Scenario:

Your county board of supervisors is considering a proposal to consolidate the county health department into a regional public health entity that would be formed by merging the health department with those of three other contiguous counties of similar size (each has a population in the 50,000-75,000 range).

The primary motivation behind this consolidation proposal is that a regional public health entity would assure better coordination of emergency preparedness and response activities within the region.

You agree with this premise, but also fear that some public health activities may actually suffer in such a consolidation. You decide to write a letter to the editor of the newspaper serving your county in order to influence public opinion as the county board considers this matter.

Directions: For this assignment, you are to complete a: Letter (approximately 2-3 pages) to the editor of an appropriate publication of your choice that clearly states your position and includes your rationale and relevant evidence.

Include adequate research on the risks and benefits of regionalizing public health.

Identify the publication for which you will write the letter. Be sure to research constraints the publication has for letters to the editor. PowerPoint (PPT) presentation (approximately 5-7 slides) to deliver to the board to gather support for your previously created letter.

The PPT presentation should explain what you feel are the advantages and disadvantages of the consolidation. Include detailed speaker notes to explain each slide.

Your final product will be in a PowerPoint slide show and be approximately 5-7 slides in length, and utilize at least 5 scholarly sources in research (beyond the textbook).

In addition, a 2-3-page written letter to the editor of an appropriate publication of your choice should be developed.