DQ#5b1 and DQ#5b2
RE: Discussion - Week 5
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NURS 6050C: Policy and Advocacy for Improving Population Health
Main Question Post. Health related issues can have far reaching implications well beyond the person suffering from said disease and immediate family members. Alcoholism is one such disease. Per the National Council on Alcoholism and Drug Dependence, Inc. (NCADD), “alcohol is the most commonly used addictive substance in the United States” (2018a). The NCADD goes on to state alcohol plays a factor in approximately 80% of arrests that lead to jail time being served and a factor in approximately 40% of all violent crimes committed (2018b).
Case in point, the area is which I reside is a 45-minute drive to Panama City Beach, Florida – often referred to as spring break capital of the world. Beautiful beaches, shops, and nightclubs live what is known as the strip. Over the years, the crime rate has begun to climb, particularly in the month on March when many colleges and universities are out for spring break. Neighboring beach communities have renourished the beaches, built family friendly places to stay, and beautified existing communities. Panama City Beach struggled to do the same due to the spring break crowd, destruction of property, and the subsequent crime rates.
One could say that local officials utilized a form of population-based health behavior change models to address the social issue.
Downstream
The downstream intervention focuses on changing an individual’s behavior (Knickman & Kovner, 2015, p. 133). The intervention utilized on Panama City Beach involved church groups providing free breakfasts with counselors on site to discuss the consequences of binge drinking and offering spiritual advice.
Midstream
The midstream intervention applies at the community level - working to develop a method or plan to reduce the at-risk population’s behavior (Knickman & Kovner, 2015, p.133). Case in point, Panama City Beach imposed several new ordinances. The most severe ordinance involved the prohibition of any alcoholic beverage on the beach during the entire month of March (Panama City Beach Chamber of Commerce, n.d.). The Panama City Beach Chamber of Commerce also sites all alcohol sales must stop at 2:00 in the morning for March and increased the amount of money charged for each violation of said ordinances.
As recently reported by a local newspaper, the Newsherald, crime rates are down since enacting the ordinances in 2016 (McDonald, 2018). McDonald also reported in 2015 there were 93 firearms removed from the beach in March and only 26 in 2018, 507 drug arrests in 2015 compared to 200 this year, and arrest numbers down to 1,200 compared to 2,423 in 2015.
Upstream
The upstream intervention involves state and national governments enforcing methods to make if more difficult for a person to continue risky behavior (Knickman & Kovner, 2015, p. 133). This would involve official in Panama City Beach moving beyond an ordinance and making the move to have alcohol on the beach a more permanent restriction – such as writing into law and or making the alcohol ban year-round versus only in March. In turn, one would likely see crime rates continue to decrease as well as the reputation of the area begin to improve.
References
Knickman, J.R., & Kovner, A.R. (Eds.). (2015). Health care delivery in the United States (11th ed.). New York, NY: Springer Publishing.
Hancock, C., & Cooper, K. (2011). A global initiative to tackle chronic diseases by changing Lifestyles. Primary Health Care, (21)4, 24-26.
McDonald, Z. (2018, April 22). Law enforcement officials said Spring Break crime is down across the board, but crowds surged after March 31. Panama City News Herald. Retrieved from
https://www.newsherald.com/news/20180422/pcb-eyes-extending-spring- break-alcohol-ban-into-april
National Council on Alcoholism and Drug Dependence, Inc. (2018a). Facts about alcohol. Retrieved from https://www.ncadd.org/about-addiction/alcohol/facts-about-alcohol
National Council on Alcoholism and Drug Dependence, Inc. (2018b). Alcohol, drugs, and crime. Retrieved from https://www.ncadd.org/about-addiction/addiction-update/alcohol-drugs- and-crime?highlight=WyJjcmltZSJd
Panama City Beach Chamber of Commerce. (n.d.). Spring break ordinances. Retrieved from https://www.pcbeach.org/spring-break-ordinances/
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