Exercises - PH 416: Public Health Infrastructure

TIn addition to a variety of learning activities, there are 3 instructor-evaluated activities associated with PH 416: (1) complete the individual exercise; (2) participate in a multi-learner conferencing exercise; and (3) complete and submit the assessment quiz. Each of these is explained below.

Learning Activities (Note: these ARE NOT to be submitted!)

A series of individual learning exercises for this module are provided below. Completing these exercises will familiarize you with the knowledge, skills and attitudes that relate to the competency expectation for this module that is described above. Note that learners are not required to submit written response for these learning exercises. Completing these exercises, however, will prepare you for components of this module that are assessed and scored.

  1. Read Chapter 6, Public Health: What It Is and How and Works, 3rd Edition.
  2. Infrastructure in public health can be a difficult concept to convey. Figure 6-1 from the text) is sometimes used by CDC to suggest that the infrastructure in public health is similar, in some respects, to the way we view roads, bridges, sewers, etc. as elements of the infrastructure of our communities. What important aspects or characteristics of the public health infrastructure are conveyed in this graphic?
  3. What characteristics distinguish a public health professional from a professional working in a public health agency?
  4. Review the progress of the past century related to safer and healthier foods (Safer and Healthier Foods in the Century of Progress in Public Health case study) and a recent report on public perceptions about food safety. Describe how the various components of the public health infrastructure have contributed to these gains. Which components were most important?
  5. Figure 6-5 (from the text) compares the proportion of the total expenditures of the various US Public Health Service agencies that are spent to provide essential public health services with that of states (state and local public health agencies, including environmental protection, mental health and substance abuse activities). In your opinion, what are the most important findings and implications from this comparison?
  6. Review the case study "Snow and Cholera: Part 2". Which of the universal competencies for pubic health professionals did Snow exhibit in his investigations of cholera 150 years ago? Justify your response using information from the case study. (Remember, there is more information on John Snow available, including a web site and audio slide show!)
  7. Examine the source of funding for population-based public health activities in 9 states (at the state and local level) and the series of charts depicting public health expenditures for the various levels of government from 1960-2000. In your opinion, what are the most important implications of the data from these charts?

Evaluated Activities (Note: these ARE to be submitted!)

(1) Individual Exercise

Each learner will submit a response to the following exercise. Approximately 500 words per response is suggested! Produce your response on a separate document to be uploaded at the "Submit Assignments" link. Please use "PH 416 Individual Exercise" as the title of your submission.

Because of your interest in a public health career you have been asked to provide input into the development of a training package to orient new members of your local Board of Health to their duties. Remember that Board of Health members are generally citizens from the community who are appointed or elected to represent the broad community interest in health and quality of life. What themes or messages would you suggest for this video? How would you propose presenting or packaging these messages? The "Invisible Safety Net" video that is available in the form of three video clips at the Course Resources site was developed by the University of Washington for just this purpose (Part 1: What is Public Health?; Part 2: Local Public Health; and Part 3: Core Functions). If you can play these videos, you will get an idea of how they approached this task in the early 1990s. If you can't, just go ahead and answer the question anyway!

(2) Conferencing Exercise

Add your contributions to this multi-learner conferencing exercise. Produce your response on a separate document to be uploaded at the "Submit Assignments" link. Please use "PH 416 Conferencing Exercises" as the title of your submission.

Develop and submit a brief response (300 words or less) to the following exercise:

As a member of the governing council for your state public health association, you are coordinating the development of a position statement for a proposal to credential public health professionals that is being considered by the agency that licenses health professionals in your state. There are 4 propositions to be considered in this debate:

You will find a series of communications from the other members of association's governing council. You should review the positions and their supporting arguments and evidence before adding your own contribution to this conferencing exercise. Your posting should be brief (less than 100 words) and it should include your arguments, evidence and rationale for the position that you choose.

(3) Assessment Quiz

Follow the LearningSpace link to the Assessment Quiz. You may be asked for your login ID and password to access the quiz through your Preparedness Center Personal Page. Complete the quiz and submit your responses. You make take the quiz several times.

Course Evaluation: All learners are asked to electronically complete a Course Evaluation Questionnaire; this is available to you as an electronic form and will be transmitted to a data base without your identity being known, and your instructor will have no way to link your identity to your comments. Before participating in these course evaluation activities, students should review the specific learning objectives established for this course (and others you may have taken as part of this series); these are available in the Syllabus. Evaluation of the course should focus on the extent to which these objectives were achieved.

PH 416 Exercises last revised June 30, 2005 (dkapadia)