Areas of Responsibility

I. Assess Individual and Community Needs for

II. Plan Strategies, Interventions and Programs

III. Implement Strategies, Interventions and Programs

IV. Conduct Evaluation and Research related to Health Education

V. Administer Health Education Strategies, Interventions and Programs.

VI. Serve as a Health Education Resource Person

VII. Communicate and Advocate for Health and Health Education

What was the

CUP Project ?

Level Of PracticeEntry Level < 5 years of practice

(Undergrad/Graduate)Advanced 1 Level > 5 years of

practice(Undergrad/Graduate)

Advanced 2 Level (Doctorate & > 5 years of

practice)

Using the Competency-Based Framework for Health Education

The Health Education Student / Health Educator

College and University FacultyHealth Education EmployersCredentialing / Policy Makers

and Funding AgenciesHealth Professionals

Health Educator SurveyHealth Educator Survey Conducted August 2009 Conducted via Surveymonkey 40% of the 341 health

educators based in health departments participated (140 responses)

Regional responses ranged 22%-51%

Years Worked as HE

Average 8.7 years; Median 6 years

Range 0-31 years31% <3 years16% >20 years

Health Educator SkillsHealth Educator Skills1. Assess individual & community needs

77%2. Plan interventions 91%3. Implement interventions 91%4. Evaluate interventions & conduct

research 55%5. Manage others implementing

interventions 52%6. Serve as resource: find accurate sources

of health information and respond to requests for information 88%

7. Communicate & advocate for health 83%

Role in LHD Accreditation Accreditation coordinator On accreditation preparation team Collect documentation for:

1. Assessment 2. Data3. Community collaboration 4. Outreach5. Media6. Policy advocacy7. Staff development8. Patient satisfaction surveys 9. Community resource guide10.Patient education review

Revenue GeneratedAverage $111,228; Median

$25,000Range 0 - $1.8 million40% responded $50,000+

Value of Health EducatorsMost important roles:Build relationships within the

community, recruit new partners to public health 97%

Assess community needs and present data in meaningful way 72%

Speak to groups, develop targeted messages, and present info in interesting way 71%

Are the face of the health department in community 61%

Value of Health Educators

“Health educators are the glue connecting communities with the health department and encouraging collaborative community health projects.

“HEs have the ability to enhance [others’] opinion of the health department’s value.”

Value of Health Educators“We have a wide variety of skills

that coworkers constantly want to use.”

“Our strengths are in designing programs, developing accurate messages, engaging populations, using data to guide our decisions, and evaluating [whether] an intervention is achieving a desired outcome.”

Value of Health Educators

“Our true value is mobilizing and organizing communities and individuals around public health issues.”

“We have the ability to build

political support for public health in the community.”

Challenges Facing HEs: TurnoverTurnover:67% respondents said someone

in their health department had left in past 18 mo

164 HEs had left in last 18 mo – that’s 48% of workforce

Recruitment & Retention Issues

Top factors:Salary 29%Benefits 27%Being able to focus on HE duties,

not assigned wide variety of ad-hoc tasks 21%

Flexible work hours 16%

Challenges Facing HEs

“If the job classifications at OSP have not been reviewed since before most current health educators were born, that probably indicates a need to review them again.”

Challenges Facing HEs

“I tell people I am a Health Educator and no one ever knows what that is...”

Challenges Facing HEs: Salaries“Health educator salaries used to

be on a par with school teachers.”

“I’ve been at the health department for 20 years. I’m leaving to go into the schools, getting a $10,000 raise, and working 10 months instead of 12.”

Challenges Facing HEs: Many Hats“We continue to be very poorly

paid for our knowledge, experience, and ‘other’ hats we are forced to wear.”

“Being a Health Educator means that there are many hats to be worn, but I will always find an outfit to coordinate!”

Challenges Facing HEs

“Health educators in large counties who concentrate in only one or two areas are getting much larger salaries than those of us [in rural areas] who are often concentrating in a half a dozen or more areas.”

OpportunitiesOpportunities

AccreditationCommunity Health Assessment

NC 2020 Health ObjectivesHealth Reform

Health Education: The National Picture

US Standard Occupational Classification (SOC) definition of a health educator

is one who: “promotes, maintains, and improves individual and community health by assisting individuals and communities to adopt healthy behaviors. They collect and analyze data to identify community needs prior to planning, implementing, monitoring, and evaluating programs designed to encourage healthy lifestyles, policies, and environments. May also serve as a resource to assist individuals, other professionals, or the community, and may administer fiscal resources for health education programs."

Federal US Labor StatisticsNationally more than 62,000

health educators 50% work in health care and

social assistance An additional 20% work in State

and local government.

Media wage nationally: $44,000Range: $26,210 - $78,260Median for state government: $33,000

Health ______ ReformWhere We* StandAmerica spends more than $2 trillion annually on health care, more than any other nation.

Yet in Estimated Life Expectancy

#50 United States -- 78.1 years.

Worse than Bosnia (#45) and one slot above Albania.

* Which We?

Currency-- Timeliness

“We need to invest in prevention and wellness that help Americans live longer, healthier lives.  We know this saves money.  If we can help somebody control obesity, they are less likely to get diabetes.  And if they are less likely to get diabetes that means that we are going to be saving a whole lot of money in hospital costs.” 

Full statement:  http://www.whitehouse.gov/the_press_office/Remarks-of-the-President-in-an-Online-Town-Hall-on-Health-Care-Reform/

President Obama July 1, 2009

http://www.hhs.gov/recovery/programs/cdc/chronicdisease.html

Trust For America’s Health 10 Top Priorities For a National Prevention Strategy

“...investing $10 per person in these projects could yield annual health care savings of as much as $16 billion within five years.”

ROI $5.61 for every $1 in prevention

Trust for America’s Health 10 Top Priorities for a National Prevention Strategy:

Promote Disease Prevention.

Combat the Obesity Epidemic.

Prevent Tobacco Use and Exposure.

Prevent & Control Infectious Disease.

Prepare for Health Emergencies.

Recognize Relationship Health & Economic Competitiveness.

Safeguard the Food Supply.

Plan for Seniors’ Health Care.

Improve the Health of Low Income & Minority Communities.

Reduce Environmental Threats.

http://healthyamericans.org/pages/?id=126

"Benjamin Franklin once famously remarked, "An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure." Unfortunately, what this means is often, according to the CBO, an ounce of prevention isn't worth anything at all."

-- James Marks, Senior Vice President and Director of the Health Group, Robert Wood Johnson Foundation

How Congressional Budget Office Scores Prevention

For every $1 invested on:Water fluoridation saves $38 in

dental restorative treatment.Preconception care for women

with diabetes, reduces health costs by up to $5.19.

Arthritis self-help programs saves $4.10 on physician visits.

Pap tests for low-income women saves $5.90 on medical care costs.

http://www.healtheducationadvocate.org/factsheets/

Addressing Teen PregnancyNationally 31-33% of pregnant teens

graduate on time.NC Adolescent Parenting Program in

’06-’07 enrolled 785 teens from 31 Counties.

Only 35 (4%) of them dropped out of school.

Expected Dropouts = 526 Actual Dropouts = 35 Additional graduates = 491

491 X $10K = $4.9M

http://tppi.its.state.nc.us/info/tppi.htm

2008 Four-Year Cohort Graduation Rates by Student Subgroup (DPI 2008)

All Students 70.0%

Asian 80.9 %

White 75.3 %

Female 74.3%

Multi-Racial 68.4 %

Male 65.9%

Black 62.5%

Economically Disadvantaged 58.9 %

Students with Disabilities 56.3 %

Hispanic 56.2 %

Native American 53.7%

Limited English Proficient 49.6%

*U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, Common Core of Data (CCD), “Local Education Agency Universe Dropout and Completion Data File: School Year 2000–01

7,683* @ +$10K per Year= +$76.8 Million per Year

2,434* @ +$10K per Year=$24.3 Million per Year

Up from 63% ’01*=7,683 more grads

Up from 55% ’01*=2,434 more grads

http://ayp.ncpublicschools.org/2008/app/cgrdisag/

Coalition of National HealthEducation Organizations*

Support prevention and wellness provisions; ensure they are included in health reform legislation.

Support the development and expansion of the Public Health Workforce; ensure health educators are included.

Ensure health educators are included as a key component of community health teams and medical/dental homes.

*March 6-8, 2010 –13thAnnual Advocacy Summit, Washington, DC.

NC Opportunities for Health EducationTell Your Story – to local, state &

national policy makers. Help Others tell theirs.

Engage Partners Using State & National Evidence-based Tools.

Join support & contribute to national & state health education organizations’ policy efforts.

Use NC SOPHE chapter ties into national chapter◦ Advocacy Tool Kit◦ Linked Strategic Plans

…merely scoring costs in the short term and not determining the value of health in the long term has helped us have the most expensive medical care in the world with a shorter life span than all our competitors… Looking toward prevention allows to us to think about getting health at a good value...and to me that's a good idea. -- James Marks, Senior Vice President and Director of the Health Group,

Robert Wood Johnson Foundation

Help Create the Community in Which You Want to Live

Q & AWhat have you seen or heard in

this session that strikes you?What steps do you need to take

to get there?