For this Discussion, read and review the two articles you selected from the list of articles
presented on the Learning Resources page focusing on the Management Academy for
Public Health.
Business skills in public health
In recent years, service provision at one of the county health departments began to
deteriorate. The pressure for nurses working at the hospital build up, with more time and costs
spent on every patient due to increased visits. The revenue collected from the services dropped
due to shift experienced in the patientsmix. The hospitals expenditures went down. To solve
this problem, the health providers at the county joined the respective health to establish a system
that ensured continued health care service provision to the uninsured and underinsured
individuals. Community health data and specific demographics of patients were obtained prior to
soliciting the required funds to solve the crisis facing the Wilkes County Health Department. The
business skills applied in this situation were effective in curbing the situation. Analysis of health
data and demographics, cost of operations, establishing the use of underutilized resources,
establishing an organizational connection, and sourcing for funds were effective interventions to
solve the problem (Scotten, Shirin and Absher, 2006). Effective business skills are an asset in
any health organization. At one time, while I was still working in one of the county health
departments, the organization I was working with refused to collaborate with a health department
of a different county in launching a campaign for patient education of management of
cardiovascular diseases due utilization of a lot of funds. Ten years later, the hospital recorded the
highest number of patients who were treated for cardiovascular diseases. An analysis report
showed that patients lacked relevant knowledge on management of such diseases. If the
collaboration could have been effected, this outcome would not have been experienced.
BUSINESS SKILLS IN PUBLIC HEALTH 2
Managers of health departments are required to have skills of data and financial
management. They are also required to have entrepreneurial skills. Through this, they will be
able to join with other public organizations to ensure efficient operation of their health
departments. Management Academies have been established to equip managers of health
departments with the relevant managerial skills for managing public health departments. These
programs have been shown to enhance the acquisition of the relevant skills required by
respective managers of public health departments (Umble et al., 2006).
BUSINESS SKILLS IN PUBLIC HEALTH 3
References
Scotten, E., Shirin L., & Absher, A. (2006). Creating community-based access to primary
healthcare for the uninsured through strategic alliances and restructuring local health
department programs. Journal of Public Health Management & Practice, 12(5), 446-
451.
Umble, K., Orton, S., Rosen, B., & Ottoson, J. (2006). Evaluating the impact of the
management academy for public health: developing entrepreneurial managers and
organizations. Journal of Public Health Management & Practice, 12(5), 436-445.