Discussion of messages between the affected community and policymakers.
Messages can be used to convey information because they are easily understandable and memorable and while there is no commonly accepted definition of a narrative, it is generally agreed that it should provide an account of an individuals experience and include appealing detail, characters and some plot (Fadlallah et al., 2019). In the case of A Case Study of Environmental Justice: The failure in Flint, the messaging will be different between the affected community and the policymakers. Part of the duty of a public health professional is about advocating for better health care and systems, and so, the message to the affected community will be that of providing health messaging and advocacy. Messages to affected communities will be that of creating awareness. The residents will be informed about symptoms of diseases caused by uncleaned and lead infected water in adults and children and will enforce ways to prohibit the residents from consuming the infected water. The affected communities will be educated on how, when, and where to seek medical help. Messaging to policymakers will be that of improving the policy and performance of the federal and state agencies to ensure environmental justice and strengthening of the drinking water safety standards. Interventions to manage, improve practice, and ensure accountability will be at the forefront when talking to policymakers.
Explain factors you would consider in order to provide ethical, timely communication, and special considerations.
Part of communicating more effectively with a diverse audience is understanding ones own biases and how our experiences and values shape the lens through which we view others. We need to study our audiences and inspect our words and gestures carefully to ensure nothing in our presentation suggests that we assume our way is superior to how another culture operates. Factors that would be considered to provide ethical, timely communication and special considerations will be truth, completeness, sincerity, and inclusion.
Ethical issues are inherent in any instance of communication between people and communities, whether or not the communicators seek to present information, facilitate others decision making, persuade people about important values, or advocate particular solutions. Being truthful is one of the tenets of morality that is assumed to be shared universally. Concealment or misrepresentation of what is believed to be true, even for what is considered a good cause, is considered an infringement on the ethical principle of respect for autonomy (Beauchamp, 1996).
Information that is meant to promote peoples health clearly needs to meet the stipulation that it is well understood by those who are meant to use it. Sincerity involves communicative initiative for changing health needs to be made clear, including the goals and implicit agenda of sponsors and the identity and motives of stakeholders who are likely to benefit from the outcomes of the intervention. Lastly, the inclusion stipulation includes respect for others points of view, beliefs, and suggestions. This is particularly important for members of diverse groups who, by definition, may hold diverse views of the issues and have different capacities to address it.
References
Beauchamp, T. (1996). Moral foundations. In S. S. Coughlin & T. L. Beauchamp, Ethics and Epidemiology (pp. 2452). Oxford: Oxford University Press.
Fadlallah, R., El-Jardali, F., Nomier, M., Hemadi, N., Arif, K., Langlois, E. V., & Akl, E. A. (2019). Using narratives to impact health policy-making: A systematic review. Health Research Policy and Systems, 17(1). https://doi.org/10.1186/s12961-019-0423-4
Guttman, N. (2017). Ethical issues in health promotion and communication interventions. Oxford Research Encyclopedia of Communication. https://doi.org/10.1093/acrefore/9780190228613.013.118