Prioritizing process is essential for better Hoosier health
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Prioritizing tasks when everything feels important can be difficult, but it’s essential to the success of meaningful public health improvement, especially for Hoosier women navigating pregnancy and motherhood. Indiana is a diverse state with a mix of both urban and rural communities and striking differences exist in the way in which health care is accessed and delivered from South Bend to Sellersburg.
As we seek proactive versus reactive solutions to improving citizens’ health outcomes, a multi-faceted approach and the use of processes and best practices to manage logistics, implementation and the rollout of statewide programs is key. A few of the guiding principles which can be considered when developing a process to drive innovation in public health care programs are as follows:
Provide the resources necessary for change
While a vast majority of the population in the State of Indiana speaks English, nearly 10% speak a language other than English at home. If you anticipate that language could be a barrier to gaining access to the program and facilitating the much-needed dialogue between providers and patients, then develop a plan that accounts for this factor. Taking into consideration providers of different ethnic backgrounds and language supports will help better engage and provide value-based care to program participants.
What gets measured gets done
Improving and innovating public health functions can only be done through ongoing evaluation, research and quality improvement. Create a process for tracking milestones and deliverables and communicate the findings on a regular basis. Reporting project progress to government officials, community leaders, participants and everyday citizens not only creates transparency, but opens the door to see where opportunities to fine-tune the current process might exist.
In addition, don’t let the information gathered go to waste. Deploying algorithms with little oversight is counterproductive. Work collaboratively with the participants and program administrators to ensure you are honoring the criteria developed.
Strive to remove stigmas
Culture, socio-economic circumstances and social norms should not deny any citizen access to respectful and dignified health care. Education, guidelines and training for personnel on how to provide informative, supportive and respectful care should be incorporated into the messaging for any project in order to garner support and trust.
Keep the big picture in mind
Health outcomes are based on determinants of health. Where citizens eat, work and play paints a picture to their lived experiences and can have a major impact on their health and well-being. Providing additional tools and the resources needed to access care such as transportation and childcare can play a large role in the success of a program.
Prioritizing the process of care and improving how public health organizations manage service delivery helps create a cycle of improved health of all people in all our communities. Building a network of services and supports enables equitable access to care for Hoosiers and is not only an investment in individual health, but the overall well-being of the state.