Obtaining Support for Health Education

In order to plan, implement, and ultimately manage a health education program, Health Educators must first solicit support for their proposals. This support is generally found in the form of financial support, community support, and organizational support.

For this mini-project, your task is to evaluate three different evidenced-based health education programs in your community, and examine the ways in which each program is supported from a financial, community, and organizational perspective. You must choose one national program, one state program, and one local program as your focus, and then complete the assignment using the outline below.

I. Choose three health education programs that are available to constituents of your community. Provide an overview of each program, and discuss the level of financial, community, and organizational support received for each. Be sure that you focus on one national, one state, and one local program.

II. For all three health education programs, address the following questions:

• What are the objectives of the program?
• From whom did the organization receive funding to implement the program activities?
• Who are the sponsors of the program, and what incentives do the sponsors have to support it?
• What stakeholders are involved, and what is their personal or financial interest in the program?
• What partnerships are involved in this program, and in what ways are they beneficial to it?
• What resources does the program have available to it?
• How has the program been embraced at the community level?
• How effective is the program in influencing health behavioral change?

II. After addressing the questions above, compare and contrast each program. Was the level of support different for each? If so, what impact did that have on the overall success and effectiveness of it? How could the program have been improved if additional support was received? Finally, reflect on the opportunities we have as Health Educators to increase funding for our programs and facilitate partnerships in support of health education.

Your completed mini-project should be 5-7 pages in length follow APA guidelines and should include a minimum of three references.