Doing More With Less (Mental Health)

As explored in Week 4, public health
organizations at the local, state or regional, and governmental levels provide
services to and/or engage with many community members. This week, you explore
how leaders and managers work within public health departments seek to fund all
of the many programs and initiatives they provide, from immunizations to
surveillance for communicable and infectious diseases to screenings and food
safety and inspections. Leading and managing such responsibilities is no small
feat, especially in an environment of fiscal scarcity. Public health services,
like most public services, are almost always provided within a financially
constrained environment, one that is vulnerable to economic shifts. With
limited funds come many choices: Focus on prevention or promotion? If cuts are
needed, what should go first? Facilities improvements? Salaries? Personnel?
Supplies? Programs themselves?

In the course text, Shi and Johnson
(2014) define public health finance as “A field of study that examines the
acquisition, utilization, and management of resources for the delivery of
public health functions and the impact of these resources on population health
and the public health system” (p. 181). Thus, the skillset involved in
obtaining funds (acquisition) is absolutely critical to public health
leadership. Obtaining funds without the context around what funds are needed,
why, and how funding will address specific community health problems is a
hollow task, however. Public health leaders need to be well versed in
budgeting, applying strategies for funding, and analyzing variations in public
health funding. Fortunately, tools exist that aid in the process of determining
funding and devising strategies for funding.

For this week’s Assignment, review the
budget worksheet provided in the Weekly Resources. In addition, in the media
titled “Public Health Finance”, reflect on the insights a finance
director from the Howard County Health Department provides regarding challenges
and strategies related to funding programs.

With the budget worksheet in mind, review
the Learning Resources. Research other resources providing information on
funding public health initiatives. Access the national websites to search for
funding for public health and other initiatives: Explore your state, local, and
regional health-related funding organizations’ websites. Research these
organizations’ targeted grant opportunities.

The Assignment (2–3 pages including a
budget worksheet):

• Part I:
  Explain the funding issues related to your selected public health project
  or service related to your Final Project. Include an explanation of
  whether these issues are long- or short-term, how urgent, and which
  stakeholders might be most affected (1–1.5 pages).
• Part II:
  Based on the Learning Resources and your research, as well as the
  information included in the budget worksheet, recommend some potential
  funding sources and explain why you recommend them. In your explanation,
  include variations in funding and how these variations influenced your
  decision making (1–1.5 pages). 
• Part III:
  Complete the budget worksheet provided indicating the funding
  opportunities and costs related to the chosen project. 

  *Please copy and paste the budget worksheet as an appendix to create one
  single document for Parts I-III.  

Complete and submit your Assignment
(including the budget worksheet in the appendix)

Readings

• Shi, L., & Johnson, J. A. (2014). Novick and Morrow’s public health administration: Principles
  for population-based management  (3rd ed.). Sudbury, MA:
  Jones & Bartlett Learning.
• Chapter 9, “Public
  Health Finance” (pp. 181–199)
• Grants.gov. (n.d.). About Grants.gov. Retrieved October
  6, 2014, from http://www.grants.gov/web/grants/home.html
• Johnson, T. D. (2014). Prevention and public health
  fund paying off in communities: Success threatened by cuts to fund.
  Retrieved from http://thenationshealth.aphapublications.org/content/42/6/1.4.full
• Public Health Finance and Management. (n.d.). Retrieved
  October 6, 2014, from http://www.publichealthfinance.org/
• Suarez, V., Lesneski, C., & Denison, D. (2011).
  Making the case for using financial indicators in local public health
  agencies. American Journal of Public Health, 101(3),
  419–425.Retrieved
  from the Walden Library databases.
• U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. (2014).
  Grants/funding. Retrieved from http://www.hhs.gov/grants/

• Document: Budget Worksheet
  (Excel workbook)