For this Final Project, you select a pressing health problem affecting a community and develop a leadership and strategy plan for addressing the problem. You link this problem to a corresponding Healthy People 2020 objective(s).
Scenario
You are a new Health Program Planner recently hired by the Lake Troubled Shallows Department in Minnesota. Prior to your arrival, a comprehensive community health needs assessment was conducted by the Health Department. Based on the assessment, the following top five community health needs were identified.

• Heart disease and stroke prevention
• Diabetes screening
• Physical activity
• Maternal, infant and child health monitoring and treatment
• Mental health and mental disorders screening and treatment
  The executive director of the Lake Troubled Shallows Health Department has tasked you with targeting one of the aforementioned community health needs as a top priority during your first year. The director has asked you to develop a leadership and strategy plan to address your identified community health need.
  As part of the pre-planning stage of developing your leadership and strategy plan, first select and match one the Healthy People 2020 objectives to one of the top five needs identified by the Health Department.
  For instance, if you choose “physical activity,” review the various physical activity objectives under the general Healthy People 2020 Objectives. Then, select a specific, measurable sub-objective.
  You will need to review the current national data on your chosen objective.
  Next, for purposes of this assignment, you should assume that the health status of individuals residing in Lake Troubled Shallows is representative of the overall health status of individuals living within Minnesota. You can go to the Minnesota State Health Department’s website to find additional data on state level progress and resources to support your leadership and strategy plan at:http://www.health.state.mn.us/healthymnpartnership/hm2020/#fw
  Lake Troubled Shallows Health Department’s Vision, Mission, and Guiding Principles: © 2014 Laureate Education, Inc. Page 1 of 5

Vision:
Healthy People Living in Healthy Communities
Mission:
To promote and protect health while preventing disease
Guiding Principles:

• Evidence-based practices
• Collaboration and communication with community members and partners
• Education and outreach
• Empowering people to make healthy choices
  You have been given an initial program startup budget of $250,000 (including your salary and benefits) to aid you with initial program planning and implementation. (Note: you will develop an annual operating budget in the Assignment.).
  The Executive Director of the Lake Troubled Shallows Health Department has asked that you submit a “Leadership and Strategy” plan to her within the next 2–3 months. The next section contains the required components of the plan that you must submit to her.
  Assignment Instructions
  Once you have completed background research and identified a community health need, you develop a leadership and strategy plan to address it.
  Paper Format:
  13- to 15-page paper (not including title page), APA format
  Leadership and Strategy Plan

• Executive Summary (1 page)
• Table of Contents (1 page)
• Manuscript (see components list below)
  The manuscript section of your Final Project will need to address the following components:

• Introduction (1–2 pages):
Select a problem from one of the five problems identified in the Background (Scenario) and match it to one Healthy People 2020 objective (sub-objectives that are measurable). Describe the rationale for selection of this problem and the magnitude of the problem (e.g., incidence, prevalence, impact on communities and society).

© 2014 Laureate Education, Inc. Page 2 of 5

• Strategic Plan (2 pages plus SWOT analysis worksheet, revised from Week 7):
Use the SWOT analysis template completed in Week 7 as a starting point for this section. (You will include your completed template in the appendices of this Final Project.) For this Final Project, address the following based on your SWOT analysis:
o Identify any connections between listed items in the quadrants (i.e., is there an opportunity that can be taken advantage of to address a particular threat or weakness?).
o Propose strategies to maintain, enhance or leverage potential strengths (e.g., make appropriate assumptions about internal strengths of the Health Department).
o Propose strategies to minimize weaknesses (e.g., make appropriate assumptions about internal weaknesses of the Health Department).
o Propose options for leveraging or taking advantage of opportunities.
o Explain the potential impact of threat/challenges and what you should do to address or prepare for the threat.
o Explain potential strategic issues that the health department may need to address.
• Program Description (2 pages):
o Review the evidence for a program intervention—ideally, this will be quality, evidence-based public health information demonstrating best practices from peer-reviewed literature. Find at least three sources of evidence, preferably peer-reviewed.
o Briefly describe the hypothetical program to address your chosen community health problem. Based on your SWOT Analysis, include 3–5 specific and measurable program objectives that you hope to accomplish within 1 year (Refer to SMART Objectives Template as a guide for developing appropriate program objectives).

• Leadership Challenges (2 pages):
  (Refer to Weeks 1 and 2 Learning Resources.) Describe and explain the leadership approach you will take to execute your plan. Include the leadership style(s) you will employ and the leadership skills necessary to be effective including emotional intelligence and cultural competence.
• Ethical Implications (0.5–1 page):
  © 2014 Laureate Education, Inc. Page 3 of 5

(Refer to Week 3 Learning Resources.) Describe anticipated ethical issues or concerns of your leadership and strategy plan. What are some of the challenges anticipated?

• Engaging Communities and Building Constituencies (1.5–2 pages):
  (Refer to Week 4 Learning Resources.) Describe how you will engage community partners and key stakeholders. Describe key partners and stakeholders and the level of engagement needed. Discuss anticipated conflict resolution and negotiation skills that will be required.
• Budgeting, Financing, and Human Resources (1–1.5 pages): (Refer to Weeks 5 & 6 Learning Resources.)
  You have been given a budget of $250,000 in initial start-up funds, which includes your salary and benefits. You must develop an annual operating budget (in addition to the $250,000 start-up funding).

o Explain the funding issues related to your Final Project community health problem. Include such characteristics as whether these issues are long- or short-term, how urgent they are, and which stakeholders might be most affected. Identify in your budget any additional staff that you will need to hire, including a brief description of their roles and responsibilities.
o Complete the blank budget worksheet provided (similar to the one you completed in Week 5) indicating the funding opportunities and costs related to the chosen project.
o Based on your research, as well as the information included in the budget worksheet, recommend some potential funding sources (including grant funding) and explain why you recommend them. In your explanation, include variations in funding and how these variations influenced your decision making. You are expected to search various funding sources such as community-level grants, state funding, nonprofit associations, etc.
• Performance Management & Health Informatics (2 pages):
o (Refer to Weeks 8 and 9 Learning Resources.) Based on your SWOT Analysis, include 3–5 specific and measurable process objectives that you hope to accomplish within 1 year. (Refer to SMART Objectives Template as a guide for developing appropriate program objectives.)
o Explain how you will measure the objectives identified in your program description to determine if you have reached them. Include a description of how you will get the data with which to evaluate your objectives. Remember the need to be realistic in your use of data sources and, wherever possible, aim to use data that are being collected by others (e.g., BRFSS – Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System, America’s

© 2014 Laureate Education, Inc. Page 4 of 5

Health Rankings report – State Health Statistics at AmericasHealthRankings.org).
• Reference List (minimum of 8–10 credible references; e.g., peer-reviewed, governmental websites)
• Appendices
The appendices will include completed versions of additional documents required
to complete this Assignment:
o SWOT Analysis Template (including SMART Objectives Template) o Excel Budget Worksheet

© 2014 Laureate Education, Inc. Page 5 of 5