The New York State Department of Health
The New York State Department of Health (NYSDH) is committed to workforce investment to increase occupational skills, decrease welfare dependency, enhance retention and earnings of its new employees. In turn, the objective of this job guide is to provide all the primary level employees with minimal skills and experience with vital information to make their working efficient. Moreover, most people in junior-level positions are protected by either the Workforce Investment Act or Job Training Partnership Act (Shilling, 2020). Thus, it is vital for the workers to continually get empowerment to build their career path while also contributing positively to the mission and vision of the organization.
The guide uses sub-titles to offer relevant information about the strategies, goals, partnering organizations, and operations parameters. In addition, there is content about the job requirements and competencies for new basic level employees. The goal is to ensure that workers understand the areas they direct and their supervisors. It is vital to know the terms of employment in relation to work visas, disciplinary, compensation, and Occupational Health and Safety Act. There are recommendations with links to other resources to build upon the basic facts. Therefore, reading the guideline is the best way to start work and remain effective even within the first days.
The expectation from the department is that after reading the guideline, new employees get competencies in business operations of the department of health, teamwork, and customer services within the job scope. With such empowerment, it is easy to develop confidence while working and ask relevant questions to enhance job performance (Verlinden, 2021). Workers will gain knowledge to respond to customers when they ask preliminary questions that do not necessarily require referrals to the higher offices. Moreover, the guide is a resource that the employees should keep for future reference even as they continue to align their ethics with organizational values.
New York Demographics
The New York state is one of the original colonies located in the northeastern part of the country. A census report for 2020 reveals that it has a population of at least 20.2 million, representing a 4.1% growth rate from 2010 (DiNapoli, 2020). There are nine regions, including Capital District, Long Island, Central New York, Finger Lakes, North Country, Mohawk Valley, New York City, Mid-Hudson, and Western New York (DiNapoli, 2020). The majority of people live in New York City, which has 8 million of citizens, while the area with the lowest number of residents is North Country which has 412,924 individuals (DiNapoli, 2020).
The public health issue of concern in the population is birthed by teenagers, which the department is working to mitigate. There are 12 cities, of which those within the metropolitan include Schenectady, Troy, Syracuse, Albany, Rochester, Buffalo, and Albany. Understanding the population distribution is crucial in the allocation of resources and distribution of workers to ensure that the organization addresses all the public health concerns equitably.
It is also important to note that the New York state is diverse, having people across all the ethnic and age groups represented in the United States. Expectedly, most people are whites, followed by blacks, although from 2010 to 2020, they declined by 6.2% and 0.9% (DiNapoli, 2020). The Hispanic or Latino, Asian, and those from mixed or other races have increased, implying that the society is becoming more multicultural. As an employee in the health department, it is vital to understand health disparities across the different communities. Some public health concerns have been the disparities in African Americans and other minority ethnic groups disproportionally affected by Covid-19 and chronic diseases.
Overview of the Population Health Improvement Program
The health department is divided into many programs based on geographic jurisdiction or roles. The population health improvement program (PHIP) program focuses on better care, people’s wellness, and cost-effective measures (NYSDH, 2022b). One of the strategic plans is health insurance for various groups of people (NYSDH, 2022). Remarkably, the department collaborates with the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) to ensure that all pregnant women, children, veterans, and citizens of low socio-economic status get access to affordable healthcare.
In addition, the program works to promote livelihood and quality of life through some supportive actions. For instance, some funds are directed toward regional fish advisory, lead poisoning prevention, and obesity prevention (NYSDH, 2022). The organization works to serve all people who are either permanently living within the state or visiting.
Employees working in the department must have knowledge of the basic understanding of operations and coordination of PHIP. The department collects county-level data for 18 areas of focus, including demographics and socio-economic characteristics, tobacco consumption, family planning, nutrition, physical fitness, and activities (NYSDH, 2022).
Information on unintentional injuries, violent and abusive behavior, sexually transmitted diseases, infectious disease, immunization, maternal and infant health, as well as chronic conditions like cancer is of interest (Albany County, New York, 2022). The implication is that the department is complex and involves efforts from a multi-sectoral agency. All the activities are primarily within the perimeters of Albany County. The operations of the program are complementary to the strategic objectives of the department.
Program’s Goals and Missions
The NYSDH operates within precepts that ensure all initiatives meet the goals of the department. Notably, the overall mission of the PHIP is to protect, enhance, and promote productivity, wellbeing, and health of all the residents of the state (NYSDH, 2022). The implication is that all the plans, whether long-term or on preliminary, fall in one of the mentioned areas of operations. It is the vision of the department that New Yorkers become top worldwide in matters of health.
Specifically, the mandate of the department is to ensure that the communities where people live promote health through threat eradication, quality, and cost-effective services as well as evidence-based practice. The core values that guide the NYSDH include innovation, public good, integrity, excellence, efficiency, and teamwork.
The aim of the program is to improve the health status of individuals, communities, and families while utilizing strategies that minimize disparities and increase equity in wellness. The program operates under the prevention agenda 2013-2017 and the state health innovation plan (SHIP). It achieves the objective through the implementation of four specific goals.
Firstly, the department prevents chronic and communicable illnesses, disabilities, and injuries (Albany County, New York, 2022). Secondly, it protects against hazards in the environment to ensure that people work and stay in good surroundings. Thirdly, it works to promote all activities that make people in the community achieve better quality of life. Fourthly, the program prepares strategies that ensure prompt response and coordination of public health emergencies.
To work as a basic-level employee in the health program, there are some core skills, knowledge, and competencies that a person must have. The minimum educational requirement is tenth grade because it ensures workers have basic skills like writing and reading. Working within the department of health mandates that a person can utilize resources to continually develop their knowledge base. It is also important that the successful candidate is committed to bests practices by adhering to the ethical and moral standards, teamwork, active in self-education, and ability to handle crises without breaking down (McConnell, 2018).
The department relies on all employees to perform duties in a quality and professional manner. Knowledge of the policy and regulations is also key in ensuring enhanced performance. The world is adopting digitalization in all sectors, which implies that the successful candidates must have some knowledge in health information technology. There will be ongoing performance measurement and evaluation to ensure that all workers remain competent.
Job Requirements for Basic Level Employees
In alignment with the labor laws, all employees must be a legal adult with the correct identification information. Particularly, they should have a minimum of eighteen years as indicated in their birth certificates and not exceed seventy years which is way past the retirement age. Immigrant workers need to have a temporary work permit if they have not gained citizenship to the country.
It is also vital for the person to be able to communicate in writing and speak using English, which is the official language. The other key competency is that the person should have basic knowledge of first aid and the overview of the healthcare goals. The health department is an equal employer and never discriminate applicants based on race, gender, disability, sex, or marital status.
Partnership
The health program does not operate as an island as it depends on the support, cooperation, and coordination from other agencies to execute its mandate. The PHIP partners are categorized as advocacy organizations, healthcare consumers, insurance companies, including CMS, local human service agencies, schools and institutions of higher education, unions, housing authorities, and business communities (NYSDH, 2022). The insurers are an essential agency as they provide funding to help patients from lower socio-economic levels access free healthcare. Other institutions, such as the universities, are effective in researching to inform evidence-based practice.
Moreover, improving health partnerships with real-estate personnel is vital in ensuring affordable housing to reduce the number of homeless people (NYSDH, 2022). The local transport authorities are also engaged to help in logistics when carrying relief food and vaccinations to the community. Partnership with the professional body of nurses, physicians, mental-health experts, and other professionals is also effective in promoting healthy activities.
There are several lead organizations that PHIP works with to execute core objectives to promote a healthy population. The top firms include Healthy Capital District Initiative, Taconic Health Information Network and Community, HealtheConnections, Nassau-Suffolk Hospital Council, Finger Lakes Health Systems Agency, and The Mary Imogene Bassett Hospital (NYSDH, 2022b). Other companies that top that list are P2 Collaborative of Western New York, Fund for Public Health in New York, Adirondack Health Institute, Southern Tier HealthLink, and Fort Drum Regional Health Planning Organization (NYSDH, 2022b). Notably, the organizations represent each region to enhance communication and coordination in all areas.
References
Albany County, New York. (2022). Department of health. Web.
DiNapoli, T. P. (2021). 2020 Census: Municipal Population Shifts in New York State. State of New York Comptroller. Web.
McConnell. (2018). The effective health care supervisor. Jones & Bartlett Learning.
New York State Department of Health. (2022). Official Website. Web.
New York State Department of Health. (2022b). Population health improvement program. Web.
Shilling, D. (2020). Complete guide to human resources and the law (21st ed.). Wolters Kluwer.
U.S. Census Bureau. (2021). New York State population topped 20 million in 2020. Census.gov. Web.
Verlinden, N. (2021). Upskilling: A full guide (incl. 7 ways to upskill your workforce). AIHR. Web.