Review
West Kendall Baptist Hospital is currently implementing a “Food Pharmacy” program first introduced in 2020. The essence of the program is providing “one meal daily for 20 days to high-risk individuals” (Baptist Health South Florida [BHDF], 2019, p. 9). The health needs that the “Food Pharmacy” program aims to address is malnutrition in patients, which can potentially lead to readmissions. The targeted population groups are those suffering from malnutrition and chronic diseases, especially unmanaged ones (BHDF, 2019). The short-term goal of the program is to negate the immediate danger of malnutrition for the patients and potential patients. The long-term goal is to reduce the rates of admission and readmission due to malnutrition in West Kendall Baptist Hospital. The implementation strategy for the “Food Pharmacy” program amount to involving patients, consumers, and family members. No specific partners, community or otherwise, are identified as related to this program in the report.
Proposal
Community Review
Zip code 33193 is mainly located in Miami-Dade County, Miami, Florida. According to the census of 2010, its population is 46,044 and growing (“Zip Code 33193,” 2021). Of this number, 41,842 are Hispanics, which constitutes almost 87 percent of the overall population (“Zip Code 33193,” 2021). There are also 4411 whites, which corresponds to 9.14 percent, and 998 blacks, which equates to 2.07 percent (“Zip Code 33193,” 2021). The male and female populations are roughly equal, comprising 47 and 53 percent, respectively (“Zip Code 33193,” 2021). In financial terms, roughly half of all households have a yearly income below $50,000, 35 percent have a yearly income of $50,000 to $100,000, and 16 percent earn more than $100,000 (“Zip Code 33193,” 2021). Overall, zip code 33193 is a predominantly Hispanic community with low to medium household income leaning heavily toward the low end of the spectrum.
Health Need
Selected health priority is healthy nutrition as a factor that can improve public health and decrease admission and readmission rates. This need was identified by assessing a combination of medical and socioeconomic factors. On a medical side, West Kendall Baptist Hospital identifies addressing malnutrition as one of the priorities in serving the needs of the population (BHDF, 2019). On the other hand, 76 percent of school students in zip code 33193 are eligible for free or reduced meals (“Zip Code 33193,” 2021). It suggests that the community may be lacking in terms of healthy nutrition.
Goal
The goal of addressing the health need is to promote a healthy diet and nutrition within the budgetary constraints faced by the local households.
Measurable Behavioral Objective
A measurable behavioral objective for this goal is the change in dietary habits to promote healthy lifestyles.
Intervention
Any intervention designed for zip code 33193 needs to take the overwhelmingly Hispanic composition of its population into account. Culturally speaking, women are viewed as primary caretakers in Hispanic families (Caballero, 2011). Moreover, since Hispanic men are expected to be primary providers, women are more likely to be responsible for household chores and, thus, have a considerable influence over the family’s diet (Caballero, 2011). As such, an intervention seeking to educate Hispanic women in the community about healthy dietary options within the budgetary limit of their households can be culturally effective.
Potential Partners
Potential local partners are patients and family members. A possible non-local partner is Florida International University, especially since it already cooperates with healthcare providers in the South Miami and West Kendall communities (BHDF, 2019).
Evaluation Recommendation
The changes in dietary behavior can be evaluated through self-reported measures.
References
Baptist Health South Florida. (2019). Community Health Implementation Strategy 2020-2022. Web.
Caballero, A. E. (2011). Understanding the Hispanic-Latino Patient. The American Journal of Medicine, 124(10), 10-15.
Zip Code 33193 Profile, Map, and Demographics. (2021). Zip Data Maps. Web.