HSPM 7133 Section A: Public Health Policy & Ethics

The course prepares learners to understand complex health and human service-related systems in order to inform effective practice-based ethical decision-making. The primary focus of the course relates to public health policy and practice. Major content areas include health policy institutions, the health policy process, ethical political considerations, social determinants of health, workforce, health care financing, medical technology, health care organizations, the public health system, primary care systems, and other health-related issues impacting the health of the public. Strategies of implementing change through policy making and the legislative process are covered

HSPM 7138 - Managerial Epidemiology

Managerial Epidemiology provides a solid balance of baseline materials on epidemiologic methods with a focus on tools and skills required to succeed as a public health or healthcare manager. This course focuses on the purpose, focus and tools for managerial epidemiology, thus broadening the definition and scope of Epidemiology from the distribution, spread, and containment of health problems in populations to the planning, organization, and management of health services. This course is designed for master’s level healthcare managers and graduate students in health policy and management. Students will develop hands-on, data-driven, analytic management skills. Managerial Epidemiology provides students the opportunity to apply epidemiologic data on incidence and prevalence in conjunction with administrative data on cost and quality in order to gain an understanding of the application of enhance access and delivery of high quality services in a cost-effective and efficient manner

HSPM 7133 - Public Health Policy and Ethics

The course prepares learners to understand complex health and human service-related systems in order to inform effective practice-based ethical decision-making. The primary focus of the course relates to public health policy and practice. Major content areas include health policy institutions, the health policy process, ethical political considerations, social determinants of health, workforce, health care financing, medical technology, health care organizations, the public health system, primary care systems, and other health-related issues impacting the health of the public. Strategies of implementing change through policy making and the legislative process are covered

PUBH 3432: Introduction to Global Health Policy

This course introduces the range of cultural and policy approaches different countries take to health, healthcare access, and related population-level health interventions. As part of this course, students will compare different healthcare systems from selected countries

HSPM 7133 Section A: Public Health Policy & Ethics

The course prepares learners to understand complex health and human service-related systems in order to inform effective practice-based ethical decision-making. The primary focus of the course relates to public health policy and practice. Major content areas include health policy institutions, the health policy process, ethical political considerations, social determinants of health, workforce, health care financing, medical technology, health care organizations, the public health system, primary care systems, and other health-related issues impacting the health of the public. Strategies of implementing change through policy making and the legislative process are covered

Association between the Health Belief Model, Exercise, and Nutrition Behaviors during the COVID-19 Pandemic

Introduction: The COVID-19 pandemic has affected our nation’s health further than the infection it causes. Physical activity levels and dietary intake have suffered while individuals grapple with the changes in behavior to reduce viral transmission. With unique nuances regarding the access to physical activity and nutrition during the pandemic, the constructs of Health Belief Model (HBM) may present themselves differently in nutrition and exercise behaviors compared to precautions implemented to reduce viral transmission studied in previous research. The purpose of this study was to investigate the extent of exercise and nutritional behavior change during the COVID-19 pandemic and explain the reason for and extent of this change using HBM constructs (perceived susceptibility, severity, benefit of action, and barriers to action). Methods: This study used a cross-sectional design to collect 206 surveys. This survey collected information on self-reported exercise and nutrition changes during the pandemic and self-reported levels of the HBM constructs. Results: Findings showed individuals with medium or high exercise behavior change had greater odds of increased HBM score than individuals with little to no exercise behavior change (OR = 1.117, 95% CI: 1.020–1.223, SE: 0.0464, p = 0.0175). There was no association between nutritional behavior change and HBM score (OR = 1.011, 95% CI: 0.895–1.142, p = 08646). Conclusion: Individuals who reported a more drastic change in either exercise had greater odds of increased feelings of perceived susceptibility and severity related to COVID-19 and decreased perceived benefits and increased barriers to exercise. This relationship was not found regarding nutrition behavior change. These results encourage public health practitioners to understand how an individual’s perceived feelings about a threat may affect exercise and nutritional behaviors

CEO Turnover in Georgia Rural Hospitals, 2011-2017

Highlights: The average annual turnover rate in Georgia rural hospitals between 2011 and 2017 was 24%, with a low of 17% in 2012 and in 2015 and a high of 37% in 2016. Between 2011 and 2017, rural hospitals had on average, approximately two CEO changes, with 46% reporting three or more CEO changes. Annual turnover rates were found to be consistently higher in rural prospectively paid (PPS) hospitals, compared to Critical Access Hospitals (CAHs). Background: Hospital chief executive officer (CEO) turnover rates have increased nationally over the last decade, increasing from 15% in 2007 to 18% in 2017, and after reaching a peak of 20% in 2013 (American College of Healthcare Executives [ACHE], 2008; ACHE, 2018). Unexpected leadership turnover can be disruptive for organizations operating in an ever-dynamic environment like healthcare. The existing literature indicates an inverse relationship between CEO turnover and hospital performance, with a stronger negative impact of turnover on performance in nonprofit hospitals (Brickley & Van Horn, 2002) and among small rural hospitals (Alexander & Lee, 1996). In 2018, the American College of Healthcare Executives (ACHE) estimated the CEO turnover rate in Georgia hospitals to be 20%, higher than the national rate of 18%. There is, however, a dearth of literature on CEO turnover in rural hospitals in the state. The purpose of this research brief is to describe CEO turnover in Georgia’s rural hospitals between 2011 and 2017

Strategies for Improving Profitability of Rural Hospitals: Are Profitable Hospitals Doing Something Different?

THE TOP FIVE STRATEGIES adopted by rural hospitals for the purposes of improving financial performance included improving patient satisfaction and care experience, adding new service lines or expanding existing service lines, community outreach, employee engagement, and physician engagement. Profitable hospitals were more likely than other hospitals to have implemented cost-cutting and internal and external stakeholder engagement strategies. Background Nationwide, hospitals, as well as policy makers, are exploring strategies for improving the financial viability of rural hospitals. These efforts are in response to the critical need for sustainable hospital infrastructure in rural America and the negative impact the lack thereof can have on rural health. This study sought to describe efforts undertaken by rural hospitals to improve financial sustainability

Georgia Rural Hospital Tax Credit

Background Eight rural hospitals have closed in Georgia within the last decade, and more are financially distressed. In 2016, Georgia legislation created a state income tax credit for individuals and corporations that donate to qualifying non-profit rural hospitals of their choice. This law, the first of its kind in the US, was intended to provide struggling hospitals with financial support to improve viability. Using a mixed- methods approach, this study assessed the perspective of hospital executives concerning the program, examined community awareness of the program, and evaluated how hospitals used the money to enhance access to care for rural populations