Reflection: Weeks 11 & 12

Can you believe that we only have three weeks of class left?!

Week 11:

During this week we had watched a documentary titled "Unnatural Causes: In Sickness and in Wealth". This documentary was a real eye opener! It's very true that the wealthier you are, the better health you are in. I also found it very interesting that sometimes how wealthy you are does not matter, but the color of your skin does. It's a shame that the United States has all this money and is the richest world in the country, but that there isn't equal health care and health opportunities for everyone living here. During this week we also started more advocacy projects! Dr.V showed us how to use Thomas and the State and Legislative Bill website. I look forward to finishing this project within the next few weeks!

Week 12:

This Tuesday was centered around the advocacy project we are doing for Monday. We had discussed how it was important to know as much information about the issue we're looking into so that if or when we get a response for the person we send our letter to, we're prepared for any question they ask us or statement we need to make. This is a very important skill to have when working in the "real world" and having to explain/persuade people to agree with you, and fight for a change.

On Thursday Shar and Dr. V switched roles for the first half of class and we discussed reading 20. This part of class was quiet humorous :) We also took a picture and created a card for SuperOne! I feel like our class is starting to bond a lot more since a majority of people in class are beginning to feel comfortable sharing their opinions and opening up to everyone... I like it :)


I look forward to finishing off the semester with everyone! :)

Advocacy Project: Healthy People/THOMAS

Focus Area 8: Environmental Health
8-29. Global deaths from poor sanitation, water, or hygiene

- Met target by 161%

Target: 2,135,000 deaths.

Baseline: 2,668,200 deaths worldwide were attributable to these factors in 1990.

Target setting method: 20 percent improvement.

Data source: World Health Report 2003, World Health Organization.

According to the Progress Quotient Chart for Focus Area 8: Environmental Health, here is how the figured the targeted change achieved.

Years in parentheses represent the baseline data year and the most recent data year used to compute the percent of the Health People 2010 target achieved

Emerging Issues: Increased international travel and improvements in telecommunications and computer technology are making the world a smaller place. Actions in each country affect the environment and influence events around the world. For example, over the next several decades, more people will face water quality and quantity problems because of worldwide water shortages, especially in developing countries.

S.624 : A bill to provide 100,000,000 people with first-time access to safe drinking water and sanitation on a sustainable basis by 2015 by improving the capacity of the United States Government to fully implement the Senator Paul Simon Water for the Poor Act of 2005.

Sponsor: Sen Richard Durbin (IL)

Cosponsors: Sen. Bob Corker (TN) and Sen Patty Murray (WA)

Latest Major Action: 3/17/2009 Referred to Senate committee.

Status: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Foreign Relations.

My Political Representatives: Amy Klobuchar

After watching documentaries in class and reading about our national water scarcity issue, I believe that providing safe drinking water to everyone is very important. Water is a right to everyone and individuals should not have to worry about getting sick or dying from the water that they have access to and are drinking. There are ways that this issue could be handled, and the first would be to write a letter to my political representative, which is Amy Klobuchar.

Although this target has been met, it is a subject that will always have area for improvement.