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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
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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).
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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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Public Health Inclusion: Partnering with the ‘Public’ of Public Health
different communities. Citizen juries are also another method that can be used in order to form a successful democratic approach. Citizen juries would alternate on different issues and be able to provide both expert and practical opinions from individuals living in the community (
Degeling et
al., 2017). Introducing new methods can occur at both local and state levels, where residents should be able to attain information and participate in order for democratic approaches to work. The community I live in would benefit from democratic citizen participation when it comes to public health related matters. In my community one of the major issues that we are currently facing is opioid and substance abuse (2020 South Carolina County-Level Profiles on Substance Use-Related Indicators, n.d.). One of the first steps in addressing this issue should involve discussing with the community their opinions about opioid and substance abuse and use. Discussing this first will allow for public health practitioners to know how the community feels about the issue and get an insight on how these opinions have influenced the behaviors of individuals in my community. Next there will need to be a meeting held that will allow citizens to give their opinions about previous unsuccessful intervention methods, in order to build a base on ways to not repeat another failed implementation. There needs to be a way for individuals in the community who have relationships or experiences with individuals who suffer from the effects of substance abuse, to take part in the creation of programs that they wish were implemented for themselves and their loved ones. Allowing the community to be part of program
planning will make it easier for positive implementation and allow for the spreading of awareness on substance abuse in the community. I think some of the best places to discuss these democratic matters that people can attend in my city of Mount Pleasant, SC can occur at the
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Public Health Inclusion: Partnering with the ‘Public’ of Public Health
public libraires, SC Department of Health and Environmental Control, and at the Mount Pleasant
Civic Engagement Agenda Center. Being that social media is how most of the world communicates, it will also be effective to have posting of meeting on social media as well as virtual meetings (Park et al.,2016). If public health practitioners and officials introduce more democratic methods in the city, the lack of healthcare knowledge would not be as present within the community. Health issues that are influenced by substance abuse tend to prevail because people in the community lack the knowledge about the concerns. As a citizen of Mount Pleasant, I do not feel as if there is enough citizen involvement in public health in the community. I think that this is mainly because there is not enough communication that happens between the community and public health practitioners. I think that we are unable to be involved in many of the preventions and interventions in the community. Many of the determinations come from a select group of local government officials in the community who do not share the same ideas as everyone else in the community. There are many groups in our city who are affected by substance abuse more than other groups; it would be best to make the voices of those individuals the most prevalent in democratic decisions.
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Public Health Inclusion: Partnering with the ‘Public’ of Public Health
References
2020 South Carolina County-Level Profiles on Substance Use-Related Indicators
. (n.d.). https://www.daodas.sc.gov/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/2020-SC-County-Level-Profiles-
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Baker, Melton, R. J., Stange, P. V., Fields, M. L., Koplan, J. P., Guerra, F. A., & Satcher, D. (1994). Health Reform and the Health of the Public: Forging Community Health Partnerships. JAMA : the Journal of the American Medical Association, 272(16), 1276–
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Bernadas. J. (2021). Reimagining the “public” in public health: Exploring the challenges of and opportunities for public relations research in public health in the Philippines.
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Boaz, A., Chambers, M., & Stuttaford, M. (2014). Public participation: more than a method?: Comment on “Harnessing the potential to quantify public preferences for healthcare priorities through citizens’ juries.”
International Journal of Health Policy and Management
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(5), 291–293. https://doi.org/10.15171/ijhpm.2014.102
Calanan, R.M., Bonds, M. E., Bedrosian, S. R., Laird, S. K., Satter, D., & Penman-Aguilar, A. (2023). CDC’s Guiding Principles to Promote an Equity-Centered Approach to Public Health Communication.
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Public Health Inclusion: Partnering with the ‘Public’ of Public Health
Degeling, C., Rychetnik, L., Street, J., Thomas, R., & Carter, S. M. (2017). Influencing health policy through public deliberation: Lessons learned from two decades of Citizens’/community juries.
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Hirono, K. (2023). How can public participation improve health equity? a case study comparison
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Park, H., Reber, B. H., & Chon, M.-G. (2016). Tweeting as Health Communication: Health Organizations’ Use of Twitter for Health Promotion and Public Engagement. Journal of Health Communication, 21(2), 188–198. https://doi.org/10.1080/10810730.2015.1058435