Write words that respond to the following questions with your thoughts, ideas, and comments. This will be the foundation for future discussions by your classmates. Be substantive and clear, and use examples to reinforce your ideas.
Complete the following:(Local Health reforms for California)
Describe 2 key lessons that you have learned from state or local health reform efforts, and provide an analysis on how these lessons might inform health policy changes taking place at the federal level, if at all.
Identify 1 reform effort that is considered a benchmark at the local level that in some way reduces healthcare costs, improves quality, or increases access to healthcare.
Provide the link to the article or Web site in your post, and list it as a reference in APA format.
Sample solution
Dante Alighieri played a critical role in the literature world through his poem Divine Comedy that was written in the 14th century. The poem contains Inferno, Purgatorio, and Paradiso. The Inferno is a description of the nine circles of torment that are found on the earth. It depicts the realms of the people that have gone against the spiritual values and who, instead, have chosen bestial appetite, violence, or fraud and malice. The nine circles of hell are limbo, lust, gluttony, greed and wrath. Others are heresy, violence, fraud, and treachery. The purpose of this paper is to examine the Dante’s Inferno in the perspective of its portrayal of God’s image and the justification of hell.
In this epic poem, God is portrayed as a super being guilty of multiple weaknesses including being egotistic, unjust, and hypocritical. Dante, in this poem, depicts God as being more human than divine by challenging God’s omnipotence. Additionally, the manner in which Dante describes Hell is in full contradiction to the morals of God as written in the Bible. When god arranges Hell to flatter Himself, He commits egotism, a sin that is common among human beings (Cheney, 2016). The weakness is depicted in Limbo and on the Gate of Hell where, for instance, God sends those who do not worship Him to Hell. This implies that failure to worship Him is a sin.
God is also depicted as lacking justice in His actions thus removing the godly image. The injustice is portrayed by the manner in which the sodomites and opportunists are treated. The opportunists are subjected to banner chasing in their lives after death followed by being stung by insects and maggots. They are known to having done neither good nor bad during their lifetimes and, therefore, justice could have demanded that they be granted a neutral punishment having lived a neutral life. The sodomites are also punished unfairly by God when Brunetto Lattini is condemned to hell despite being a good leader (Babor, T. F., McGovern, T., & Robaina, K. (2017). While he commited sodomy, God chooses to ignore all the other good deeds that Brunetto did.
Finally, God is also portrayed as being hypocritical in His actions, a sin that further diminishes His godliness and makes Him more human. A case in point is when God condemns the sin of egotism and goes ahead to commit it repeatedly. Proverbs 29:23 states that “arrogance will bring your downfall, but if you are humble, you will be respected.” When Slattery condemns Dante’s human state as being weak, doubtful, and limited, he is proving God’s hypocrisy because He is also human (Verdicchio, 2015). The actions of God in Hell as portrayed by Dante are inconsistent with the Biblical literature. Both Dante and God are prone to making mistakes, something common among human beings thus making God more human.
To wrap it up, Dante portrays God is more human since He commits the same sins that humans commit: egotism, hypocrisy, and injustice. Hell is justified as being a destination for victims of the mistakes committed by God. The Hell is presented as being a totally different place as compared to what is written about it in the Bible. As a result, reading through the text gives an image of God who is prone to the very mistakes common to humans thus ripping Him off His lofty status of divine and, instead, making Him a mere human. Whether or not Dante did it intentionally is subject to debate but one thing is clear in the poem: the misconstrued notion of God is revealed to future generations.
References
Babor, T. F., McGovern, T., & Robaina, K. (2017). Dante’s inferno: Seven deadly sins in scientific publishing and how to avoid them. Addiction Science: A Guide for the Perplexed, 267.
Cheney, L. D. G. (2016). Illustrations for Dante’s Inferno: A Comparative Study of Sandro Botticelli, Giovanni Stradano, and Federico Zuccaro. Cultural and Religious Studies, 4(8), 487.
Verdicchio, M. (2015). Irony and Desire in Dante’s” Inferno” 27. Italica, 285-297.
Local Health Reforms in California: Insights and Implications
California has been at the forefront of health reform efforts in the United States, often serving as a model for innovation and policy changes. Through its local health initiatives and reforms, several key lessons can be gleaned that may inform health policies at the federal level.
Key Lessons from Local Health Reform Efforts
1. The Importance of Community Engagement
One of the most significant lessons learned from California’s health reform efforts is the critical role of community engagement in designing and implementing health policies. Successful reforms often stem from understanding the unique needs and challenges faced by local populations. For instance, the California Endowment launched the “Building Healthy Communities” initiative, which emphasizes grassroots involvement in health decision-making processes. This approach ensures that policies are culturally sensitive and tailored to the specific demographics of the community, leading to better health outcomes.
When local authorities engage with community members, they are more likely to identify barriers to healthcare access and develop solutions that resonate with those affected. For example, the initiative recognized that many underserved communities faced obstacles such as transportation issues and language barriers. By addressing these concerns through localized strategies—like providing mobile clinics or multilingual health resources—California was able to improve health access and outcomes significantly.
Informing Federal Health Policy: The federal government can learn from these community engagement strategies by incorporating mechanisms that prioritize local voices in policy formulation. Creating advisory boards that include community representatives can ensure that federal health initiatives are better aligned with the needs of diverse populations across the country.
2. Integration of Services
Another key lesson is the necessity of integrating healthcare services to provide holistic care. California has made strides in integrating mental health and substance use disorder services with primary care. Initiatives like the Mental Health Services Act (MHSA) aim to provide comprehensive support for individuals, recognizing that mental health is just as critical to overall well-being as physical health.
Integrating services has shown to reduce costs by minimizing the need for emergency room visits and hospitalizations while enhancing patient outcomes through coordinated care. For example, when mental health services are offered alongside primary care, patients receive timely interventions that address both their physical and psychological needs.
Informing Federal Health Policy: At the federal level, policymakers should prioritize funding for integrated care models. By supporting programs that facilitate collaboration between mental health providers and primary care physicians, the federal government can create a more efficient healthcare system that ultimately reduces costs while improving quality of care.
Benchmark Reform Effort
One notable benchmark reform effort at the local level in California is the Los Angeles County Health Agency’s Whole Person Care Program. This initiative aims to improve healthcare delivery for high-need individuals by coordinating physical health, mental health, and social services. The program includes strategies such as case management and personalized care plans, ensuring that individuals receive comprehensive care tailored to their unique needs.
The Whole Person Care Program has shown promising results in reducing hospital admissions and emergency department visits, ultimately leading to cost savings for both patients and the healthcare system. By addressing a variety of social determinants of health—such as housing stability and access to transportation—this program not only improves access to healthcare but also enhances the overall quality of life for participants.
Conclusion
In summary, California’s local health reform efforts provide valuable lessons in community engagement and service integration that can significantly inform federal health policy changes. By prioritizing local input and promoting coordinated care models, federal initiatives can become more effective, equitable, and sustainable. The Whole Person Care Program in Los Angeles County exemplifies a successful benchmark reform that addresses cost reduction, quality improvement, and increased access to healthcare, setting a precedent for future reforms across the nation.
References
The California Endowment. (n.d.). Building Healthy Communities. Retrieved from https://www.calendow.org/
Los Angeles County Department of Health Services. (2021). Whole Person Care Program. Retrieved from http://dhs.lacounty.gov/
