Ch #5 Abstract/Reflection

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The abstract discusses int he first half of this chapter, how a successful community health worker must master the skills to organize a community and to plan a health promotion plan. It briefly talked about how the need for organizing communities has changed from the past to now. It now takes specific skills to organize a community to act together due to changes in the community social structure. the early approaches used consensus and cooperation. In recent years three primary methods have developed 1)local development 2)social planning 3)social action. However old or new, the work and resources of many have much better chance of solving a problem than the work and resources of a few. It presented a generic approach in 10 steps to the process of Community Organizing/Building 1) recognizing the issue 2)gaining entry into the community 3) organizing the people 4)assessing the community 5)determining the priorities and setting goals 6)arriving at a solution and selecting intervention strategies 7)implementing the plan 8)evaluating the outcomes of the plan of action 9)maintaining the outcomes in the community 10)looping back.
This chapter also discusses some models for community organizing/building that have been created by government agencies for specific projects or programs. For example, Healthy cities/Healthy Communities is and initiative of the World Health Organization that provides five-steps:
1. Mobilize key individuals and organizations
2. Assessing community needs, Strengths, and Resources
3. Plan for action
4. Implement the action Plan
5. Track Progress and Outcomes

Another model brought up in the chapter is the Planned Approach to Community Health (PATCH) which was created by the Center for Disease control and Prevention to "strengthen state and local health departments, capacities to plan, implement, and evaluate community-based health promotion activities targeted toward priority health problems" (McKenzie, pg. 130). In addition to this program there is also the Mobilizing for Action through Planning and Partnerships (MAPP). It's approach is to improve health and quality of life through mobilizing partnerships and taking strategic action.

In the second half of this chapter presents the process of health promotion programming. Planning a health promotion is the second necessary skill. Education is an important part of health promotion, however promotion an education do not mean the same thing. It breaks it down into Health Education and Health Promotion. It shows a model that educates the reader of the relationship between these two. Health Education is only one pat of the health promotion. The end of the chapter generalizes the program planning into first (assessing needs), second (setting goals and objectives), third (developing and intervention), fourth (implementing the intervention), fifth (evaluating the results). A very similar set up as the organization of the community.

The reflection of chapter #5 that we want to discuss, was in the paragraph "Need for Organizing Communities". It explained how the need to organize communities has increased. Due to some factors like advances in electronics (digital),, and communication (cell phones, Internet), increased mobility (world-wide travel), which has resulted in a sense of loss in communities. Today it is not uncommon for people to never meet their neighbors. In other cases, people today only see or talk to their neighbors once or twice a year. Due to our need for more independence, we have found ourselves changing the community social structure , ti now takes specific skill to organize a community to act together for the collective good. The early approach to community organization by social worker s used the consensus and cooperating to deal with community problems. In recent years they've been using three primary methods to do this 1)locality development, 2)social planning, 3)social action. Even the newer models are based more on collaborative empowerment and community building. Though which ever the models you use-old-new- the common theme which team #5 thinks we can all agree on is : The work and resources for many have a much better chance of solving a problem than the work and resources of a few.