Doudelyne Cenafils

      This section includes materials that were not generated by myself but mostly articles and other documents that helped me create all the artifacts or simply gained more knowledge of the field of public health and what leaders in the community are doing to promote health and safety in the community.

        For instance, the Worcester Health Equity Partnership Agenda was provided during a quarterly meeting of the community coalition, describing the overall structure of health services and priorities of Worcester. The ACE Medical Services report and brochure was supplied during a meeting with a community stakeholder who focused on the development of pro-active approaches to problem solving and important pathways to health/wellness issues. As for the Health Inspection Forms and Regulations, these provide a broad picture of certain criteria to take into consideration when conducting health inspections in the community. The National Health Institute (NIH) Guidelines and the Massachusetts Open Meeting Law were used in the creation of certain administrative documents.

Reflections:

       Common Pathways is a process of engaging a broad and inclusive representation of Worcester’s organizations and residents to envision and then act on bringing about an improved quality of life in Worcester. Common Pathways and the Partnership for Health Equity were formed to engage the community through a series of public town hall meetings and focus groups in order to assess social determinants and community risk factors. Being involved with such stakeholders, I acquired program planning skills by working in collaboration with others, prioritize individual, organizational, and community concerns and resources for public health programs. I learned to apply social-justice and human-rights principles when addressing community needs.

           Meeting with stakeholders from ACE Medical Services, I became aware of the concept of combining resources in efforts to effectively address community health issues and deliver great quality health care. The brochure provided helps residents with a broad picture of the services offered. Thus, I integrated the basic concepts and skills involved in culturally appropriate community engagement and empowerment with diverse communities to improve health in diverse populations to develop strategies responsive to the diverse cultural values and traditions of the community being served.

      The inspectional forms and regulations offered an overview of the water and hazardous materials services that the health department focused on. Just as described in that section, I understood specific regulations and how Environmental Health Specialists sample surface water and ground water to detect threats to environmental health, and inspect facilities to ensure safe and healthy conditions. Hazardous Materials Specialists try to prevent chemical accidents and environmental contamination through inspection and education programs that focus on proper handling, storage, and disposal of hazardous materials.

           As for the NIH Guidelines, they helped me update the regulation of the affiliated health department in Shrewsbury. These guidelines provided the criteria needed to establish an Institutional Biosafety Committee in order to assess the safety of recombinant DNA (rDNA) research and to identify potential risk to public health and the environment. Thus, I am ready to face the challenges of public health and work under public health laws and regulations as a Public Health Professional

           In this context, the Massachusetts Open Meeting Law was used to create the rDNA regulations layout, found under Administrative Documents section. This law supports the principle that the democratic process depends on the public having knowledge about the considerations underlying governmental action. The Open Meeting Law requires that most meetings of governmental bodies to be held in public. Therefore, I acquired the knowledge about the role of federal, state, and local government in the assurance of public health through legislation and regulation.

      With the theory of change in mind, this practicum experience has guaranteed me with immense knowledge of the field that is and will continue to play a role in my career and personal attributes.