Community
Health & Community Development
Interrelationships
& Benefits for Urban Public / Private Sectors
(© Michelle Sahl 2001)
·
Bioethics Perspective: In
advancing positive health care outcomes and distributive justice in health care delivery, initiatives at the urban/community
level require behavioral change for consumers, providers and payers. Thus, there
exists a demonstrated need for advocates in the field of bioethics to understand and work in conjunction with governmental,
legal and political systems.
·
Government Administration Perspective:
Urban/community public policy development and management increasingly depend on the vitality of the area’s metropolitan
residents. In order to optimize urban fiscal management, minimize negative budgetary
impact, and maximize the productivity of its citizens, urban governments have a need to address the health, welfare and quality
of life issues of their citizens, particularly their disenfranchised populations. This
need includes, as an example, viewing municipal infrastructure use and development from a perspective of enhancing the population’s
health status and access to health care services.
·
Community Perspective: Grassroots
efforts to improve residents’ quality of life include promoting consumer education, utilizing local academic and medical
centers for joint program development, and engaging in pilot and demonstration programs that can benefit the community’s
citizens.
·
Examples of Issues & Efforts for Evaluating and Implementing Broad-based
Urban Initiatives:
§ Public/private
partnerships
§ Relationship
between crime and health status
§ Community
(Health) Needs Assessments
§ Development
of new joint ventures to target specific community problems (i.e., Philadelphia’s
Center City District)
·
Opportunities:
§ Development
of joint academic programs/courses (Bioethics, Fels Institute, Law School, Medical School, Leonard Davis Institute)
§ Development
of joint research efforts, pilot studies, demonstration projects
