Advocay Project: Healthy People/THOMAS

Area 7 Objective: Increase the quality, availability, and effectiveness of educational and community-based programs, designed to prevent disease and improve health and quality of life.

Healthy People 2010's two overarching goals to increase quality and years of healthy life and eliminate health disparities are supported and advanced by the objectives for educational and community-based programs. Knowledge is important in making healthy behavioral and lifestyle decisions, and the mission of these programs is to foster and develop this knowledge. By being local and community-based, these programs reduce disparities by increasing the proportion of the population that has access to health information and disease prevention programs. (I know this comes straight from the introduction, but I really wanted to make it clear why I was doing this topic!)

Progress Quotient Chart: I really liked this goal, because it talked about eliminating health disparities in the United States. I chose School Health Education, because 1. The priority areas are areas that need to be improved in having less health disparities and 2. It discusses environmental health J

Areas of Interest:

7-2: School Health Education

7-2 A: All Priority Areas: -7%

7-2 J: Environmental Health- 0%

Progress Information: Toward the elimination of Health disparities.

White Non-Hispanics had the best rate for completing high school for peoples aged 18-24. The Hispanic population had the largest disparity, with only 66% of their student’s aged 18-24 completing high school. The disparity between these two ethnicities did decrease between the years of 1998 and 2001. Females had a better rate for completing school than men.

Disparities:

Because this entire goal is about disparities, my disparities are mainly listed above with the progress information. I did however find the disparities in Income, location, and disability interesting. Middle high incomes were the ones who were most involved in health promotion programs both put on by employer-sponsored and community based places. I also found that black, non-Hispanics are significantly going down in their number of students completing high school. Hispanic and Latino populations are also having significant differences in numbers of students completing high school.

Opportunities and Challenges:

Steps to a Healthier US is using strategies and methods to help Americans live longer and healthier lives. It works to address diabetes, obesity, asthma, poor nutrition, physical inactivity, and tobacco use.

Healthy Workforce helps employers use promotion programs effectively and provides strategies for developing and maintaining worksite health activities.

Environmental change, New Directions of Public Health descries perceived health promotion capacities of those carrying out programs in State health agencies. This will also hopefully strengthen health promotion activities and programs put on by state and local public health agencies.

Emerging Issues

Healthy People 2010 have found that research on preventing health disparities contains many gaps. There are a lot of areas that need further study such as effective programs, new technologies, relationships between settings, approaches to disadvantaged populations and populations with unique needs.

Bill Related

Bill Number: HF2256

Title: Health care availability and affordability guaranteed for every Minnesotan, Minnesota Health Plan, Health Board, Health Fund, Office of Health Quality and Planning, ombudsman for patient advocacy, and inspector general for the Minnesota Health Plan established, and money appropriated.

Sponsor: Laine ; Rukavina ; Thao ; Eken ; Carlson ; Sailer ; Fritz ; Mullery ; Slocum

Latest Major Action: 4/1/09 Introduction and first reading.
4/6/09 Author Added

My Political Representative:
State Senate Yvonne Prettner Solon
Contact Information
75 Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd.
Capitol Building, Room G-9
St. Paul, MN 55155-1606
(651) 296-4188

I vote YES for the availability and affordability of health care for Minnesotans!