Health Promotion: “Jeans for Genes”

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Table of Contents

The Contextual Environment
The Management Plan for the Case Study
References

The Contextual Environment

Type of organization

The organization tasked with advertising the promotion of “Jeans for Genes” is the Children’s Medical Research Institute (CMRI), which is an independent community-based organization. CMRI pioneered pediatric medical research in 1958 and has been leading in improving and extending lives of Australian children. In Australia, about 5% of children suffer from genetic conditions or congenital disorders. Therefore, due to these disorders, CMRI believes that medical research can provide an avenue of discovering cures and improving the lives of many children. Since its inception, CMRI has made several remarkable achievements such as establishing the first pediatric research unit in Australia, developing microsurgery techniques, discovering vaccines, and enhancing survival rate of premature babies. Hence, CMRI is seeking financial support to improve the lives of children by coming up with new cures and vaccines during research.

Philosophy of the organization

The philosophy of the CMRI is “major advances in prevention and treatment come from research into the fundamental processes of life” (CMRI, 2012). Thus, the vision of the organization is to “remain at the international forefront in our four major areas of research, and continue making the advances that will give every child a better chance of a healthy future” (CMRI, 2012). To achieve this vision, the mission of the organization is to “bring together a critical mass of scientists with complementary skills and expertise, with different research backgrounds, technical abilities, and problem-solving methods – people who can work synergistically towards the important goals. This will ensure that we obtain the fresh, new insights required to continue our tradition of solving difficult problems and breaking new ground” (CMRI, 2012).

CMRI seeks to serve children through its fundraising arm of “Jeans for Genes”. Given that about 5% of the children born in Australia have congenital abnormalities and genetic disorders, CMRI wants to improve the health status of these children by developing novel cures for these conditions through research.

The principle of the CMRI is that medical research is central in prevention of future congenital disorders and treatment of current conditions in order to improve the lives of children and future generations. To achieve this principle, CMRI formed a fundraising arm called “Jeans for Genes”, which assumes the responsibility of promoting the organization and collecting funds necessary to further the mission of CMRI in improving lives of children.

One of the goals of the CMRI is to conduct research on congenital diseases such as epilepsy, cancer, and other genetic diseases. The research is going to discover cures and vaccines necessary for treatment and prevention of congenital disorders among children, which is the ultimate goal of the CMRI. Another goal of the CMRI is to improve the lives of not only Australians, but also of all people across the world.

Resources

CMRI has an exceptional deal of essential resources since it has made remarkable achievements during the last 5 decades since its inception. CMRI has an effective management board responsible for coordination and management of all activities in the organization. Moreover, CMRI has over 100 competent scientists who dedicate their time to conducting essential research. In conducting research, CMRI has well-equipped biomedical facility, where scientists carry out their research activities. In technology, CMRI has Mass Spectrometry Facility, which makes it a leading research center in Australia. CMRI also has a department at Sydney University in medical schools that provide Master’s degree and doctorate training to students.

The client group being served

CMRI is an independent community organization that serves the Australian population given that the prevalence of congenital diseases among the newborn is about 5%, which is quite high when compared to other countries. Therefore, CMRI seeks to serve women and children from diverse social, economic, and racial backgrounds by preventing and treating congenital disorders.

The corporate culture

In fulfilling its mission, CMRI has collaborated with many organizations. It is an affiliate of Sydney University where it takes part in offering masters and doctorate training to students in school of medicine. It also collaborates with funding partners such as Cancer Council of New South Wales, Australian Cancer Research Institute, and the Australian government. CMRI is a member of Australian Biotechnology Organization, Research Australia, and Association of Australian Medical Research Institute. This means that CMRI has an outstanding corporate culture because of such wide collaborations and partnerships with leading organizations.

The Management Plan for the Case Study

Management issues

The selection of an environment to target in health promotion is a challenge because it must reflect the beliefs and expectations of the target population. “Jeans for Genes” has two events, one every year on 3^rd of August, which is Jeans for Genes Day and another annual event on September15, Jeans for Genes Race Day. The former event targets everybody at a countrywide scale, while the latter event takes place at Rose Hill only. Since Jeans for Genes Day is a countrywide event, it targets a large number of volunteers in schools, workplaces, and streets, thus posing management challenges in coordinating activities of the day.

Moreover, as “Jeans for Genes” is using passionate volunteers to rally friends, relatives, and workmates, it requires effective coordination of the volunteers. Given that volunteers play a critical role in running the health promotion, it poses a significant management challenge as it is hard to manage and control voluntary activities. Jo, Lee, and Ahn (2003) argue that voluntary cooperation has significant influence on health promotion in an organization. Thus, from the website, it is evident that the CMRI faces numerous challenges in coordination and management of activities in “Jeans for Genes”.

CMRI is responsible for the selection of staff that manages Jean for Gene’s program because the website does not show a person who is responsible for its management. Since funds raised are for CMRI, such funds are responsible for the management of “Jeans for Genes”. According to Fertman and Allensworth (2010), for health promotion to have any impact, an organization must manage because it has the authority to affect change and cause impact. Thus, the staff who managed “Jeans for Genes” is from CMRI.

To run a promotion, some resources are essential for activities such as advertising, communication, and organizing workshops. Although participants of “Jeans for Genes” are volunteers, the health promotion does not need a provisional budget for advertisement and workshops. MacDowell, Bonnell, and Davies (2006) assert that health promotion involves planning and implementation of activities. Hence, planning and implementation are about budgeting and allocating resources. Moreover, “Jeans for Genes” has clear timetable showing its activities throughout the year. This means that the management utilizes time in planning these activities.

Selection and sequencing of activities

“Jeans for Genes” targeted volunteers in schools, workplaces, and streets. Schools are one of the target environments because the health promotion aims at promoting the lives of children. According to Clark (2001), health promotion must target the people who benefit from the program. This aspect is evident in the way Jeans for Genes’ website has images of children. Additionally, the promotion targets workplaces because patents are found mostly in such places. The street promotion creates public awareness of the health promotion program.

For the health promotion program to improve, CMRI should ensure that it clearly outlines how individuals, schools, and corporate bodies can participate in “Jeans for Genes”. Davies (1998) recommends, for health promotion to be effective, it must suit the needs and aspirations of the people in a community. Hence, “Jeans for Genes” must ensure that, the products that they deal with during promotion coincide with the needs and aspiration of Australians. Moreover, to improve the impact of promotion, “Jeans for Genes” should also communicate clearly the process of participating in the program. According to Tang, Beaglehole, and DeLeeuw (2005), health promotion experiences challenges from social and cultural systems because they derive a different meaning from given health promotion. Thus, consideration of social and cultural values and beliefs of the volunteers would help in improving the efficiency and efficacy of “Jeans for Genes” program.

After improving the quality of the program, measurable and observable outcomes should be seen. Simnett (1995) observes that quality improvement of health promotion programs should involve management dimension, community dimension, and professional dimension. Improvement of management dimension would result in quality outcomes such as the development of new promotion strategies and policies. In the dimension of community, the quality outcomes would be measurable by the trend of participation of the community members. The professional dimension indicates the capacity of the promotion program in achieving collaborations and partnerships with interested parties.

A robust management body would ensure that health promotion occurs in an organized and planned manner (Perry, 2005). Moreover, Grossman and Scala (1993) assert that effectiveness and efficiency of programs rely on management of the organization. In this case, processes and outcomes should take into account the effectiveness of policies and strategies needed for reforms. With effective reforms in the health promotion program, there would be better outcomes and processes that promote empirical learning and teaching among all participants of the promotion.

Impact Evaluation

The “Jeans for Genes” program has provided an environment where both the management and participants of the programs learn a lot. The management has made its staff understand the need to raise funds for the CMRI to help in alleviating the occurrence of congenital disorders. Hernandez (2011) argues that, mission and vision of an organization enable staff to focus their concerted efforts and achieve common goals. Abatena (1997) adds that, effective planning and incorporation of all stakeholders is essential in promoting a spirit of collaboration. Hence, the implementation of policies and strategies by the management, according to the mission and vision of the organization, promoted learning and teaching among staff members.

The management of “Jeans for Genes” has made a significant impact on the lives of people in Australia. Since its inception in 1958, it has managed to develop vaccines, design microsurgery techniques, and improve survival of premature babies. According to various studies, health promotion has empowered communities to take control of health issues and make them participate actively in the formulation of health policies (Laverack, 2007; Laverack, & Wallerstein, 2001). Thus, participation by Australian communities indicates that “Jeans for Genes” program has empowered society to contribute to the health of children and the future generation. Moreover, advertisement of “Jeans for Genes” program of promoting health enabled participants to understand the need of participating actively.

The staff of “Jeans for Genes” forms part of CMRI staff. The CMRI staff body consists of competent scientists who can perform research activities, which are critical in treating and preventing congenital disorders. The management board is also made of competent managers who formulate and implement effective policies. Johnson and Breckon (2007) and Slatter (2003) agree that management is central in determining the impact of a health promotion program because it plays a crucial role in the formulation and implementation of policies and strategies. Therefore, proper formulation and implementation of policies by CMRI and “Jeans for Genes” is evident in the achievements that they have made over the years.

Personal Comments

From my experience in health promotion, I can deduce that CMRI has effectively developed “Jeans for Genes” to promote healthy activities in the Australian community and even in foreign countries. The health promotion strategy that “Jeans for Genes” employs in creating awareness among various stallholders is highly effective and efficient, as demonstrated by the outcomes achieved over years. Through the health promotion, CMRI has achieved remarkable developments, which has not only assured Australian community about the health status of their children but also the international community. The number of partners that CMRI has gained through “Jeans for Genes” indicates that the health promotion has made a significant impact on the corporate world.

Health promotion is an invaluable resource that health care systems and research institutions should use to help in the prevention, treatment, and management of contemporary diseases. Evidently, “Jeans for Genes” has raised an enormous amount of funds that have helped CMRI to finance its activities, which are critical in the prevention and treatment of congenital disorders.

Following health promotion by “Jeans for Genes”, CMRI has managed to raise the required funds for research. The use of funds in research has yielded remarkable benefits in development of vaccines and cures essential in prevention and treatment of congenital disorders. Therefore, the future of the Australian community is promising because CMRI research findings have helped to reduce the number of children born with congenital disorders.

References

Abatena, H. (1997). The significance of planned community participation in problem Solving and developing a viable community capability. Journal of Community Practice, 4 (2), 13–34.

Children’s Medical Research Institute (CMRI). (2012). Jeans for Genes. Web.

Clark, C. (2001). Health promotion in communities: Holistic and wellness approaches. New York, NY: Springer.

Davies, J. (1998). Quality, evidence, and effectiveness in health promotion: Striving for Certainties. New York, NY: Routledge.

Fertman, C., & Allensworth, D. (2010). Health promotion programs: From theory to Practice. New York, NY: John Wiley & Sons.

Grossman, R., & Scala, K. (1993). Health promotion and organizational development: Developing settings for health. Vienna: WHO.

Hernandez, B. (2011). Foundation concepts of global community health promotions and Education. London, UK: Jones & Bartlett Learning.

Jo, H., Lee, S., & Ahn, M. (2003). Structural relationship of factors affecting health Promotion behaviors of Korean urban residents. Health Promotion International, 18(3), 229-236.

Johnson, J., & Breckon, D. (2007). Managing health education and promotion Programs: Leadership skills for the 21^st century. Canada: Jones and Bartlett.

Laverack, G. (2007). Health promotion practice: Building empowered communities. London, UK: McGraw Hill.

Laverack, G., & Wallerstein, N. (2001). Measuring community empowerment: A fresh Look at organisational domains. Health Promotion International, 16(2), 179–185.

MacDowell, W., & Bonnell, C., & Davies, M. (2006). Health promotion practice. London, UK: McGraw Hill.

Perry, M. (2005). Promoting school health around the world through the CDC and IUPHE Cooperative Agreement. Promotion & Education, 12(3), 109-234.

Simnett, I. (1995). Managing health promotions: Developing healthy organizations and Communities. New York, NY: John Wiley & Sons.

Slatter, T. (2003). Measuring health promotion impacts: A guide to impact evaluation in Integrated health promotion. Australian Institute of Primary Care, 1-42.

Tang, K., Beaglehole, R., & DeLeeuw, E. (2005). The Bangkok charter for health Promotion in globalized world. Health Promotion International, 21(1), 1-203.

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