Your Assignment, Part I You are going to research the technological supports for health care in your community. Consider any technology that assists in assessing, monitoring, improving, and maintaining health for your community. Examples should include Internet resources and tools such as online scheduling services for community health providers and support groups and telephone services such as health hotlines and 911 service. Include medical technology such as ultrasounds, mammograms, X-rays, AEDs, and MRIs. Include other technologies that you find in your research.

Use resources such as the Internet, the library, or phone interviews to conduct your research.

Your research should examine the purpose, cost, benefits, and accessibility of the technologies.

Compile your research in a table that lists each technology, its purpose, its cost to use, whether it is covered by insurance, and details on accessibility (numbers and locations if individual services). Finally, write a brief assessment of accessibility issues you uncovered.

Technology

Purpose

Cost

Covered by insurance?

Accessibility

Your Assignment, Part II

What are the obvious gaps in accessibility for any of the resources you researched? Choose an area where you would like to advocate for improved access to the resource. Identify the area of interest, and then choose a group you would like to advocate for. The group could be family members, classmates, a community service organization, or a certain patient population.

Work with your group to decide the best way to conduct your advocacy. You may choose to write a letter to a particular party, circulate a petition, hold a discussion, hold a debate, give a speech at an event, or provide public input at a city council meeting. Think of the best way to get your message to the people who will make a difference in access to the resource.

Having made these decisions, create the materials to carry out the advocacy. Identify what materials are needed, and then develop them. Your materials should justify the need for better access and should explain how better access will improve disease prevention or treatment in your community.

Your Assignment, Part III

For the final part of this project, carry out the plans for your advocacy and report on the results to your teacher. Verify with your teacher what needs to be included in your report. At minimum, your report should include a description of what you did and the outcomes. Your teacher may also require you to include any media you used in your advocacy campaign, pictures or video of the campaign, etc. Finally, include in your report a description of the future directions and plans for the advocacy.