Community Resources: World Health Organization Essay

Community Resources: World Health Organization Essay

In recent years, health promotion and disease prevention have received more attention in the public health sphere than curative interventions. The motivation for this quest stems from the fact that curing some diseases, such as cancer, is difficult, whereas preventing the disease from occurring is a feasible scenario. Health promotion and disease prevention have been accomplished with the assistance of local, national, and global non-profit organizations or governmental urgencies (Cueto et al., 2019). The World Health Organization is one example of a specialized urgency of the United Nations that is mandated to help people all over the world achieve the best possible level of health (Cueto et al., 2019). The WHO’s responsibilities are diverse, and among them is the promotion of public health and safety, as will be discussed further below.

An Explanation of the WHO’s Mission and Vision Contribution to the Public Health Safety Improvements

            Mission and vision statements are two of the most common tools used by organizations to achieve their objectives. A mission statement defines the organization’s purpose, objectives, and approach to achieving its goals, whereas a vision statement describes the organization’s desired future position (WHO, 2021). The WHO’s mission is to advocate for and catalyze global actions to achieve the millennium development goals for health and health for all (WHO, 2021). The organization envisions a world in which everyone leads a healthy and productive life, regardless of socioeconomic status, ethnicity, gender, or geographic location (WHO, 2021). The organization and all of its affiliated members strive to operate by the mission and vision, as these are the tools that help keep the world safe and provide measurable impact for people at all levels.

The WHO’s mission and vision serve as checkpoints for the organization’s progress toward achieving its goal of creating a world in which everyone can live healthy and productive lives. At this point, the question is how the WHO achieves healthy and productive lives for people at all levels. The Sustainable Development Goals provide a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to address the economic, social, and political determinants of health (WHO, 2018). The Colorado Public Health Association is a local initiative in Colorado State that supports the WHO’s quest for a healthy nation. Its mission is to improve the community’s status through healthy eating, disease prevention, active living, and the promotion of people’s welfare (Colorado Public Health Association, 2021). Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, WHO’s Director-General, acknowledges in an interview that the organization’s mission and vision help them place health at the center of the global agenda (WHO, 2021). This is accomplished through collaboration with a wide range of partners, including heads of state, ministers from around the world, civil societies, private sectors, and multilateral institutions. The collaboration will aid in the implementation of international health regulations that address social, economic, and political determinants of health, thereby improving people’s health and safety.

WHO’s Ability to Promote Equal Opportunity and Improve the Quality of Life in a Community

            The WHO takes concrete steps to promote equal opportunities and improve people’s quality of life at all levels. The organization has put in place several initiatives to ensure that its goal of equal opportunity is met. Event planning, procurement, human resource allocation, and facility improvements are among the strategies (WHO, 2021). The organization embraces technology through event planning, such as video conferencing, which allows people from different continents and countries to participate in ongoing events, meetings, and webinars from the comfort of their homes, offices, or places of work (WHO, 2021). As a result, this strategy reduces the health disparities caused by the digital divide. Furthermore, during the search for human resources, the organization encourages diversity and inter-professionalism, so that people of various ethnicities, geographical locations, and professions are considered for positions at WHO offices (WHO, 2021). Similarly, during resource procurement, any best-qualified supplier is considered, regardless of ethnicity or other discriminating factors.

The WHO, on the other hand, faces several social, cultural, and economic barriers in its quest to achieve its goals. High poverty rates are one of the most common socioeconomic barriers, making it difficult for people to access some of the services provided by the organization and its affiliated members. According to 2020 statistics, the poverty rate in the United States is 11.4%, implying that a sizable proportion of the population lacks access to basic health care. Furthermore, because WHO is a global organization, it faces cultural barriers in its endeavors, such as language barriers. However, this barrier is mitigated by the WHO’s embrace of diversity and the consideration of multilingualism as a key factor in hiring workers.

Impact of Funding Sources, Policy, and Legislation on the Organization’s Service Delivery

            The WHO’s service delivery is greatly influenced by a variety of factors such as funding sources, policies, and legislation. The WHO receives funding primarily from two sources: assessed contributions (countries’ membership dues), which account for only 20% of the organization’s total budget, and voluntary contributions from member states, which account for the majority of the funding (WHO, 2019). The funds are used by the WHO to hire people, allocate resources such as pharmaceuticals and non-pharmaceuticals, and construct facilities. As a result of adequate funding, the organization maximizes its role in society.

The WHO has policies that govern its operations in specific areas. For example, the WHO policy on Disability requires the organization to incorporate disability into the design, implementation, and monitoring of all programs, as well as consult with people with disabilities in decisions relating to the organization’s operations (WHO, 2019). Finally, the policy requires the organization to address all intersecting forms of discrimination affecting people with disabilities, as well as to incrementally improve access to facilities, information, and workspaces for people with disabilities.

An Explanation of how the Organization’s Work Impacts the Health and Safety Needs of a Local Community

            The WHO, in collaboration with several member states, has had a tremendous impact on people’s health. The impact extends beyond health to people’s social, economic, and political environments. People in member countries benefit from improved access to care and increased investment in health prevention and promotion (Bull et al., 2020). This benefit, for example, has significantly reduced the occurrences of chronic illnesses such as heart failure in Colorado due to improved screening and the initiation of mitigating interventions as soon as possible (Bull et al., 2020). Improved social connection has been achieved through the WHO Fleet services, which assists WHO offices in lowering their emissions related to road transport by right-sizing their fleet, decreasing their fuel consumption, training drivers on eco-driving, and acquiring more efficient modern vehicles, such as electric vehicles (Bull et al., 2020). People’s needs have thus been met, enhancing the diversity of health, which includes social, mental, spiritual, and physical parameters.

Another way for the community’s needs to be met is through the use of information and communication technology. The WHO employs specific technology measures in the context of conferences and virtual meetings. Video conferencing is one example of a measure that has been implemented. Since the inception of Covid 19, the organization has held more virtual meetings than physical meetings. People who would not have been able to travel to distant countries to attend physical meetings organized by the organizations now have the opportunity to do so thanks to advances in technology (Bull et al., 2020). As a result of this strategy, the disparity caused by the digital divide has been reduced.

Conclusion

            Health promotion and disease prevention necessitate the participation of a diverse team as well as multiple like-minded organizations. The WHO is such a union, with members from all over the world, and its goal is to protect the health of those who are a part of it. The WHO has been able to achieve its goals while adhering to its mission and vision statements thanks to the collaboration with a variety of other parties. The organization not only strives to protect and safeguard health but also addresses social and economic factors that could jeopardize people’s health. Despite the organizations’ observed benefits, their actions may be negatively influenced by various policies and regulations.

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References

Bull, F. C., Al-Ansari, S. S., Biddle, S., Borodulin, K., Buman, M. P., Cardon, G., Carty, C., Chaput, J.-P., Chastin, S., Chou, R., Dempsey, P. C., DiPietro, L., Ekelund, U., Firth, J., Friedenreich, C. M., Garcia, L., Gichu, M., Jago, R., Katzmarzyk, P. T., … Willumsen, J. F. (2020). World Health Organization 2020 guidelines on physical activity and sedentary behavior. British Journal of Sports Medicine, 54(24), 1451–1462. https://doi.org/10.1136/bjsports-2020-102955

Colorado Public Health Association. (2021). Home. Colorado Public Health Association: An Affiliated Association of APHA. https://www.coloradopublichealth.org/

Cueto, M., Brown, T. M., & Fee, E. (2019). The world health organization: A history. Cambridge University Press. https://doi.org/10.1017/9781108692878

World Health Organization. (2018). World health statistics 2018: Monitoring health for the SDGs, sustainable development goals. World Health Organization. https://books.google.at/books?id=sXeyDwAAQBAJ

World Health Organization. (2019). Cover photo: Namibia Women’s Health Network (NWHN) members at the High Court of Namibia in 2014 claiming justice and seeking accountability for being sterilized without their consent. Source: Namibia Women’s Health Network. Who. Int. https://apps.who.int/iris/bitstream/handle/10665/325776/9789241515627-eng.pdf

World Health Organization. (2021a). Vision. Who. Int. https://www.who.int/director-general/vision

World Health Organization. (2021b). STRONGER COLLABORATION FOR AN EQUITABLE AND RESILIENT RECOVERY: 2021 PROGRESS REPORT ON THE GLOBAL ACTION PLAN FOR HEALTHY LIVES AND WELL-BEING FOR ALL. http://file:///C:/Users/user/Downloads/9789240026209-eng.pdf

Choose the organization or agency you are most interested in researching:

• American Red Cross.
• Habitat for Humanity.
• United Way.
• Doctors Without Borders.
• The Salvation Army.
• United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF).
• Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA).
• Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
• National Center for Transgender Equality.
• National Resource Center on LGBT Aging.
• Advocacy & Services for LGBT Elders.
• Equal Justice Initiative.
• National Alliance to End Homelessness.
• Urban Triage.
• World Health Organization.
• The Arc: For People With Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities.
• Alliance for Retired Americans.
• Futures Without Violence.
• Blue Campaign: What Is Human Trafficking?
• Covenant House.
• Cultural Survival.