Module 6: Signature Assignment - My Growth as a Moral Agent

Discussion 2B

Step 1 - I think that local health departments in my opinion have met their ethical obligations as long as the health disparities remain in a similar range as before. This is based on the population differences, as well as other factors. If the local health departments overall health has improved, that means more people have gotten better, or less sick. It is my belief that the big picture is the overall health of the local area that is involved with this discussion.

- I think that infant mortality should remain the way it is. Giving it special consideration based on anything other than the actual numbers won't really make any drastic changes in the overall picture. I do not think we need to think in any special way as far as infants are concerned. The mortality rates have steadily gone down over the years. The advancement of medical technology has improved making things much better for most if not all infants. I do not really feel this needs to be thought of in any other way than what it already is.

- I think that race and racism already plays a role in infant mortality, whether we want it to or not. Should it be a factor in how we allocate resources and priorities? As long as it is done on a fair and equal basis with other races, it to me should be a factor.

Step 2 - Maintaining and keeping the funding going obviously will make the study of this sill viable and omni-present.

- Shifting funding to programs for the health of the entire community will still give maternal child healthcare issues a front for the funding. While it takes away from one program, it adds into a program designed for the overall health of the entire community.

- Having the community involved gets everyone to feel like they are a part of the decision making process, and helps people to feel important. The community needs to have a voice in this whole process, especially when it is infants mortality rate as the topic.

- It is my belief that the people should have a well spoken person who can speak well for the entire community. This can be done through a simple vote, or by decision making process.

Jesica Banda

May 27, 2021May 27 at 10:01pm

Brian since infant mortality has improved drastically, I would agree with allocating resources to current issues that require attention but still understand the importance of the inequalities in maternal-child healthcare. I feel it would be smart to place efforts in issues that most of the population is facing since the situation could possibly worsen and be more difficult to improve in the future.

I don’t agree that infant mortality should remain the way it is because its double in the black population, there should not be that big of a difference. I would agree if numbers where slightly off but that’s not the case. This is why I feel race should be considered when determining how to allocate resources.

Jesica Banda

May 26, 2021May 26 at 10:24pm

Step 1: Analyze the Ethical Dimensions of the Public Health Issue and Context

If we are considering current progress of black-white disparities in birth outcomes and shift resources to other programs to benefit more members of the community I do believe we would be meeting ethical obligations. In public health we do what meets utilitarian demand. Although I would consider what the other programs are, if they carry the same importance, and which group of people would be most affected by not having the resources. I would consider whether one would greatly suffer more by this change or would results remain the same even with the resources applied. If results are the same for one group while the other greatly benefits than yes, we are meeting ethical obligations.

To me infant mortality does have a higher ranking and everyone regardless of race has the right to quality care. No one should fear that their life or their baby’s life is at stake ever. Yes, we do need to think about what is fair differently when dealing with matters of life. We can not be careless with living beings, that is unethical and is the reason that attention should continue to be placed on the matter. Yes, there has been great progress but 13.4 infant death ratio per 1000 lives births is still high when comparing to the 5.6 non-Hispanic white women have (Barrett et al., 2016).

Since the vulnerable population consists of mainly minorities, I do believe race and racism in infant morality should impact how we set priorities. The goal is to help the vulnerable population and without consideration to minorities we cannot accomplish that.

Reference

Barrett, D. H., Ortmann, L. W., Dawson, A., Saenz, C., Reis, A., & Bolan, G. (2016). Public health ethics: Cases spanning the globe. Springer.

Step 2: Formulate Alternative Courses of Action and Evaluate their Ethical Dimensions

Maintain funding for maternal-child health care

Maintaining funding for maternal child health care will not be as effective as progress will not be made immediately and may cause other issues to worsen. The necessity for this choice is high as it will achieve a form of equality in healthcare. To achieve equality in healthcare all stakeholders must be willing to uphold ethical standards. Personal bias is a matter that should not be tolerated in any profession, especially in healthcare.

Shift funding from maternal-child health care to programs that impact the health of the larger community

This choice will be effective as results will most likely be seen immediately to improve the health status of the community. The necessity to improve other health issues in the community is also important and could possibly be done in a different way, since health status would improve immediately this may be the best way to go. In public health this meets the utilitarian demand but disregards the factor of equality.

Involve the community in deciding what the priorities are and how resources should be allocated.

By involving the community, we would allow for public justification since this would allow for community input. This would be helpful in determining the needs of the community and what they feel is important. With majority rule and mutual understanding from the community the responsibility is not as heavy and allows for the proper planning to take place with respect to the community. The stakeholder for this choice would have been chosen by the community, someone who is very involved with the people and knows their needs.

Collapse Subdiscussion Brian Davis

Brian Davis

May 27, 2021May 27 at 8pm

Hello Jesica,

I liked what you had to say on this discussion. Meeting the ethical demand is something to me that needs to be thought of first, not just thinking of smaller groups. We need to think of the public health community as a whole. We solve the big picture, we get closer to fixing the problems that are evident in everyday life. We need to make available the resources that everyone needs to have proper access to good health care. This should not be just an option for people with jobs and wealthy people. I unfortunately agree with you when you say that the vulnerable population are mainly minorities. I do not believe though that racism and race should effect how we prioritize goals and standards. Everyone should be treated equally. i agree with you that funds should be shifted from maternal child health care to programs that impact the health of the larger community, I don't think equality would matter if we pick up the slack, and solve the bigger picture.

Collapse Subdiscussion Latona Bates

Latona Bates

May 29, 2021May 29 at 10:56pm

Hello Jesica,

This was a brilliant read. It appears that we are in prefer of shifting assets to fulfill the desires of the entire community. Meeting the ethical call is something to me that needs to be idea of first, not just deliberating smaller corporations. We need to think of the general public health community as a whole. We solve the massive photograph, we get in the direction of solving the problems that are evident in ordinary life. We want to make the assets that everyone desires to have proper get right of entry to to true public care. This have to not be just an choice for humans with jobs and wealthy individuals. I feel this is the pleasant way to head although it is a difficult selection to make with the special attention I sense is needed for infant and maternal mortality. This is an issue that has advanced overtime and will maximum likely require extra time to diffuse than we will permit without placing communities in hazard. I definitely wish that adjustments are made within the health field to preserve carriers answerable for bias that happens and that penalties are extended to deter unethical remedy of patients.

Collapse Subdiscussion Latona Bates

Latona Bates

May 26, 2021May 26 at 10:47pm

Step 1: Analyze the Ethical Dimensions of the Public Health Issue and Context

When considering shifting resources from maternal-child health programs to programs for more members of the community I heavily feel that we would be meeting ethical obligations. I closely sense that we would be on the road to meeting ethical obligations. Since the standards of the Ethical Practice of Public Health deal with principally the essential causes of sickness and requirements for health, aiming to save you damaging health effects. Public fitness should reap network health in a manner that respects the rights of people within the network. In reading this situation I would really like to first recollect what are the program. I would then take into account its differences inside the applications. Then I might study whether or not it will be a big effect without having the important resources. After doing all of my reading if the corporations are the identical, we are assembly ethical duties.

I do assume that little one mortality is special in attention of fairness. I do think it’s very important due to the fact all lives matter. The satisfactory of existence is vital to every body. We all deserve to stay and one’s health are very important. Infant mortality fee is exactly talking now not a fee you'll take the variety of deaths divided by using the number of populations at risk for the duration of a certain time period however a probability of death derived from a lifestyles table and expressed as price in line with a thousand stay births. The outcome of these numbers makes a huge distinction. According to CDC, the little one mortality charge is the wide variety of toddler deaths for every 1,000 stay births. In addition to giving us key information approximately maternal and little one health, the toddler mortality fee is an important marker of the general fitness of a society. In 2018, the little one mortality fee in the United States turned into 5.7 deaths per 1,000 stay births.

Since the susceptible populace consists of in particular minorities, I do trust race and racism in infant mortality must effect how we set priorities. The purpose is to assist the susceptible population and with out attention to minorities we can not achieve this.

Step 2: Formulate Alternative Courses of Action and Evaluate their Ethical Dimensions

Shift funding from maternal-child health care to programs that impact the health of the larger community can be effective as consequences will maximum likely be seen without delay to enhance the health status of the community. The necessity to improve different health issues within the community is likewise essential and could possibly be achieved in an exceptional way, considering the fact that health fame might improve right away.

Maintaining investment for maternal child health care will now not be as effective as development will no longer be made right away and might purpose different troubles to get worse. The necessity for this preference is excessive because it will obtain a shape of equality in healthcare. To acquire equality in healthcare all health fairness is carried out while every person has the opportunity to attain his or her complete health ability and no person is derived from reaching this ability due to social position or other socially decided instances. Unfairness is an issue that have to now not be tolerated in any career, mainly in healthcare.

When we involve the community, we might permit for public reasoning considering the fact that this could permit for the entire community. This is probably helpful in identifying the desires of the community and what they experience is crucial. With majority rule and mutual know-how from the community the responsibility is not as heavy and allows for the right planning to take location with recognize to the community. Having the community concerned gets each person to feel like they may be part of the choice making procedure, and facilitates humans to experience vital. The community desires to have a voice on this entire technique, particularly while it's miles toddlers mortality fee as the topic.

References:

Moller, A., Patten, J., Hanson, C., Morgan, A., Say, L., Diaz, T., & Moran, A. (n.d.). Monitoring maternal and newborn health outcomes globally: A brief history of key events and initiatives. Retrieved May 28, 2021, from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6916345/

Edited by Latona Bates on May 27 at 9pm

Collapse Subdiscussion Brian Davis

Brian Davis

May 27, 2021May 27 at 7:52pm

Hello Latona,

I liked what you have to say about your take on shifting resources. It is a very pressing subject, and usually something that sparks a lot of debate and discussion. I think by meeting ethical obligations, we would for sure be on the road to better overall health. I am not quite sure what this all entails as far as public health ethics, but I think as long as we are keeping track of the overall well being, the needs are being met in my opinion. Public fitness is a very interesting topic. I would love to see this topic brought up more in terms of public health, as it is something that needs to be included in any public health budget.

All lives do matter, and this statement has nothing to do with police brutality or anything like that. In any case, your topics have valid points, and it is something we will all be looking more closely at this semester.

Jesica Banda

May 27, 2021May 27 at 10:19pm

Hi Latonya, it seems that we are in favor of shifting resources to meet the needs of the entire community. I feel this is the best way to go although it is a tough decision to make with the special consideration I feel is needed for infant and maternal mortality. This is an issue that has improved overtime and will most likely require more time to diffuse than we can allow without placing communities in danger. I sincerely hope that changes are made in the health field to hold providers accountable for bias that occurs and that penalties are increased to discourage unethical treatment of patients.

Collapse Subdiscussion Dillon Dinh

Dillon Dinh

May 28, 2021May 28 at 11:16pm

If black-white disparities in birth outcomes continue, but the overall health of the community improves. I believe that you have met the ethical obligations as a health department. This is because shifting resources from maternal-child health programs to programs for more members of the community means that you are allocating resources to more effective programs that provides more “health” per dollar, thus meeting the demand to maximize health. This is the view of many in terms of the overall goal of public health.

Infant mortality is important because it serves as an indicator of the nation’s health due to its association with maternal health, social and economic conditions, racial discrimination, access to health care, and public health practices. Therefore I believe that infant mortality is important because these infants will one day grow up and face the same disparities their parents did.

I believe that the role of race and racism in infant mortality should not impact how we set priorities and allocate resources. I believe this because remaining inequalities could be deemed ethically acceptable by some standards. Also in that it requires that social and economic inequalities work to benefit society’s least advantaged groups. This means that inequalities are morally accepted as long as they benefit the least advantaged groups.

The ethical dimensions for maintaining funding for maternal child health care are, What are the public health goals in this context? and What are the moral norms of choosing to maintain funding for material child health care? The ethical dimensions for shifting funding from maternal child health care to programs that impact the health of the larger community are, What are the risk, harms, or concerns of making such a drastic decision? Another dimension would be the features of social-historical context. The ethical dimensions for involving the community in deciding how resources are spent are what is the scope and legitimacy of legal authority. Another dimension would be what are the risk, harms, and concerns. If the community should get involved then I believe that someone who listens to the community and voices what the community wants and as able to clearly state those wants should be the one who should speak for the community.

Collapse Subdiscussion Dillon Dinh

Dillon Dinh

May 28, 2021May 28 at 11:17pm

References:

Barrett, D. H., Ortmann, L. W., Dawson, A., Saenz, C., Reis, A., & Bolan, G. (2016). Public health ethics: Cases spanning the globe. Springer.

Jesica Banda

May 29, 2021May 29 at 1:32pm

Team Decision: Shift funding from maternal-child health care to programs that impact the health of the larger community.

Shifting funds from maternal-child health care to programs the community would benefit from would be the best decision for the health of the larger community. As a professional in the public health field our duty is to meet the needs of the community, reduce disease, and promote health. We would not be able to do so if resources were placed in maternal-child health care unless this was the current major issue the community was facing. Maternal-child health care carries a higher equity demand that requires attention from all stakeholders involved. Applying resources to an issue that requires an extensive amount of time for change would not benefit the community and actually negatively impact their health progress. Reducing disease and promoting health is the focus, an equity demand of this degree would reduce or delay health progress in communities. This decision would be the most effective for the community when attempting to improve healthcare as it will benefit the majority of the community and improve overall health status.