Chanel Drucker

Professor Brown
Community Health
Artifact 2- E. Portfolio

Health Professional Interview Noted Related to Community Dimensions of Practice Skills

Assessment and Comments 

The sub-competencies I was lacking knowledge in were:

The Sub-Competencies I Plan to Work On:

1. Describe the structures, functions, and authorizations of governmental public health programs
and organizations. 
2. Describe government agencies with authority to impact the health of a community.
3. Describe public health funding mechanisms (e.g., categorical grants, fees, third-party
reimbursement, tobacco taxes)

My interview was with Diane Peck who is an Early Care and Education (ECE)
Coordinator for the Alaska Physical Activity and Nutrition Unit within the Department of Health
and Social Services, located in Anchorage, Alaska. She works to help childcare providers
implement national nutrition and physical activity standards to help young children grow up in
healthy childcare settings.

After the interview with Diane I felt like I learned more about each sub-competency. I
asked Diane a multitude of questions that included some of these sub-competencies. When I
asked her, what might a typical day at work look like she simply said its everchanging. She
works on several projects that are grant funded and she manages contracts with other agencies
that then do the outreach and education. She works on educating these agencies, developing and
writing plan, being preceptor, and requesting to help and participating in national professional
organization. She informs the public on available programs and resources through educating her
agencies and going out into the community herself. When asking her what her favorite program
she says that NAPSAC has a great breastfeeding program that helps breast feeding families. She
contracts with childcare providers, trying to reach people that are not licensed and
family/childcare homes as opposed to big centers. It can be difficult to reach. A lot of military
providers- hard to get into their system. A lot of head starts. Always trying to reach out. Lot of
big presentations. Trying to partner with different people, newsletters. Lot of writing. Ak so
small- need the right person with connections in childcare world. No champion of nutrition and
physical activity is hard to get in. need outreach. One of her tasks is to train the trainers in
NAPSAC that work with the children. She says she has a lot of positive change and there is a lot
of incentive they are able to provide to schools which allows them to continue their progress like
purchasing them new physical activity equipment which allows the kids to go outside in the
winter more often. The grant funded aspect of her projects allows her to offer incentives to her
participants which encourages them to continue their progress and encourages new people to join
the programs as well. The incentives mentioned earlier involve items as people progress through
the program. For example, the elementary school was going through their program and as they
accomplished each phase, they were able to earn more physical activity equipment. Diane said
prior to this program they did not even go play outside if it was cold out, but now do every day
no matter the weather. This can make a huge impact for the children and the program.