Public Health Interview Questions
Part One – Questions for Interview
What has been your role as a public health nurse and Minnesota Community Care in promoting the health of the community in Minnesota?
What populations does Minnesota Community care serve?
Please elaborate on how you collaborate with the Minnesota Department of Health regarding chronic illnesses in older adults.
What are some of the campaign materials that you use in your outreach of older adults in Minnesota?
What, in your opinion, are the needs of the homeless, elderly, and minority groups?
How do you collaborate with community-based resource partners in disseminating relevant information to the community?
Part Two – Interview
Scheduling the Interview
The interview will be conducted on Zoom owing to the current COVID-19 health guidelines of social distancing and movement restrictions. Despite the pandemic, doing this interview on Zoom will save costs and the traveling time. Besides, it is more engaging than a telephone call because I will be able to read nonverbal communication, such as facial expressions and other gestures. It will also be a good way of recordkeeping as I can record the interview for future use or closer reference. The interview will be on Sunday afternoon as both of us will be having an afternoon off. The exact date and time of the interview will be on May 17, 2020, at 2.00 PM Eastern Daylight Time.
I had an opportunity to interview Kathleen Donnelly, a public health nurse at Minnesota Community Care. She has been working there for seven years, and she says the experience has been very enriching. Kathleen was a perfect person to interview as she provided answers accurately and sometimes supported the information with relevant statistical data and reference. The phone number of Minnesota Community Care is (651) 602-7500, while Kathleen’s email address is kathleen.donnelly@mncare.org.
Responses to the Interview
Question 1: What has your role as a public health nurse and Minnesota Community Care in promoting the health of the community in Minnesota?
I have been a public health nurse at Minnesota Community Care and helped to promote the health of the vulnerable populations in Minnesota in a number of ways. Through my organization, I have helped to enable people to increase control over their health and to improve it in many ways. Minnesota Community Care is at the forefront of health literacy in the community. As a public health nurse, I call the shots in community programs aimed at health teaching. I provide relevant and useful information to the elderly, children, the homeless, and pregnant women and children from low socioeconomic areas. I have been leading campaigns aimed at promoting healthy behaviors and lifestyles among all people across age. My organization has given me the responsibility of carrying out regular community assessment of the Minnesota community and suggesting the required health improvements. In the hospital, I also help patients understand the relevant information regarding managing and improving their health. My routine interaction with patients in and out of hospitals provides me with an excellent opportunity to educate them.
For instance, I spend the last hour of my shift on Mondays to attend to queries from new parents in Minnesota regarding their children’s upcoming vaccines and wellness visits. I also dedicate my last hour of the Friday shifts to answering diabetes-related questions. I give patients the right information regarding the best ways to self-manage their illnesses, such as controlling their blood sugar levels and manage their medications. In so doing, I advocate for a healthy lifestyle to help the community to better control and improve their health.
Moreover, every Saturday afternoon, I hold a multidimensional meeting including community members, health insurance agents, and other health professionals and experts at Mapleview Village Community Hall in Minnesota to educate the public on preventive care. Nowadays, preventive care has become a more valued service because of the prevalent rise in healthcare costs. In these community forums, I coordinate the meetings and welcome queries from the public regarding preventive care. The community gets to hear from medical insurance companies on the options available regarding preventive care. In so doing, I help the community to maintain their health and preventing illnesses beforehand as opposed to merely treating them as they arise. I usually conclude these forums with an elaborate explanation of the risk factors for various illnesses and the best ways to manage illnesses before they deteriorate.
These interventions are in line with the National Prevention Strategy as provided for in the Affordable Care Act. Therefore, as a public health nurse, I help build healthy and safe community environments through preventive care. I also make preventive care services more accessible by linking the community to health experts and health insurance companies. I also educate people to make healthy choices and to eliminate health disparities.
Question 2: What populations does Minnesota Community Care serve?
Let me start by saying that the mission of Minnesota Community Care is to “Strengthen the wellbeing of our community through healthcare for all.” My organization is open to clients of all ages in the community, from infants to the elderly. The services offered at Minnesota Community Care include:
Children’s health
Medical services
Dental services
Women’s health
Optometry
Senior health
Specialty care
Mental health and
Pharmacy
For children, we provide regular and early child care, support, and immunizations. The aim is to provide families with the necessary information they need regarding the wellbeing of their children.
For women, we provide birth control counseling and prescriptions, gynecology problem visits, postpartum and prenatal care, and screenings for breast and cervical cancer.
For dental health, we provide comprehensive dental health services, including emergency care, preventive, and restorative care. We have a Bright Smiles Program that targets children below six years and promotes healthy dental hygiene among the children.
For senior health, we provide older adults with compassionate, community-centered care. The issues we address include transitional and long-term care, housing-related issues, and a variety of community-based services and programs for the elderly.
For specialty care, we provide comprehensive and routine care for patients with chronic medical conditions. These services include nephrology and case management services, including primary and specialty HIV/AIDS care.
For pharmacy, Minnesota Community Care serves clients of all ages through on-site pharmacies located at East Side Family Clinic and La Clinica sites.
Lastly, we also offer a full range of medical services for all ages of life, starting from prenatal care to end-of-life care. These services include urgent care visits, routine exams, lab draws, medication management, X-ray services, immunizations, and screenings.
Question 3: Please elaborate on how you collaborate with the Minnesota Department of Health regarding chronic illnesses in older adults.
In collaboration with the Minnesota Department of Health, we have a stroke program for the elderly. The aim of this program is to create public awareness regarding stroke and heart attack. My organization has been supporting Minnesota’s stroke system since its inception in 2014. I work with local grocery stores and clinics to raise awareness of the symptoms and risk factors of stroke or heart attack. Because stroke is one of the leading causes of deaths of older adults in Minnesota, my organization has been leading the campaigns to be fast in stroke emergency. Stroke is one of the agenda that we always discuss in my Saturday open community form at Mapleview Village Community Hall in Minnesota.
In addition, we have collaborated with the Associated Clinic of Psychology (ACP) to provide family and individual therapy services. These services include Adult Rehabilitation Mental Health Services (ARMHS), the Children’s Therapeutic Services and Supports (CTSS), school-based services, and early intervention for children below six years. Adult Rehabilitation Mental Health Services include supporting, assisting and education individuals to develop and strengthen skills required for independent living in community settings. The Children’s Therapeutic Services and Support supports children and their families on how to be more functional in homes, schools, and the community. Minnesota Department of Health Services offers grants that help us to mental health services in schools and in homes.
Question 4: What are some of the campaign materials that you use in your outreach of older adults in Minnesota?
The campaign materials that we use to reach and communicate with the elderly include the heart attack and stroke awareness order form and BE FAST stroke communications tool kit. The heart attack and stroke awareness order form involve a survey that collects mainly contact information of the requester. This information helps public health nurses, like me, to reach out to the community and create awareness regarding heart attack, stroke, and other illnesses common in old age. On the other hand, the BE FAST stroke communications tool kit contains all the relevant information that health professionals and the public need to know regarding stroke and heart attack. The toolkit outlines the ways to identify symptoms and risk factors of stroke and heart attack and the way to respond promptly by calling 911. The toolkit also has graphic images and social media links and information regarding stroke.
Question 5: What, in your opinion, are the needs of the homeless, elderly, and minority groups?
These vulnerable populations have diverse needs, although some may be similar. First, the elderly need an enabling environment that promotes their health in many ways. This includes socioeconomic, physical, and economic environments. The elderly need to have health insurance to help them afford the medical costs of their chronic illnesses. They also need an enabling physical environment that does not hinder them from participating in physical activities. For instance, sidewalks should be clear and non-slippery to prevent them from the risk of falling. Moreover, they need sufficient street lighting to prevent them from crimes. Another need among the elderly is social support to prevent them from feelings of isolation and exclusion. These feelings have been the leading risk factors of mental health disorders in old age.
On the other hand, the homeless need constant support for essential needs as food, clothing, and basic health to prevent them from malnutrition and hunger. Minority groups include children and women from low socioeconomic settings. This group of people is vulnerable to many adverse health factors, including a lack of insurance and proper prenatal and postpartum care for pregnant women. Children in these low socioeconomic environments do not have access to quality healthcare, including basic immunizations. This state of affairs makes them contract such diseases as obesity due to poor nutrition and developmental diseases as polio at a tender age.
Question 6: How do you collaborate with community-based resource partners in disseminating relevant information to the community?
With the advent of technology, dissemination of information has become easier since most people in the United States are connected to the Internet and are social media users. Minnesota Community care has various websites for various health needs ranging from infancy to end-of-life care. In these websites, clients can search and find any relevant information regarding any medical condition that they may need. Some web links on the organization’s website redirect clients to community-based resource partners and experts. For instance, our online Health Care Homes have all information regarding preventive and diagnostic services. This website is interactive in that it allows families, patients and care providers to work together in supporting wellness and improving health outcomes. Similarly, Health Start provides health care for teens in nine St. Paul public high school clinics. This website offers such services as: Teen health care
* Physical/sports exams
* Family planning and pregnancy testing
* Diabetes care
* Family support and mental health counseling
* Prenatal care
* Health education
* Nutrition services
* Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) care
* Check-ups and immunizations and;
* Women’s health services
We also have a 24/7 call center that helps answer any queries from clients and community members on specific health issues. Besides, my organization has entrusted me with the responsibility of carrying out regular assessment of Minnesota’s physical environment to ensure it is enabling enough to promote physical activity. Through my recommendations to the State administration, lighting and beautification of walkways have been made successful, and it now promotes physical activities, especially in older adults.
Part Three – Thank You Email
To: Kathleen Donnelly
From: Juliana Muthee
Subject: Thanking You for Creating Time for the Interview
Hello Kathleen,
I am writing to appreciate you for creating time for the interview we had last Sunday.
Here are two suggestions for resources for information to support your community:
- Healthy Communities Program by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
This resource can be accessed at https://www.cdc.gov/nccdphp/dch/programs/healthycommunitiesprogram/tools/index.htm.
This resource will provide you with science-based recommendations and findings on strategies and policies that improve health and prevent disease in communities. In this website, you will also find an online community health resource center plan, launch, and evaluate community health programs to prevent chronic diseases. Other tools you can find here include planning guides, evaluation frameworks, communication materials, health risk factors data and statistics, fact sheets, scientific articles, key reports, and state and local program contacts (CDC, 2020).
Educational and Community-Based Programs This resource can be accessed at https://www.healthypeople.gov/2020/topics-objectives/topic/educational-and-community-based-programs.
In this resource, you will find all the information regarding the objectives and interventions that can help to prevent disease and injury, improve health, and enhance the quality of life. These educational and community-based programs and strategies can help you and other health professionals to reach people outside of traditional health care settings. These settings may include:
- Schools
- Worksites
- Health care facilities
- Communities (Healthy People, 2020)
The information in this resource can also help your community to understand the risk factors I order to participate in preventive care.
I would like to thank you again for taking the time for the interview and responding to all the questions appropriately.
The interview was very good. I am impressed with your efforts to promote the health of Minnesota through many programs that your organization, Minnesota Community Care, engages in. Moreover, I would like to register my appreciation for your organization for collaborating with community-based resource partners in the promotion of the health of all through various community-based services and programs. Most importantly, I am utterly touched by the way you create time in your already packed schedule to dedicate two hours within the week to respond to queries in maternal health and chronic illnesses. Lastly, the open community forum you hold every Saturday at Mappleview Village Community Hall is the best idea that I have heard this year. May God give you the energy and guide your endeavor to promote the health of your community.
Best Regards,
Juliana Muthee