What policy advice would you give the Minister about developing a more efficient process for approving the use of cannabis for medicinal purposes?

This document needs to be presented in the form of a Ministerial briefing note, addressed to the relevant Minister. The briefing should be presented from you in your ‘role’ as an official in the relevant government department, and should include the following:
• Appropriate heading: state you designation in the department; the relevant Minister for whom the note is intended; the subject of the note
• Purpose: succinct statement of the purpose of the briefing note
• Background: brief description of the context and history of the policy topic
• Issues: identify the main issues pertinent to understanding the policy topic. The issues should be analysed from multiple perspectives (e.g. historical, financial, economic, political, social and ethical)
• Options: identify and assess alternative policy options
• Recommendations: based on the above analysis, advise the Minister on the most suitable course of action to be taken.

Topics:
Please select one of the following policy issues / questions to be addressed in the Ministerial briefing note.
1. The Federal Government of Australia last year legalised medicinal cannabis use and states regulate its cultivation, with Victoria having already harvested its first cannabis crop for medicinal use. Doctors who want to prescribe cannabis will need special permission. Currently they are doing it on a patient-by-patient basis. The entire practice involves a long process of approvals. Because of this, some patients need to wait months before they actually receive their treatments. This stringent process is put in place to ensure that this highly addictive crops are not unduly used. What policy advice would you give the Minister about developing a more efficient process for approving the use of cannabis for medicinal purposes?

2. The recently released Closing the Gap annual report on the quality of life of Indigenous Australians revealed improvements in some but not all health indicators. What policy advice would you give the Minister in relation to priorities for action to close the life expectancy gap for Indigenous Australians?

3. Levels of risky alcohol use across Australia have shown little improvement across the past decade with around 1 in 10 Australians putting their long-term health at risk through excessive drinking. There is a causal relationship between the affordability of alcohol and alcohol consumption, including strong correlations between price and overall consumption, heavy or problem drinking and harms to both drinkers and others. It is argued that increasing the price of alcohol reduces the amount of alcohol consumed at a population level over time. There are counter arguments as well. One such argument is that the drinkers will still find a way to consume and this may lead to increased crime or less consumption of other goods (including merit goods perhaps) in order to pay for it. What policy advice would you give the Minister in relation to the use of pricing as an effective mechanism to reduce the level of alcohol consumption?

4. One of the greatest public health challenges confronting Australia and many other industrialised countries is the obesity epidemic. The food people consume is a major factor in obesity. It needs to be easier for people to make healthier choices about what they eat. More than a year ago the federal government introduced the health star rating system after a series of discussion with the major stakeholders. However, this rating system is voluntary for industry to implement. It is argued that as it is voluntary, food manufacturers can decide whether a product will display health stars or not. What policy advice would you give the Minister in relation to a voluntary food rating system?

5. Breastfeeding is an unequalled way of providing ideal food for the healthy growth and development of infants. Exclusive breastfeeding reduces infant mortality due to common childhood illnesses such as diarrhoea and pneumonia, and helps for a quicker recovery during illness. However, the rate of exclusive breastfeeding continues to be sub-optimal in many developing countries. Considering a developing country context advise the Minister for Health of that country as to how exclusive breastfeeding could be increased substantially.

Identify and discuss literature regarding the London cholera outbreak

Public health officials can play a huge part in disaster planning and emergency preparedness.
Analyze disaster response and emergency preparedness:
Identify nursing roles and responsibilities during each phase of disaster management. Consider:
planning
preparedness
response
recovery
Evaluate your community (Miami-Dade) or state’s (Florida) plan for preparedness and disaster management:
Does it include provisions for each phase of preparedness and disaster planning?
Does it clearly account for community needs?
Does the plan include evidence of thought beyond the written report?
Is there evidence of a record keeping system for resources, treatment, and identification of victims?
Are there redundancies built into the plan should one option fail? Are backup plans in place?
Analyze the plan for addressing mass casualty situations.

Review your studies on John Snow and the London cholera outbreak along with what you have learned about experimental study designs. Develop a study design for each of the following major designs presented utilizing the components and concepts comprising Dr. Snow’s cholera outbreak:
• Cross-sectional.
• Case control.
• Cohort.
• Clinical trial.
For each study design address the following components:
• Historical concepts and practices that provided the foundation for the practice of epidemiology and epidemiological research related sciences.
• Advantages of this design as it relates to this health issue.
• Disadvantages of this design as it relates to this health issue.
• Common statistical measures utilized in this study design.
• Sampling issues with each study design as it relates to this health issue.
• Bias in epidemiological research and understand how it is controlled in research design.
For the second part of the assignment, select a recent (within the past 5 years) or a well-known public health issue and complete the following:
• Provide a one-page summary of the outbreak.
• Identify and discuss literature regarding the outbreak.
• Evaluate the effectiveness of the outbreak resolution based on the strengths and limitations of the study designs utilized in the literature.
• Develop a different study design that best fits the outbreak and justify the selection through a discussion of the study design’s strengths and limitations as it relates to your chosen health issue.
• Identify sampling issues you would expect to encounter in your selected study design.
• Review the Study Design Scoring Guide for information on how this assignment is graded.
• Name potential biases possible in this study design and your selected health issue.
This paper should be approximately 6–8 pages in length.

In November 2016 Michael Gannon, the head of the Australian Medical association claimed that ‘obesity is the biggest public health challenge facing the Australian population.’ Is this claim true at the global level and, if so, what steps can be taken to alleviate it? In your answer also look at how other issues such as poverty and the unequal distribution of resources worldwide have affected the ‘obesity epidemic’.

A leader has the ability to combine commitment for improvement with knowledge regarding how to exercise influence and engage support (Dickson & Tholl, 2014). In the areas of nursing and public health, the focus is on improving health. Porter-O’Grady and Malloch (2015) noted several major tasks of 21st-century healthcare leaders. Applying essentials of leadership, to the task listed below and discuss how you would exercise influence and engage support for each of your selected task.
-Helping others adapt to the demands of a value-driven health system

Describe the short-term and long-term impact on your community if the intervention is successful

SCENARIO
You are a community public health nurse (C/PHN) working with the vulnerable population you identified in Milestone 2. You will choose a specific community health role that would serve this population. You have analyzed the data collected from your windshield survey and vulnerable population assignments (the first two milestones) and identified one community health problem that a nurse can impact. Now, review the scholarly literature or scholarly websites listed below and identify one specific evidence-based nursing intervention that has the potential to improve the health of this group. Then develop a proposal to implement this intervention and a plan to evaluate the outcomes of this intervention. Create a PowerPoint that you could use to present to an organization in your community to request approval for funding and support for this intervention. (You are not required to implement the intervention or present your PowerPoint, though you may want to consider implementing your project in the future).
DIRECTIONS
Watch the Milestone 3 tutorial by clicking this url: https://www.brainshark.com/devry/Milestone3_2016. This tutorial is also available on Course Project page under Course Home.
A. Introduction: (average of 2-3 slides)
• Describe the identified problem
o Include at least two important findings that demonstrate that this is a problem in your community.
• Describe your specific community health role: Some examples of roles are school nurse, parish nurse, home health nurse, occupational nurse, health department nurse etc.
• Identify the purpose of the presentation which is related to proposing a community health intervention and evaluation plan.
B. Identify an evidence based intervention: (average of 2–3 slides).
• Find an evidence-based nursing intervention from a peer-reviewed journal article OR one of the following databases. These databases evaluate research evidence about community health interventions. Be sure that your intervention is one that is recommended. Cite your source on the slide with the author or organization and year.
o Use at least one of the following to identify an evidence based intervention:
? A peer reviewed journal article demonstrating that your intervention has been successful
? The Community Guide (https://www.thecommunityguide.org/) Choose one of the topics in the topic tab to find interventions.
? The CDC Community Health Improvement Navigator Database of Interventions (https://wwwn.cdc.gov/chidatabase)
? Healthy People 2020 evidence-based interventions. Find a relevant topic area at (https://www.healthypeople.gov/2020/topics-objectives), click on that topic area, and then click on the “Interventions and Resources” tab to see the evidence-based interventions list for that topic area
• Provide a brief overview of your intervention.
• Discuss why this intervention is a good fit for your community (why you expect it to be effective in your community).
C. Intervention Implementation: (average of 3–4 slides).
Describe how you would implement your community health nursing intervention in your community
• Discuss the actions will you take as the community health nurse to accomplish this intervention.
o Relate your actions to the Public Health Intervention Wheel (Nies & McEwen, 2015, p. 14, Figure 1-3)
• Identify your target population.
• Describe how you will reach out to your target population.
o Include strategies to engage your target population.
• Describe where the intervention will take place.
• Identify when your intervention will take place
o Will it take place once or multiple times?
• Identify those in the community that you will collaborate with (e.g., physician’s office, church, local resources, etc.).
• Explain what level(s) of prevention is your intervention addressing (primary, secondary, or tertiary prevention)?
D. Proposed Evaluation Methods: (average of 2–3 slides)
Your presentation must include at least one proposed quantitative or qualitative evaluation method that you would use to determine whether your intervention is effective. Outcome measurement is a crucial piece when implementing interventions.
• Describe the method you would use to evaluate whether your intervention was effective. (There is a helpful tool found in Course Resources to assist you with understanding qualitative and quantitative methods of evaluation).
• Identify the outcomes you would track to show whether your intervention works (eg. BMI would be one outcome you could track for a weight loss intervention).
• When would you measure these outcomes?
• Describe the short-term and long-term impact on your community if the intervention is successful.

Consider effect size and how to determine whether practical or statistical significance exists

A brief summary of the article you selected. Then briefly explain the interrelationship between the effect size, power, and sample size in the article. Explain whether the effect size was practically significant, statistically significant, or both, and why. Using the article you selected as an example, support the importance of incorporating both practical and statistical significance in study conclusions.

Effect size refers to the strength of a relationship between two variables. It can be expressed through a difference or ratio. Odds ratios, which compare the likelihood of the same event occurring within two separate groups, reflect effect size.
Consider the following two scenarios:
Ten thousand people participated in a survey in which they were asked whether they use a vitamin C supplement and also whether they had experienced cold symptoms the previous winter. The study demonstrated an odds ratio of 1.08 and a p-value of 0.04. Based on this, the researchers recommended the use of vitamin C supplements to avoid experiencing a cold next winter.
Fifty people participated in a survey about stress and a diagnosis of high blood pressure. This study resulted in an odds ratio of 1.6 and a p-value of 0.07. Based on these results, the study was not published and the researchers moved on to other work.
These two hypothetical situations are extremes, but they illustrate the difference between practical and statistical significance. Practical significance is inferred from the size of the effect, while statistical significance is inferred from the precision of the estimate. The effect size reflected in the odds ratio in the first case was 0.08, or an 8% difference in likelihood of a cold based on vitamin C supplementation (small practical difference of 8%, but statistically significant, with a p-value of 0.04). The effect size in the second case was 0.6, or a 60% difference in the likelihood of a diagnosis of high blood pressure based on stress (large practical difference of 60%, but small statistical significance, with a p-value of 0.07).

Consider effect size and how to determine whether practical or statistical significance exists. Select a public health research study from one of the peer-reviewed journal articles listed in the Week 2 Resources. Consider whether effect size is practically or statistically significant in the study.

Evaluate the degree to which the U.S. is prepared for dealing with acts of bio-terror and infectious pandemic outbreaks

The National Response Framework (NRF) is an integral part of our nation’s emergency preparedness planning system. It is essential for all public health professionals to understand how this structure supports the National Response Plan (NRP).

Use the Argosy University online library resources and the readings for this module to research the NRF Preparedness Cycle.

Write a report covering the following:

• Capacity building
• Planning
• Organizing, training, and equipping
• Exercising
• Evaluating and improving
Give reasons and examples to support your response. Be sure to use at least two scholarly resources other than your textbook.

Write a 3-page paper in Word format.

Assignment Instructions Prepare a 500-750 word essay: After reading ″Bioterror: Anthrax, Influenza, and the Future of Public Health Security″ by R. W. Johnstone (http://psi.praeger.com.ezproxy1.apus.edu/doc.aspx??x=x&d=/books/gpg/C9326/C9326-82.xml&original_url=doc.aspx?x=x&d=/books/gpg/C9326/C9326-82.xml&ws=WS_PSI&as=doc.aspx&token=E0A7B49CD2017486E60E14BAB210174B&count=.!), Prepare a 500 to 750 word written summary regarding the degree to which the U.S. is prepared for dealing with acts of bio-terror and / or infectious pandemic outbreaks. Your summary should clearly indicate both your position as to which potential specific threat is most probable, in terms of our vulnerabilities, as well as your assessment as to the means / methods by which you believe such attacks could be carried out and how they might mitigated in terms of both response and public health consequences.

Benchmark – Community Teaching Plan: Community Teaching Work Plan Proposal Note: This is an individual assignment. Applying what you have learned thus far, develop a community teaching proposal designed to address the needs of your community. Select one of the following as the focus for the teaching plan: Primary Prevention/Health Promotion Secondary Prevention/Screenings for a Vulnerable Population Bioterrorism/Disaster Environmental Issues Complete the ″Community Teaching Work Plan Proposal.″ This will help you organize your plan and create an outline for the written assignment. After completing the teaching proposal, review the teaching plan with a community health and public health provider in your local community. Request feedback (strengths and opportunities for improvement) from the provider. Complete the ″Community Teaching Experience″ form

What are the legal issues that might affect clinical decisions?

Let’s have a debate!!! Is nursing theory important to the nursing profession? If you believe that it is important, explain why it is useful. If you do not believe that it is useful, explain why nursing theory is not necessary to the profession? Be sure to provide an example that demonstrates your opinion and a scholarly reference (not using the required textbook or lesson) which supports your opinion.

The diversity movement suggests that there is strength in our differences and that our differences enhance each other. At the same time, the movement insists that our differences should not have economic, social, or political consequences. We are entitled to the same access to resources and opportunities regardless of our differences. The human suffering from Hurricane Katrina and the images of victims has stimulated the debate about differential access to resources.
Read the report Women in the Wake of the Storm: Examining the Post-Katrina Realities of the Women of New Orleans and the Gulf Coast. On the basis of your reading, create a report, answering the following:
• Discuss the prominent dimensions of diversity revealed as a result of the Hurricane Katrina disaster.
• Discuss factors that specifically influenced women’s vulnerability to Hurricane Katrina. While answering, consider the primary dimensions mentioned in the lectures as well as the secondary dimensions such as parental and marital status, income, educational level, military experience, geographic location, work background, and religious beliefs.
• Describe the implications for healthcare organizations as a result of the disaster.
• Discuss at least of two of the policy implications that are outlined in the report. If you were given the task to add another policy recommendation what would it be and why?

Medical Indications: The Principles of Beneficence and Nonmaleficence
1. What is the patient’s medical problem? Is the problem acute? Chronic? Critical? Reversible? Emergent? Terminal?
2. What are the goals of treatment?
3. In what circumstances are medical treatments not indicated?
4. What are the probabilities of success of various treatment options?
5. In sum, how can this patient be benefited by medical and nursing care, and how can harm be avoided?
Patient Preferences: The Principle of Respect for Autonomy
1. Has the patient been informed of benefits and risks, understood this information, and given consent?
2. Is the patient mentally capable and legally competent, and is there evidence of incapacity?
3. If mentally capable, what preferences about treatment is the patient stating?
4. If incapacitated, has the patient expressed prior preferences?
5. Who is the appropriate surrogate to make decisions for the incapacitated patient?
6. Is the patient unwilling or unable to cooperate with medical treatment? If so, why?
Quality of Life: The Principles of Beneficence and Nonmaleficence and Respect for Autonomy
1. What are the prospects, with or without treatment, for a return to normal life, and what physical, mental, and social deficits might the patient experience even if treatment succeeds?
2. On what grounds can anyone judge that some quality of life would be undesirable for a patient who cannot make or express such a judgment?
3. Are there biases that might prejudice the provider’s evaluation of the patient’s quality of life?
4. What ethical issues arise concerning improving or enhancing a patient’s quality of life?
5. Do quality-of-life assessments raise any questions regarding changes in treatment plans, such as forgoing life-sustaining treatment?
6. What are plans and rationale to forgo life-sustaining treatment?
7. What is the legal and ethical status of suicide?
Contextual Features: The Principles of Justice and Fairness
1. Are there professional, interprofessional, or business interests that might create conflicts of interest in the clinical treatment of patients?
2. Are there parties other than clinicians and patients, such as family members, who have an interest in clinical decisions?
3. What are the limits imposed on patient confidentiality by the legitimate interests of third parties?
4. Are there financial factors that create conflicts of interest in clinical decisions?
5. Are there problems of allocation of scarce health resources that might affect clinical decisions?
6. Are there religious issues that might influence clinical decisions?
7. What are the legal issues that might affect clinical decisions?
8. Are there considerations of clinical research and education that might affect clinical decisions?
9. Are there issues of public health and safety that affect clinical decisions?
10. Are there conflicts of interest within institutions and organizations (e.g., hospitals) that may affect clinical decisions and patient welfare?

What is cultural and linguistic competence?

A leader has the ability to combine commitment for improvement with knowledge regarding how to exercise influence and engage support (Dickson & Tholl, 2014). In the areas of nursing and public health, the focus is on improving health. Porter-O’Grady and Malloch (2015) noted several major tasks of 21st-century healthcare leaders. Applying essentials of leadership select two (2) tasks from the following list of tasks and discuss how you would exercise influence and engage support for each of your selected tasks.

Deconstructing the barriers and structures of the 20th century
Alerting staff about the implications of changing what they do
Establishing safety around taking risks and experimenting
Embracing new technologies as a way of doing work
Reading the signposts along the road to the future
Translating the emerging reality of health reform into language that the staff can use
Demonstrating personal engagement with health reform
Helping others adapt to the demands of a value-driven health system
Creating a safe milieu for the struggles and pain of changing practice and service
Enumerating small successes as a basis for supporting staff

Describe an issue or problem in public health that could be addressed with a policy change, including:

1. Who or what is affected by the current state of affairs and in what way?
2. What needs to be done differently to improve the problem/issue?
3. What type of policy (i.e., city/county/state ordinance, business/organizational policy) would you recommend?

There are several leadership models that can be applied in health care and public health. Of particular interest to GCU is the servant leadership model. What is “servant leadership”? How does it differ from other models of leadership?

What is a community leader? Give some examples of types of community leaders in public health. What are characteristics of effective community leadership?

What is cultural and linguistic competence? How does this competency apply to public health? Why is this important to the practice of public health?

Review and reflect on the “Values and Beliefs Underlying the Code” section of the assigned reading, “Principles of the Ethical Practice of Public Health,” developed by the American Public Health Association. Which of these values and beliefs most resonates with you or is most relevant to your interests in public health? Why?

Explain how individual perceptions and experiences perpetuate fearfulness

Imagine a life threatening event or a natural disaster in your community such as a severe weather event, terrorist attack, or other type of public health emergency. Propose an overall strategy that medical providers and public health agencies should include in the response plan that combines the efforts of both groups. Determine how these groups could work collaboratively to effectively manage this emergency. Imagine a life threatening event or a natural disaster in your community such as a severe weather event, terrorist attack, or other type of public health emergency. Propose an overall strategy that medical providers and public health agencies should include in the response plan that combines the efforts of both groups. Determine how these groups could work collaboratively to effectively manage this emergency.

Write a 3–4-page assessment in which you examine how advertising manipulates emotions, particularly fear.

Preparation
• Search for research articles that examine how advertising appeals to our emotions, in particular, our fears.
• Watch the following three types of advertising messages. Try to watch more than one example of each type of advertising. Make notes about the overall message and tone. To make this more time efficient, you may consider watching ads on YouTube. Search for the type of ad, and then use the filter to narrow your results. For example, you can narrow the political ads results by filtering for ads from this year.
o Political advertising.
o Public health advertising.
o Commercial advertising.
Instructions
After watching the ads, complete your assessment. Include the following:
• Describe the overall tone of each type of ad. What emotion is the ad trying to arouse?
• Describe the behavior the ad is seeking to encourage.
• Apply one theory or concept to explain why appealing to fear can be highly effective.
• What social conditions foster fearfulness?
• Explain how individual perceptions and experiences perpetuate fearfulness.

Bonus points awarded for responses that answer the question completely and that are written in paragraph form.

Hair is largely made up of the protein keratin. In a short essay, explain why a shampoo containing keratin protein is not effective in replacing protein in damaged hair. In your explanation, trace the path of protein digestion and absorption. Ch 41 Nutrition.

Hundreds of studies have linked smoking with cardiovascular and lung disease. In 1970, Congress passed the Public Health Cigarette Smoking Act, banning the advertising of cigaretteson television and radio. Anti-smoking groups have proposed that cigarette advertising in allmedia be banned entirely. Do some research on this topic. What are some arguments in favor of a total ban on cigarette advertising? What are arguments in opposition? Do you favor or oppose such a ban?Ch 42 Circulation and Gas Exchange

identify the major causes of CVD

Use the Internet and Strayer databases, and recall your readings in Chapter 11 of Introduction to Epidemiology and Chapter 7 of Epidemiology for Public Health Practice to complete this assignment.

Write a five to six (5-6) page paper in which you:

Through cohort study designs and other evidence-based management studies, identify the major causes of CVD, and analyze the key steps, including current medications, used to address the disease. Develop at least five (5) leading questions that may be posed to your local health department in regard to mitigating the proliferation of the disease. Provide a sound rationale for raising these questions. Based on the five (5) questions you developed in Question two (2), provide a rudimentary protocol to disseminate this information to your local community leaders. Recommend six (6) steps that may be given to your current or previous place of employment to prevent the proliferation of CVD. Provide support for your recommendations.

Based on your interview notes from this week’s discussion activity, analyze the epidemiological data surrounding the health issue that your agency addresses. Compare the epidemiological data with the information provided by the agency director/representative by addressing the following points:

How do the epidemiological data and the information provided by the agency director/representative differ? How are they similar? Based on the epidemiological information collected, what is the true effect that the agency is having on your community? Appraise the various methods that should be employed to help the agency improve its effectiveness. Analyze the 10 Essential Services of Public Health and how they are (or are not) wrapped into the service provided by this agency.

Epidemiological data consists of statistical information on your population obtained through primary sources, which are typically research studies or government survey information (such as those provided by the CDC or health department). Utilize the Ashford University Library and/or government websites to locate statistics that relate to your organization. For example, if you interviewed someone from an organization that focused on childhood obesity, you would locate research studies that provided statistical results for your county, region, or state to illustrate what was actually occurring in your area regarding childhood obesity. Once you have this data, compare it with the information provided by the agency director or representative that you interviewed. In some cases, you may only be able to find actual state statistics, but your organization may have provided only local data. This is okay; just make sure you note this in your paper and through critical thinking, infer how this might influence the effectiveness of your organization’s work.

Consider how you could develop an advocacy campaign, applying the attributes identified in similar, effective campaigns

The purpose of this assignment is to
• Provide learners with the opportunity to integrate knowledge and skills learned throughout this course
• Directly apply principles and knowledge learned in the course to problem solving of population health problems in their own geographic areas.
Course Outcomes
This assignment enables the student to meet the following course outcomes:
1. Define key terms in epidemiology, community health, and population-based research.
2. Compare study designs used for obtaining population health information from surveillance, observation, community, and control trial based research.
3. Identify appropriate outcome measures and study designs applicable to epidemiological subfields such as infectious disease, chronic disease, environmental exposures, reproductive health, and genetics.
4. Apply commonly used measures of health risk.
5. Examine current ethical/legal issues in epidemiology.
6. Identify important sources of epidemiological data.
7. Evaluate a public health problem in terms of magnitude, person, time, and place.

To prepare: Select a population health issue of interest to you and identify the population affected by the issue. Locate two scholarly articles, each of which provides a description of an effective health advocacy campaign that addresses your issue. The articles need to focus on two different advocacy campaigns. Analyze the attributes of the two campaigns to determine what made them effective. Reflect on a policy you could propose or suggest a change to a current policy to improve the health of the population you selected. Consider how you could develop an advocacy campaign, applying the attributes identified in similar, effective campaigns. To complete: For the Part 1 application (approximately 3–4 pages of content with a title page and references in APA format) address the following: Describe your selected population health issue and the population affected by this issue. Summarize the two advocacy campaigns you researched in this area. Explain the attributes that made those campaigns effective. Begin to develop a plan for a health advocacy campaign that seeks to create a new policy or change an existing policy with regard to the issue and population you selected. Be sure to include in your plan: A description of the public health issue and proposed policy solution Specific objectives for the policy you want to be implemented Begin to substantiate of your proposed campaign by data and evidence.