Syllabus
Master of Public Health
GPH 732 Community Assessment – Summer A 2016
Credits - 3
Description
This course examines the concepts, methods, and practices for assessing the health of a community. Topics include measuring community health status, developing community health profiles, identifying the determinants of health, and the utilization of community health assessment in developing public health interventions.
Course Format
This course is facilitated through Blackboard, UNE’s online learning management system. The course will be delivered in 8 weekly online modules, with each module beginning on Wednesday at 12:01 am and ending the following Wednesday at 11:59 pm, except for the last week (Week 8), which will begin on Wednesday and end on Sunday. Students will watch online lectures produced by the course instructor and field experts, engage in readings and other media provided by instructors, and will learn from one another through the discussion board and written assignments. Each section of this course will be facilitated by an instructor with significant professional and academic expertise in the area of study. Individual meetings with the course instructor will be up to the student to schedule
Materials
Learning Objectives and Outcomes
Program Competency 1: Utilize quantitative and qualitative data to identify and analyze factors affecting the health of a community
- Course Outcomes:
- Define health and its determinants
- List and briefly describe commonly used models or “frameworks” for conducting CHA and CHIP.
- List and briefly describe commonly used models or “frameworks” for conducting CHA and CHIP.
- Write a report summarizing the findings of the CHA and recommending community health issues for consideration in CHIP
Program Competency 2: Propose policies, programs, and services for diverse populations that demonstrate cultural proficiency and community collaboration.
- Course Outcomes:
- Define community health assessment (CHA) and the community health improvement process
- Describe the reasons for conducting CHA and CHIP
- Develop a community health profile (CHP) that includes a community component, such as windshielding and interviews
Program Competency 3: Assess the role of community relationships and diverse perspectives in the development or implementation of public health policies, programs, and services.
- Course Outcomes:
- List potential and or necessary partners in conducting a CHA. Describe how to select partners and how to manage those partnerships.
- Describe the process for engaging community partners in CHA
- Describe common challenges faced in conducting CHA and ways in which they might be addressed
Program Competency 4: Utilize evidence to support decision-making in the development and evaluation of public health initiatives.
- Course Outcomes:
- Select indicators to be included in a CHA and justify their selection
- Describe sources of information for conducting CHA and CHIP and for developing a community health profile, including qualitative and quantitative data and primary and secondary data.
Assignments
Final Project: Community Health Profile
Throughout the course you will be developing a community health profile. In Week 1 (Assignment #1) you will select a community on which to focus. You will build upon this in Week 4 by selecting core health indicators for your community health profile. In Week 5 you will explore various sources of data to obtain recent estimates of the core health indicators that you selected in Week 4. You will submit a draft of your community health profile in Week 6. Your final submission is due Friday of Week 8. Make sure to incorporate the feedback you have received from your instructor along the way into the final submission.
Windshielding
This assignment gives you a chance to observe your selected community and discover what issues strike you as you examine it (via windshield) or as you walk around it. You will use the information you collect in this exercise for two different purposes:
- To create an audiovisual presentation that the other students in your small group will review.
- As a course of data, photos, and impressions about your selected community that you can use in your community health profile.
Due Sunday of Week 2.
Class Discussions
Weekly discussion forums are an essential part of the online course experience. Discussion prompts build on readings, lectures and course content, and allow students to contribute to the learning experience through collaboration with the instructor and peers.
Initial discussion postings must be submitted by Sunday at 11:59 pm ET. These postings will generally be a response to a question and will require that you have viewed the lecture and done the reading. You may also have to do some additional research for these postings.
Follow-up postings/responses must be completed by Wednesday at 11:59 pm ET of the week the question is assigned. These postings are intended to be a response to one of your classmates and are essential for exchanging ideas and learning from each other. For full credit, students must develop a thoughtful response, bringing something new to the discussion. Posts that ask questions, extend the breadth of the discussion, or use additional information from the literature or readings to argue a point are encouraged. Short responses that do not add to the discussion will not receive full credit. Students are welcome to respond to more than one classmate, but emphasis should be placed on quality (not quantity) of posts. Note: All assignments/discussions for Week 8 should be posted by Sunday at 11:59 pm.
If the initial post and response are not submitted within the discussion week you will be given a zero. Posts submitted after the discussion week will not be graded.
Grading Policy
Your grade in this course will be determined by the following criteria:
Grade Breakdown
| Discussion Forum: Introduction Discussion | 1 point |
| Discussion Forum: Weeks 1, 3, & 5 | 3 Points each = 9 points |
| Discussion Forum: Week 8 | 2 points |
| Assignment #1: Select a Community | 5 points |
| Assignment #2A: Windshielding | 15 points |
| Assignment #2B: Windshielding Peer Review | 5 points |
| Assignment #3: Community Assets Interview | 15 points |
| Assignment #4A: Selecting Core Health Indicators | 6 points |
| Assignment #4B: The Search for Data | 12 points |
| Assignment #5A: Draft of Community Health Profile | 10 points |
| Assignment #5B: Final Community Health Profile | 20 points |
| Total Points | 100 |
Grade Scale
| Grade | Points Grade | Point Average (GPA) |
| A | 94 – 100% | 4.00 |
| A- | 90 – 93% | 3.75 |
| B+ | 87 – 89% | 3.50 |
| B | 84 – 86% | 3.00 |
| B- | 80 – 83% | 2.75 |
| C+ | 77 – 79% | 2.50 |
| C | 74 – 76% | 2.00 |
| C- | 70 – 73% | 1.75 |
| D | 64 – 69% | 1.00 |
| F | 00 – 63% | 0.00 |
Schedule
Course Weeks
- Week 1: May 4 – May 11
- Week 2: May 11 – May 18
- Week 3: May 18 – May 25
- Week 4: May 25 – June 1
- Week 5: June 1 – June 8
- Week 6: June 8 – June 15
- Week 7: June 15 – June 22
- Week 8: June 22 – June 26 (Sunday)
Course Schedule
Week 1: Introduction to Community Assessment
Weekly Outcomes
- Define community for the purposes of CHA and CHIP
- Describe major historical contributions to, and current contextual drivers for, CHA such as the Affordable Care Act (ACA) and the IRS mandate
- Describe processes and tools related to CHA and CHIP and the such as, PATCH, CHIP, APEXPH, PACEEH, and MAPP
- Select community for which each student will develop a community health profile
Readings
- Institute of Medicine. Improving Health in the Community: A Role for Performance Monitoring. Washington, DC: National Academies Press; 1997, Executive Summary, pages 1-11. Available at: http://www.nap.edu/catalog.php?record_id=5298. Seminal work that provides a conceptual basis for the community health improvement process and the use of performance indicators in this process.
- Institute of Medicine. Improving Health in the Community: A Role for Performance Monitoring. Washington, DC: National Academies Press; 1997, Chapter 4: A Community Health Improvement Process, pages 77-125. Available at: http://www.nap.edu/catalog.php?record_id=5298
- Rosenbaum, S. Additional Requirements for Charitable Hospitals: Final Rules on Community Health Needs Assessments and Financial Assistance. [Internet]. Health Affairs Blog: Following the ACA. January 23, 2015. Available at: http://healthaffairs.org/blog/2015/01/23/additional-requirements-for-charitable-hospitals-final-rules-on-community-health-needs-assessments-and-financial-assistance/
- National Association of County and City Health Officials. APEXPH, PACE EH, and MAPP: Local public health planning and assessment at a glance. Washington, DC: NACCHO; 2007. Available at: http://www.naccho.org/topics/infrastructure/mapp/upload/MappPaceApex.pdf Fact sheet presenting an overview of the key similarities and differences among three NACCHO and CDC developed tools: APEXPH, PACE EH, and MAPP. This information will help users decide which tool is most appropriate for their needs.
- National Association of County and City Health Officials. Overview of the various phases of the MAPP process, recommended participants, and suggestions for success that was developed by the County of San Diego Health Department. Available at: http://www.naccho.org/topics/infrastructure/mapp/framework/clearinghouse/loader.cfm?csModule=security/getfile&pageID=243828. Overview of the phases of the MAPP process, recommended participants, and suggestions for success that was developed by the County of San Diego Health Department based on the NACCHO MAPP materials.
Videos
- Introduction and Course Overview (John Gale) | Slides
- Definitions of Population, Community, Health, Assessment, and Community Health Assessment (Gib Parrish)
- Community health improvement process and community health assessment (Gib Parrish)
- Web based resources for community health assessment (Gib Parrish)
Assignments
- Discussion: Introduction
- Discussion: CHA Review – Presentation and Methodology
- Assignment #1: Select a Community
Week 2: Community Overview & Community Engagement
Weekly Outcomes
- In chosen community conduct a windshielding exercise and collect information on forms
- Compile data and pictures for online presentation to begin process of creating community health profile
- Using various data sources obtain more information about your community including community groups, stakeholders, relevant history, decision-makers, and others that will be important to CHA process
- Describe ways to quantify and qualify community participation, engagement, and sustainability as well as notions such as social connectedness and social capital
- Given a scenario, be able to organize and analyze data about your community
- Participate in focus group role play as part of community Health Assessment process
Readings
- Gale, J., Coburn, A., & Newton, H. Collaborative Community Health Needs Assessments: Approaches and Benefits for Critical Access Hospitals. Policy Brief # 36. May 2014. Flex Monitoring Team: Portland, ME. Available at: http://www.flexmonitoring.org/publications/pb36/
- US Department of Health and Human Services. Principles of Community Engagement, Second Edition. Washington, DC: USDHHS; 2011: Chapter 1, pages 7-17 and Chapter 2. Available at: http://www.atsdr.cdc.gov/communityengagement/index.html.
- Work Group for Community Health and Development at the University of Kansas. Community Tool Box [Internet]: Community Assessment, Chapter 3, Section 21: Windshield and Walking Surveys. Available at: http://ctb.ku.edu/en/tablecontents/chapter3-section21-main.aspx. Accessed: 2013 Nov 17.
This link provides instructions for windshielding from Kansas Health Department. This link provides background about what you might look at and how you might plan your time. Specific instructions for the assignment are given in the assignment description below.
Videos
Assignments
- Assignment #2A: Windshielding
- Assignment #2B: Windshielding Peer Review
Week 3: Community Resources
Weekly Outcomes
- Describe the importance of community resources and assets in the community health improvement process
- Understand the difference between a community map based on needs and one based on assets
- Explore resources and assets that are available in your community
Readings
- Institute of Medicine. Improving Health in the Community: A Role for Performance Monitoring. Washington, DC: National Academies Press; 1997, Chapter 4: A Community Health Improvement Process, pages 106-113. Available at:http://www.nap.edu/catalog.php?record_id=5298.
- McKnight J, Kretzmann J. Chapter 10: Mapping community capacity. In Community Organizing and Community Building for Health, 3rd ed. Edited by Meredith Minkler. Rutgers Univ. Press. 2012. Pages 171-186. Available online at Google books, http://books.google.com/books?id=uVU6yuxq-E0C&printsec=frontcover&dq=Meredith+Minkler&hl=en&sa=X&ei=sZwmUomiA8OzsATC9IHwDA&ved=0CDQQ6AEwAQ.
- Community Tool Box. Chapter 3 section 8: Identifying community assets and resources. Contributed by Bill Berkowitz and Eric Wadud. Available at: http://ctb.ku.edu/en/tablecontents/sub_section_main_1043.aspx.
Videos
Assignments
- Discussion: CHA Review – Engagement
- Begin working on Assignment #3 due in Week 4
Week 4: Indicators for Assessing the Health of a Community
Weekly Outcomes
- Become familiar with a community health profile (CHP) and the role it plays in a community health assessment (CHA)
- Discuss the components of a CHP and select core elements for the CHPs that we will develop during this course
- Review health status indicators and select a core set of such indicators for inclusion in every student’s community health profile (CHP)
Readings
- Institute of Medicine. Improving Health in the Community: A Role for Performance Monitoring. Washington, DC: National Academies Press; 1997, Chapter 5: Measurement Tools for a Community Health Improvement Process, 126-165. Available at: http://www.nap.edu/catalog/5298/improving-health-in-the-community-a-role-for-performance-monitoring
- U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Community Health Assessment for Population Health Improvement: Resource of Most Frequently Recommended Health Outcomes and Determinants (.pdf). Atlanta, GA: Office of Surveillance, Epidemiology, and Laboratory Services, 2013.
- National Association of County and City Health Officials. Community Health Status Assessment Core Indicator Lists. Available at: http://www.naccho.org/topics/infrastructure/mapp/framework/clearinghouse/upload/Worksheet-CHSA-Indicator-List.pdf. Accessed: 2013 Aug 21.
Videos
- Overview (John Gale)
- Community Health and Indicators (Gib Parrish)
- More About Community Health Indicators (Gib Parrish)
- Sample Indicators (Gib Parrish)
- Geography in Selecting Indicators (Gib Parrish)
Assignments
- Assignment #3: Community Assets Interview
- Assignment #4A: Selecting Core Health Indicators
Week 5: Geographic, Demographic, and Socioeconomic Conditions and Health Status of a Cummunity
Weekly Outcomes
- Review methods of collecting data about the health of populations
- Review widely used sources of data about the health of populations
- Access U.S. Census Bureau and other Web sites to locate demographic and socioeconomic data on selected communities that can be used for a CHP
- Access various Web sites to locate health data on selected communities that can be used for a CHP
Readings
- National Association of County and City Health Officials. MAPP: A User’s Handbook .pdf . Washington, DC: NACCHO, 2004, pages 23-24, 56-64.
- Pages 23-24 provide a timeline for conducting the MAPP process over an 18-month period.
- Pages 56-64 describe the Community Health Status Assessment portion of the MAPP process.
- Institute of Medicine. Improving Health in the Community: A Role for Performance Monitoring. Washington, DC: National Academies Press; 1997, Appendix B, Methodological Issues in Developing Community Health Profiles and Performance Indicator Sets, pages 360-373. Available at: http://www.nap.edu/catalog.php?record_id=5298.
Videos
- Video tutorial that describes the NH Health Data Inventory and how to use it. Available at: http://www.applyit.unh.edu/tutorials-presentations/tutorial-using-nh-health-data-inventory (2:46 minutes)
- Video tutorial that describes the NH Health Web-based Query System (WRQS) and how to use it. Available at: http://www.applyit.unh.edu/tutorials-presentations/tutorial-using-nh-health-web-based-query-system (3:42 minutes)
Assignments
- Discussion: CHA Review – Use of Data
- Assignment #4B: The Search for Data
Week 6: Community Health Profile
Weekly Outcomes
- Review published community health assessments and profiles
- Complete a draft community health profile on a selected community
Readings
- There are no required readings this week.
Videos
- Overview of Community Health Assessment Assignment (John Gale)
Assignments
- Assignment #5A: Community Health Profile Draft
Week 7: Evaluating Community Health Assessments
Weekly Outcomes
- Review published criteria for assessing the usefulness of community health assessment
- Discuss the lack of evaluation of CHAs and suggested approaches to such evaluations
- Provide useful and collegial feedback to peers on written and verbal presentations
Readings
- Myers S, Stoto MA. Criteria for Assessing the Usefulness of Community Health Assessments: A Literature Review. Technical Report, Document #TR-314-CDC. Santa Monica (CA): RAND, 2006. Available at: http://www.rand.org/pubs/technical_reports/TR314.html.
Videos
- Evaluating Community Health Assessments (John Gale)
Assignments
- No assignments are due this week. Make sure to work on your Community Health Profile due Week 8.
Week 8: Prioritizing Health Issues & Exploring Interventions
Weekly Outcomes
- Review methods for prioritizing population health issues
- Review strategies for addressing population health issues
Readings
- Hardy, L, Bohan, KD, Talbot Trotter, R. Synthesizing Evidence-Based Strategies and Community Engaged Research: A Model to Address Social Determinants of Health. Association of Schools and Programs of Public Health. Public Health Reports. 2013;3(128)
- Quality Improvement, Department of Public Health, County of Los Angeles. Priority Setting in Public Health. September 2015.
- National Association of County and City Health Officials. First Things First: Prioritizing Health Problems. Posted on 2010 Oct 15. Available at: http://www.naccho.org/topics/infrastructure/accreditation/upload/Prioritization-Summaries-and-Examples.pdf.
- Jacobs JA, Jones E, Gabella BA, Spring B, Brownson RC. Tools for Implementing an Evidence-Based Approach in Public Health Practice. Prev Chronic Dis 2012;9:110324. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5888/pcd9.110324. Available at: http://www.cdc.gov/pcd/issues/2012/11_0324.htm.
Videos
- Prioritizing Health Issues and Exploring Interventions (John Gale)
Assignments
- Discussion: Reflection
- Assignment #5B: Final Community Health Profile
Student Resources
Online Student Support
Your Student Support Specialist is a resource for you. Please don't hesitate to contact them for assistance, including, but not limited to course planning, current problems or issues in a course, technology concerns, or personal emergencies.
Questions? Visit the Student Support Public Health page
UNE Libraries:
- Library Access for all students: Your library login ID and password are the same as the ones you use to log into Brightspace.
- Public Health Databases: https://library.une.edu/library-materials/find/research-by-subject/public-health/
- Library Questions: Ask a librarian or phone library staff at (207) 602-2361 or (207) 221-4330.
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UNE's Student Academic Success Center (SASC) offers a range of free online services to support your academic achievement. Writing support, ESOL support, study strategy and learning style consultations, as well as downloadable resources, are available to all matriculating students. The SASC also offers tutoring for GPH 712 Epidemiology, GPH 716 Biostatistics, GPH 717 Applied Epidemiology, GPH 718 Biostatistics II, and GPH 719 Research Methods. To make an appointment for any of these services, go to une.tutortrac.com. For more information and to view and download writing and studying resources, please visit:
Information Technology Services (ITS)
- ITS Contact: Toll Free Help Desk 24 hours/7 days per week at 1-877-518-4673
Accommodations
Any student who would like to request, or ask any questions regarding, academic adjustments or accommodations must contact the Student Access Center at (207) 221-4438 or pcstudentaccess@une.edu. Student Access Center staff will evaluate the student's documentation and determine eligibility of accommodation(s) through the Student Access Center registration procedure.
Online Peer Support
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Students should notify their Student Support Specialist and instructor in the event of a problem relating to a course. This notification should occur promptly and proactively to support timely resolution.
ITS Contact: Toll-Free Help Desk 24 hours/7 days per week at 1-877-518-4673.
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The Career Ready Program provides tools and resources to help students explore and hone in on their career goals, search for jobs, create and improve professional documents, build professional network, learn interview skills, grow as a professional, and more. Come back often, at any time, as you move through your journey from career readiness as a student to career growth, satisfaction, and success as alumni.
Policies
AMA Writing Style Statement
The American Medical Association Manual (AMA) of Style, 11th edition is the required writing format for this course. Additional support for academic writing and AMA format is provided throughout the coursework as well as at the UNE Portal for Online Students.
Online resources: AMA Style Guide
Turnitin Originality Check and Plagiarism Detection Tool
The College of Professional Studies uses Turnitin to help deter plagiarism and to foster the proper attribution of sources. Turnitin provides comparative reports for submitted assignments that reflect similarities in other written works. This can include, but is not limited to, previously submitted assignments, internet articles, research journals, and academic databases.
Make sure to cite your sources appropriately as well as use your own words in synthesizing information from published literature. Webinars and workshops, included early in your coursework, will help guide best practices in APA citation and academic writing.
You can learn more about Turnitin in the guide on how to navigate your Similarity Report.
Technology Requirements
Please review the technical requirements for UNE Online Graduate Programs: Technical Requirements
Course Evaluation Policy
Course surveys are one of the most important tools that University of New England uses for evaluating the quality of your education, and for providing meaningful feedback to instructors on their teaching. In order to assure that the feedback is both comprehensive and precise, we need to receive it from each student for each course. Evaluation access is distributed via UNE email at the beginning of the last week of the course.
Late Policy
Students are responsible for submitting work by the date indicated in Brightspace.
Quizzes and Tests: Quizzes and tests must be completed by the due date. They will not be accepted after the due date.
Assignments: Unless otherwise specified, assignments will be accepted up to 3 days late; however, there is a 10% grade reduction (from the total points) for the late submission. After three days the assignment will not be accepted.
Discussion posts: If the initial post is submitted late, but still within the discussion board week, there will be a 10% grade reduction from the total discussion grade (e.g., a 3 point discussion will be reduced by 0.3 points). Any posts submitted after the end of the Discussion Board week will not be graded.
Please make every effort ahead of time to contact your instructor and your student support specialist if you are not able to meet an assignment deadline. Arrangements for extenuating circumstances may be considered by faculty.
Student Handbook Online - Policies and Procedures
The policies contained within this document apply to all students in the College of Graduate and Professional Studies. It is each student's responsibility to know the contents of this handbook.
UNE Course Withdrawal
Please contact your student support specialist if you are considering dropping or withdrawing from a course. The last day to drop for 100% tuition refund is the 2nd day of the course. Financial Aid charges may still apply. Students using Financial Aid should contact the Financial Aid Office prior to withdrawing from a course.
Academic Integrity
The University of New England values academic integrity in all aspects of the educational experience. Academic dishonesty in any form undermines this standard and devalues the original contributions of others. It is the responsibility of all members of the University community to actively uphold the integrity of the academy; failure to act, for any reason, is not acceptable. For information about plagiarism and academic misconduct, please visit https://www.une.edu/studentlife/plagiarism.
Academic dishonesty includes, but is not limited to the following:
- Cheating, copying, or the offering or receiving of unauthorized assistance or information.
- Fabrication or falsification of data, results, or sources for papers or reports.
- Action which destroys or alters the work of another student.
- Multiple submissions of the same paper or report for assignments in more than one course without permission of each instructor.
- Plagiarism, the appropriation of records, research, materials, ideas, or the language of other persons or writers and the submission of them as one's own.
Charges of academic dishonesty will be reviewed by the Program Director. Penalties for students found responsible for violations may depend upon the seriousness and circumstances of the violation, the degree of premeditation involved, and/or the student’s previous record of violations. Appeal of a decision may be made to the Dean whose decision will be final. Student appeals will take place through the grievance process outlined in the student handbook.
Attendance Policy
8 week: Students taking online graduate courses through the College of Professional Studies will be administratively dropped for non-participation if a graded assignment/discussion post is not submitted before Sunday at 11:59 pm ET of the first week of the term. Reinstatement is at the purview of the Dean's Office.
16 week: Students taking online graduate courses through the College of Professional Studies will be administratively dropped for non-participation if a graded assignment/discussion post is not submitted before Friday at 11:59 pm ET of the second week of the term. Reinstatement is at the purview of the Dean's Office.
Student Handbook Online - Policies and Procedures
The policies contained within this document apply to all students in the College of Professional Studies. It is each student's responsibility to know the contents of this handbook.
UNE Course Withdrawal
Please contact your student support specialist if you are considering dropping or withdrawing from a course. The last day to drop for 100% tuition refund is the 2nd day of the course. Financial Aid charges may still apply. Students using Financial Aid should contact the Financial Aid Office prior to withdrawing from a course.
Academic Integrity
The University of New England values academic integrity in all aspects of the educational experience. Academic dishonesty in any form undermines this standard and devalues the original contributions of others. It is the responsibility of all members of the University community to actively uphold the integrity of the academy; failure to act, for any reason, is not acceptable. For information about plagiarism and academic misconduct, please visit UNE Plagiarism Policies.
Academic dishonesty includes, but is not limited to the following:
- Cheating, copying, or the offering or receiving of unauthorized assistance or information.
- Fabrication or falsification of data, results, or sources for papers or reports.
- Action which destroys or alters the work of another student.
- Multiple submissions of the same paper or report for assignments in more than one course without permission of each instructor.
- Plagiarism, the appropriation of records, research, materials, ideas, or the language of other persons or writers and the submission of them as one's own.
Charges of academic dishonesty will be reviewed by the Program Director. Penalties for students found responsible for violations may depend upon the seriousness and circumstances of the violation, the degree of premeditation involved, and/or the student’s previous record of violations. Appeal of a decision may be made to the Dean whose decision will be final. Student appeals will take place through the grievance process outlined in the student handbook.