’s health.
Strong partnerships with local community organizations, including schools, churches, and non-profits.
Highly skilled and dedicated healthcare professionals, including physicians, nurses, and support staff.
Advanced medical technologies and facilities, including state-of-the-art imaging and diagnostic tools.
Commitment to quality and safety, with accreditation from national organizations such as The Joint Commission.
Weaknesses:

Limited resources for certain populations, including uninsured and underinsured patients, homeless individuals, and those with behavioral health needs.