The below are two students’ discussions postings.
Student #1
America’s ToothFairy Smile Drive is an oral health initiative sponsored by the National Children’s Oral Health Foundation (NCOHF). The NCOHF was formed in 2006 as a collaborative effort between health professionals, academicians, corporate leaders, and caring individuals to increase oral health care by supporting non-profit clinics and community partners (NCOHF, 2016b). The mission of NCOHF is to provide education, prevention and treatment services for underserved children. America’s ToothFairy Smile Drive raises awareness about children’s dental health and collecting preventive dental care supplies, such as toothbrushes, toothpaste, floss, rinses, and mouthguards for children in need. This initiative engages with several partners outside of the dental profession to increase awareness and emphasize the importance of the oral and systemic health connection. The goal is to ensure children in underserved populations are able to eat, sleep, and attend school free of dental pain. Partners of America’s ToothFairy include the Boys and Girls Club, United States Hispanic Chamber of Commerce Foundation, National Association of School Nurses, Food Research and Action Center, Global Dental Relief, FDI World Dental Federation, AphA Foundation, Youth Service America, and Smile for a Lifetime (NCOHF, 2016a). Churches, schools, Scout troops, service clubs, businesses, dental offices, fraternities/sororities, etc. are encouraged to host a Smile Drive event.
A health initiative partnering with schools is a win-win because good health is necessary for effective learning (Healey & Zimmerman, 2010). Students in good health reduce absenteeism rates and increases academic achievement. Working with other health care delivery systems encourages collaboration. Community and nongovernmental organizations, such as the Boys and Girls Clubs, play a complementary role in providing health education to the public. Faith-based organizations have direct access to individuals for information and support. Faith-based organizations also have an influential role in shaping the attitudes, beliefs, knowledge, and behaviors of the public. Tapping into diverse partners and stakeholders can elevate an initiative; however, these partnerships must be beneficial for both parties (Healey & Zimmerman, 2010). An initiative may have several partnerships but may not necessarily mean they are the effective. Partners must share the same goal, distribute accountability among partners, and ensure mutual benefit.
Healey, B. J. & Zimmerman, R.S. (2010). The new world of health promotion. New program development, implementation, and evaluation.Sudbury, MA: Jones and Bartlett Publishers.
National Children’s Oral Health Foundation. (2016a). Program partners. Retrieved from https://www.ncohf.org /whoweare/partners/program-partners/
National Children’s Oral Health Foundation. (2016b). Smile drive. Retrieved from https://www.ncohf.org/smile-drive/
Student #2
The reduction of surgical site infections can be recognized on an individual level per operating facility or on larger platforms such as county, state, national, recognition. The Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) provides resources for patients and health care providers. The information provided by the CDC provides comprehensive recommendations for detecting and preventing surgical site infections. These documents typically have the intent of highlighting practical recommendations that can be used to assist health care facilities in the prioritization and implementation of SSI prevention efforts (Anderson et al., 2014). Working with private marketing and promotion companies can enhance the visual presence of hand hygiene advertisement in healthcare facilities.
For example, if the CDC was to partner with an outside health marketing firm to assist in gaining the notoriety similar to that of a commercial business there may be greater recognition and compliance among physicians and patients. Catchy jingles, familiar slogans, notable mascots, product placement have assisted commercial companies in their success, similar marketing schemes can make this public health promotion of hand hygiene more visible and more greatly observed in health care. While performing hand hygiene is a widely accepted and practiced phenomenon but there are opportunities for improvement based on the number of surgical site infections each year and partnering with a marketing firm might assist in hand hygiene compliance and SSI reduction.
References:
Anderson, D. J., Podgorny, K., Berríos-Torres, S. I., Bratzler, D. W., Dellinger, E. P., Greene, L., … & Kaye, K. S. (2014). Strategies to prevent surgical site infections in acute care hospitals: 2014 update. Infection Control & Hospital Epidemiology, 35(S2), S66-S88.
