Description

SAMPLE PAPER

Excelsior University

Module 3: Influences on the Health of the Population

Epidemiology offers C/PHNs a methodology to assess the health of a community/population. It provides a frame of reference for investigating as well as improving the health of communities.

The C/PHN is, in fact, a kind of detective who investigates a problem, unravels a puzzle, analyzes, and interprets clues, narrows down suspects, plans an intervention, and addresses the issue.

Discussion Instructions

Initial Post: In this discussion, you will investigate a current public health issue in your community. Remember your Comprehensive Community Assessment (Part 1 and Part 2) is due this module; this discussion will help prepare you for these assignments so take a minute to work smartly and review the assignment before writing your discussion post. After reviewing and engaging with this week’s materials, address the following in your post:

Identify a current health issue/concern in your community e.g. lead poisoning, Zika virus, West Nile virus, obesity, HIV/AIDs, gun violence, heroin and drug use, food safety, healthcare-associated infections, nutrition, infant mortality, etc.
Describe the available epidemiologic data & biostatistics used to identify this public health problem.

Clearly present your perspective and well-informed thoughts based on personal professional growth, new insights/ideas, ethical considerations, and citations from your text and other sources.

Responses: After completing your initial post to the discussion prompt, read the postings from your peers and respond to two classmates. In your response, address the strengths and challenges of your peers’ posts. Be sure to provide evidence to support your position(s).

Evaluation
Discussions combined are worth 20% of your overall course grade. Please review the Discussion Guidelines and SON Discussion rubric for evaluation of this discussion assignment.

Sample Solution

For this assignment, I would like to discuss the illegal distribution of marijuana within New York City. For context this has been an extremely sensitive issue since the legalization of recreational marijuana in 2021 that followed the prior decriminalization. Most of this trafficking is done primarily via smoke shops and delis’, as of the end of July 2024 approximately 800 illegal brick and mortar stores had been shuttered out of an estimated 3,000 to 4,000 (City of New York, 2024). But this number will likely not matter as many more stores will continue to reopen in a dilemma similar to the Hydra and the fact many of these shuttered operations may legally be allowed to return due to technicalities such as impropriety of how the warrants were served (Senzamici,2024). A secondary issue that the city of New York and the governor of New York that also fail to see is that a good amount of this marijuana is generally laced with: some sort of flavoring agent, certain potentiators like pesticides, synthetic cannabinoids ( such as delta 8/10/11) or lab derived THC, mystery chemicals and in some cases even fentanyl or stimulants such as amphetamines and colloquially among the younger population is called “Spray”. With brands such as “Sprinklez” or “Marshmallowz” being commonly seen locally (these two brands are owned by one company), they employ very bright and colorful packaging that generally depicts common deserts & beverages, characters in media and parodies of brands such as Oreo Cookies, Skittles, Chips Ahoy, Fanta and even brands such as PlayStation or depicting prescription pill bottles.

I have lived in Bensonhurst, Brooklyn, New York for 24 years. Over the years the neighborhood has changed a lot (and not all changes are good), shops coming and going, empty lots finally having developments, the local F train station finally having renovations completed only about 13 years after commencing. But importantly, what appears to be basically every smoke shop in Brooklyn within a 5-minute walk of where I live it seems (rough count of walking within a 5-block radius) has about 15 stores. The NY State elicit Cannabis Enforcement Task Force and local authorities have been actively shutting down unlicensed dispensaries as mentioned earlier. These businesses do not care about selling to minors at all as to them they treat the rather meager fines as just the cost of doing business and just attract illegal activity such as robberies of these stores. Following its decriminalization the growing scent cloud of weed smoke seems to get thicker and the users become bolder, with people smoking on train platforms, near schools and parks, random building lobbies and this is generally with no care in the world or consideration of others with seemingly no legal repercussions in the way of fines despite tobacco smokers being chastised or ticketed for essentially the same thing. Marijuana is a Schedule I substance on the federal level and as such is illegal to distribute, some states such as Oregon, California and now New York either allow the medical distribution of marijuana (following prescription of it) or for recreational purchase at designated dispensaries. The Illegal distribution of marijuana is a significant issue now due to these operations not being subject to the strict testing guidelines put in place by New York and more importantly for the state and city: the tax dollars which can easily hit billions a year as more dispensaries open. Despite legalization of marijuana in 2021, illegal sales persist due to the limited number of licensed dispensaries such as how in Brooklyn ( and most of NYC as a whole), Buffalo and certain parts of Long Island were blocked from new recreational dispensaries from opening following a civil suit from a marijuana related business outside of New York that complained about unfairness due to the state essentially only allowing New York marijuana businesses from being the first to operate along with certain issues with licenses (Adams, 2023). The ramifications are that many locations could not have their own legal dispensaries open which gave headway to the illegal operations that plague the city with legal operations not likely to resume opening until maybe late 2025.

The health ramifications of abuse of marijuana can vary from respiratory issues such as bronchiolitis obliterans (commonly called popcorn lung), possible psychiatric episodes and blood sugar or weight complications as THC can dramatically drop blood sugar levels (which is why marijuana users have altered dieting habits) and more (U.S. Department of Health and Human Services,2024). Per the same publication by the National institute of Health, research indicates that one long term effect is that in those with prolonged marijuana substance abuse disorder generally lose 8 IQ points on average (which is indicative of some degree of either brain damage or arrested development of the brain) and DOES not come back in adulthood despite cessation of usage. These studies are relatively new as marijuana substance abuse disorder and long-term side effects of marijuana use only recently became the subject of more intensive research following other states’ legalization. We have had decades of studies on tobacco and generally agree that it is generally not good for the human body. There are edge cases such as those with irritable bowel disease seeing a relief in their condition via usage of tobacco. The studies pertaining to cancer from tobacco usage in more recent times have been seen in a different light as people recognized in earlier times that cigarette filters were made with asbestos and this heavily skewed data (Schachtman et al, 2023) although did not invalidate it entirely. With these facts in mind, it is likely that marijuana usage will be seen the same way as tobacco as time goes on.

As a takeaway yes, the common sentiment is that marijuana is just a plant, but so is tobacco but the amount of regulation we have with the usage of tobacco (which is also just a plant as many like to say) and illegal sale of tobacco in New York FAR exceeds that of marijuana despite marijuana being a similar net negative from the standpoint of healthcare as tobacco. The illegal distribution of marijuana (including the highly problematic spray as mentioned earlier) is even bigger as we just do not have enough research indicating what will be the long-term ramifications of marijuana abuse (along with the ramifications of usage of laced marijuana). This is not a matter of if there are ramifications, the matter is WHAT are the ramifications. The state of New York has thus far been very proactive in shutting down these illegal operations and hopefully as more legitimate dispensaries open, more regulation and maybe some cases that set legal precedent that make public examples of some of the worst offenders we can hopefully see in a few years this variation of illegal distribution effectively get rooted out much like K2/ spice (synthetic marijuana) was just about a decade prior.

 

References:

City of New York. (2024, July 31). Mayor Adams celebrates shut down of more than 750 illegal cannabis shops since launch. The official website of the City of New York. https://www.nyc.gov/office-of-the-mayor/news/605-24/mayor-adams-celebrates-shut-down-more-750-illegal-cannabis-shops-since-launch-operation#/0

Senzamici, P. (2024, August 17). Hundreds of apparent illegal NYC Pot Shops at risk of reopening as judge deals blow to Adams’ “Operation Padlock.” New York Post. https://nypost.com/2024/08/16/us-news/hundreds-of-apparent-illegal-nyc-pot-shops-at-risk-of-reopening-as-judge-deals-blow-to-adams-operation-padlock/

Adams, R. (2023, November 29). Hundreds of licensed cannabis stores blocked by lawsuit could finally open. THE CITY – NYC News. https://www.thecity.nyc/2023/11/28/licensed-cannabis-stores-lawsuit-vets-pot-marijuana/

U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. (2024, May 28). Cannabis (marijuana) Drug facts. National Institutes of Health. https://nida.nih.gov/publications/drugfacts/cannabis-marijuana

Schachtman, N., & Blum, A. (2023, April 13). Exhibit: When cigarette filters were made of Asbestos. Cancer History Project. https://cancerhistoryproject.com/article/the-history-of-the-asbestos-cigarette-filters/

 

M3.4 Comprehensive Community Assessment Part I: Windshield Assessment (Video)

Part 1 – Windshield/Walking Assessment Video

The windshield survey is part of the Comprehensive Community Assessment (CCA) and comprises 15 practice experience hours. You will complete the windshield survey by driving through this community, making observations, and recording facets of the community that represents your observations in a video. Please be safe and make sure you are not driving the car while you are recording the video. You can have someone else drive or stop the vehicle to record video. It is also possible to complete this survey on foot and/or using mass transit if you live in a population-dense area, such as a large city.

For the Windshield/WalkingLinks to an external site. you will create a video incorporating a visual representation of the community. The length for your video should be 3 – 5 minutes long.

Assignment Instructions
Please refer to your textbook on page 98, box 6.2 titled “Questions to Guide Community Observations During a Windshield Survey” to help you prepare effectively Use the Windshield Survey Table Download Windshield Survey Tableto guide your video creation.. In your table, please use citations.

CCA Additional Assignment Resources

Submission Instructions
Submit your video to this assignment area.
Information on submitting your assignment.
Evaluation
The Windshield Assessment (Part I) is due Sunday, Module 3, week 4 by 11:59 PM EST.
You will be assessed using the Comprehensive Community Assessment Part 1 Rubric found below. This assignment accounts for 15% of your final grade. Your assignment will be assessed using the rubric. The following table are aligned to this assignment and rubric. You will see additional rows in your rubric from your instructor along with assessments for each competency and End of Program Student Learning Outcomes (EPSLOs).

 

Part II – Data and Analysis Paper

In Part II of the Comprehensive Community Assessment, you will summarize and analyze the information that you gathered in Part I.

Your Data and Analysis Paper should include the following parts: the Data Table, Analysis, Summary, and Conclusion. The length of this paper should be 4-6 pages.

Assignment Instructions
Your paper should include the following:

Data

The data is presented in the Secondary Data Table Download Secondary Data Tablewithin your paper. Be sure to include multiple sites to provide data to understand the health of communities and neighborhoods. Below are links and/or sites for community health data.

Health DataLinks to an external site.
City DataLinks to an external site.
Census DataLinks to an external site.
County Health Rankings & RoadmapsLinks to an external site.: (Remember to select a state or county)
State and County Quick FactsLinks to an external site.: (Select a state, county, city, town, or zip code)
US Census Bureau: Community FactsLinks to an external site.: Your own state, county, and community may also have data
Review the Community (Analysis)

Use the Community Tool Box Links to an external site.and your analysis data obtained in the Windshield Assessment and Secondary Data Table to determine the following:
Identification of 2 social determinantsLinks to an external site. of Health in Community.
Identification of 2 health care disparitiesLinks to an external site. and the vulnerable populations affected.
Analysis of relevant health statistics related to both identified health care disparities
A Community Diagnosis that identifies one (1) community health problem.
Summary

Summarize the key points of your analysis and note important or unexpected findings.
Discuss the relationship between the identified health behaviors and the health status in the community.
Describe the leading health issues in the community. Identify what the community is doing to address these issues.
Concluding Statement

Describe the impact of your findings. Provide a concluding sentence that explains the significance of your findings.
CCA Additional Assignment Resources

Note that as part of this assignment, you need to also complete 10-practice experience (PE) hours: This can be accomplished through a direct observation at a community agency/ service/ organization and/or virtual participation in an online health care forum. Any community agency, service, or organization. It is up to the student to determine that. The student should start in their own community and identify which type of activity would be feasible to participate in. For example, some places to consider would be the local Red Cross, American Diabetes Association, EMT at a local fire department, Adult Day Care, local ANA group, NLN, Sigma, Meals on Wheels, to name just a few.

Submission Instructions
Information about submitting your assignment.
This assignment uses TurnItIn.
Evaluation
This assignment is due Sunday of Week 5, Module 3 by 11:59 PM EST.
This assignment accounts for 20% of your final grade. Your assignment will be assessed using the Comprehensive Community Assessment Rubric Part 2 found rubric. The following table are aligned to this assignment and rubric. You will see additional rows in your rubric from your instructor along with assessments for each competency and End of Program Student Learning Outcomes (EPSLOs).