Discussion 1- Collaborating to Prioritize Concerns and Resources Here are the details Various stakeholders have much to contribute

to the planning process. But the concerns of one group or individual will not always coincide with those of others. One of the challenges facing program planners is to find ways to work with the community members and other stakeholders to arrive at priorities for your program--priorities in terms of the concerns that are being addressed as well as the resources that are used. For this Discussion, you are asked to brainstorm ways in which you might successfully collaborate with other stakeholders. Assume that you are a program planner developing a program much like the one you are investigating during this course, with the same stakeholders and resources. What strategies would you use in order to prioritize in an equitable and appropriate way the individual, organizational, and community concerns and resources for your program? Also, how would you make use of evidence at this stage to help you with prioritizing concerns and resources? Briefly describe the stakeholders of your program. Discuss collaboration strategies you would use to help you arrive at fair and appropriate priorities among the individual, organization, and community concerns and resources. Describe the kinds of evidence you might use at this stage of program planning and how you could use it to prioritize concerns and resources. 1. The stakeholders in the Weight Control Clinic (WCC) program are the community patients, their families, the physician and physicians assistant and the local public health office and/or insurance providers. All are affected and engaged within the program. Accordingly, the WCC might be able to draw upon other community organizations such as places of employment and their insurance providers. Since many employers and insurance companies can compensate or reward employees and members that participate in such wellness programs, this is possible. Moreover, the physician and physicians assistant could suggest enrollment to patients during their annual physicals. This would prioritize concerns and resources and use collaborative strategies to promote the goals and objectives of the program. While resources at the practice are limited, the physician and physicians assistant could put together a presentation, video, etc., that could be delivered by a facilitator or health educator. If not, then either of them could put together a presentation for employers and employees or health fairs in the area. Additionally, their online portal could connect members to their test results and their overall progress (ACA, 2011). This provides consumers with tangible outcomes and measurements. In turn, this digital format also engenders surveillance for the physician and the physicians assistant, which makes need identification, individual patient and program assessment much easier to perform. Since the community is disproportionately burdened with high blood pressure, obesity and diabetes, appealing to the target population through social marketing is critical (ACA, 2011). Participation rates and/or objections discovered during the preliminary physicals could also be addressed through program planning and development.

 Discussion 2- Objectives, Goals, and Mission Statements Here are the details Carefully distinguishing among mission statements, goals, and objectives, while ensuring that they relate logically to each other, is an essential step in the planning process. It is especially important to write program objectives that will serve as measurable benchmarks that will allow you to track progress during the project implementation stage. Analyze objectives from the program that you are evaluating. How well do they relate to the goals and mission? Are the objectives measurable and appropriate? 1. Briefly summarize the mission statement and goals of your selected program and list two or three of the program objectives. Do the objectives relate logically to the goals and mission? The mission of the program is to help patients improve their quality of life and longevity through (ACA, 2011) [] listening to [] patients, collaborating on health care decisions, and forming healthcare teams with specialists. Accordingly, the program objectives include joint decision making and health education, both of which are components of the Weight Control Clinic. Because the courses of action include the specialized diets (Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension, also known as DASH) for reducing sodium and cardiovascular risks or the cholesterol reducing diet including which foods to eat and avoid, and/or appetite suppressants, when appropriate, the program objectives relative to cholesterol reduction and hypertension reduction fulfill the objectives and goals (ACA, 2011). Since weight control through the clinic is not fast weight loss or management, the choices made every day, supported and discussed through the program cultivate real behavior change. Moreover, these objectives engender better quality of life through lifestyle interventions, weight-control and disease alleviation/mitigation. 2. Identify each objective by type (refer to Table 6.1 on page 142 in the McKenzie textbook) and critique each objective based on the guidelines provided in this week's Learning Resources.

Based on Table 6.1, the program distributes information through one-way and two-way exchanges (MacKenzie, Neiger, & Thackeray, 2009, p. 142). It employs a one-way service delivery through voluntary screenings (p. 142). If, however, it incorporated employers and employees, it could become two-way in nature, benefitting from the setting and participation (p. 142). At the most basic level, decision-making about the program rests within the physician and physicians assistant. However, the community extensions (employers and insurance providers) could make this two-way decisionmaking, thereby intertwining numerous stakeholders (p. 142). Planning and development would occur within the practice itself, as would research and evaluation. As evidenced by the diversification of methods and personal plans, overall health improvement is the goal. Accordingly, any and all activities are directed toward this goal (p. 142). MacKenzie et.al. (2009) also maintains that monitoring and reporting are components of the program. Training would not necessarily be included in the program, at present. Advocacy arises from community initiatives (p. 142).

References Atlantic Care Associates [ACA] (2011). Retrieved from http://www.alesiagriffin.net/ McKenzie, J.F., Neiger, B.L., & Thackeray, R. (2009). Planning, Implementing, & Evaluating Health Promotion Programs (5th Ed), San Francisco, CA: Pearson Benjamin Cummings.