course material

1. Assessing a Healthcare Program Policy Evaluation
Assessing a Healthcare Program Policy EvaluationORDER HERE FOR ORIGINAL,
PLAGIARISM-FREE PAPERS ON Assessing a Healthcare Program Policy
EvaluationProgram/policy evaluation is a valuable tool that can help strengthen the quality
of programs/policies and improve outcomes for the populations they serve. Program/policy
evaluation answers basic questions about program/policy effectiveness. It involves
collecting and analyzing information about program/policy activities, characteristics, and
outcomes. This information can be used to ultimately improve program services or policy
initiatives.Nurses can play a very important role assessing program/policy evaluation for
the same reasons that they can be so important to program/policy design. Nurses bring
expertise and patient advocacy that can add significant insight and impact. In this
Assignment, you will practice applying this expertise and insight by selecting an existing
healthcare program or policy evaluation and reflecting on the criteria used to measure the
effectiveness of the program/policy. Assessing a Healthcare Program Policy EvaluationTo
Prepare:Review the Healthcare Program/Policy Evaluation Analysis Template provided in
the Resources.Select an existing healthcare program or policy evaluation or choose one of
interest to you.Review community, state, or federal policy evaluation and reflect on the
criteria used to measure the effectiveness of the program or policy described.The
Assignment: (2–3 pages)Based on the program or policy evaluation you selected, complete
the Healthcare Program/Policy Evaluation Analysis Template. Be sure to address the
following:Describe the healthcare program or policy outcomes.How was the success of the
program or policy measured?How many people were reached by the program or policy
selected?How much of an impact was realized with the program or policy selected?At what
point in program implementation was the program or policy evaluation conducted?What
data was used to conduct the program or policy evaluation?What specific information on
unintended consequences was identified?What stakeholders were identified in the
evaluation of the program or policy? Who would benefit most from the results and
reporting of the program or policy evaluation? Be specific and provide examples.Did the
program or policy meet the original intent and objectives? Why or why not?Would you
recommend implementing this program or policy in your place of work? Why or why
not?Identify at least two ways that you, as a nurse advocate, could become involved in
evaluating a program or policy after 1 year of
implementation.healthcare_program_policy_template.docweek10examplenew.docxrubric_
week_10_assignment.docxUnformatted Attachment PreviewHealthcare Program/Policy

2. Evaluation Analysis Template Healthcare Program/Policy Evaluation Analysis Template Use
this document to complete the Module 5 Assessment Assessing a Healthcare
Program/Policy Evaluation Healthcare Program/Policy Evaluation Description How was the
success of the program or policy measured? How many people © 2020 Walden University 1
were reached by the program or policy selected? How much of an impact was realized with
the program or policy selected? What data was used to conduct the program or policy
evaluation? What specific information on unintended consequences were identified? What
stakeholders were identified in the evaluation of the program or policy? © 2020 Walden
University 2 Who would benefit most from the results and reporting of the program or
policy evaluation? Assessing a Healthcare Program Policy EvaluationBe specific and provide
examples. Did the program or policy meet the original intent and objectives? Why or why
not? Would you recommend implementing this program or policy in your place of work?
Why or why not? Identify at least two ways that you, as a © 2020 Walden University 3
nurse advocate, could become involved in evaluating a program or policy after one year of
implementation. General Notes/Comments © 2020 Walden University 4 1 Promoting Safe
and Stable Families Name Walden University Policy and Advocacy for Improving Population
Health NURS 6050 Date 2 Healthcare Program/Policy Evaluation Analy Promoting Safe and
Stable Families The role of nurses throughout healthcare program and policy evaluation is
vital to our role as change agents within our communities. As nurses we participate in the
evaluation process every time we go to work, assess our patients, and then partake in
delivery of care. If we want to our voices to be heard we must be willing to take our
evaluation skills to the next level. We must ask ourselves tough questions about whether
the healthcare programs we are providing are meeting the needs of patients, their families,
and communities. We must evaluate the healthcare program goals and outcomes to help
determine whether it remains fiscally responsible and continues to meet a need in the
population it aims to serve. Ultimately, we cannot blindly accept that the presence of a
program validates its success. Assessing a Healthcare Program Policy EvaluationWe must be
willing and able to take personal action to ensure patients receive the highest quality of
healthcare each and every day. The purpose of this paper is to present an evaluation of the
Promoting Safe and Stable Families (PSSF) program with respect to it’s background, goals,
outcomes, success, costs and related nursing advocacy opportunities. Healthcare
Program/Policy Evaluation Description Promoting Safe and Stable Families (PSSF) The
Promoting Safe and Stable Families (PSSF) program, which is more formally known as Title
IV-B subpart 2 of the Social Security Act, aims to avoid unnecessary separations between
caregivers and their children, protect permanency for children by taking the necessary
steps to reunite them with their parents, when possible, or another permanent living
situation, and to improve the quality of care and programming 3 services being offered to
children and their families to achieve maximum chance for stable families (U.S. Department
of Health & Human Services: Children’s Bureau, 2012). The PSSF program has recently had
two additional programs added, the Personal Responsibility Education Program (PREP) and
abstinence education. The goal of the PREP program is to provide state funding aimed at
teen pregnancy prevention, addressing prevalence of sexually transmitted infections (STIs)
in the adolescent population, as well as teaching teens skills to prepare them for adulthood

3. (ie financial responsibility and organization skills).The abstinence education portion
provides grants to individual states to promote education to adolescents regarding delaying
sexual activity in an effort to further reduce teen pregnancy rates, but also to promote
development of healthy relationships and establishment of healthy boundaries in at-risk
populations such as homeless teens or those in foster care (United States Department of
Health & Human Services, 2018). How was the success of the program or policy measured?
Success of the PSSF program has been measured by the fact that funding for this program
became a mandatory component of the Administration for Children and Families (ACF)
within the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). The PSSF program has
been reauthorized multiple times over the past 25 years and continues to be nationally
implemented. Congress realized the success of this program, and ultimately the impact it
has had on children, adolescents, and their respective families. Congress then began to
require a budgetary commitment of mandatory funds toward this program to be awarded at
the state level and to Native American tribes within the states who meet minimum
requirements for award. To illustrate the success of the program in funding it is important
to recognize that in 1994, $60 million was allocated in mandatory financial funding (Casey
Family Programs, 2011), and in 2019, $345 million has been allocated (United States
Department of Health & Human Services:Administration for Children and Families, 2019).
In the state of Colorado, in fiscal year 2016, the following data applied to the measurement
of success of PSSF: • 3,315 individuals were served by family preservation funds • 3,023
individuals were served by family support funds • 1,401 individuals were served by time-
limited reunification funds (Colorado Office of Children, Youth, & Families: Division of Child
Welfare, 2018, p. 53) 4 How many people were reached by the program or policy selected?
How much of an impact was realized with the program or policy selected? Funding for PSSF
is based on a formula that considers the population of children who receive Supplemental
Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) aka “food stamps” in each state and respective Native
American tribe. In order to remain eligible for PSSF funding each state must match 25% of
the PSSF award amount in a Maintenance of Effort (MOE) account (State of California Health
and Human Services Agency, 2014). What data was used to conduct the program or policy
evaluation? PSSF funding is determined based on 5-year plans within each state and Native
American tribe. Analysis of program outcome data is conducted annually at the individual
state level in alignment with the PSSF assurances, which include spending in in alignment
with state and federal statutes. While the formula for determination of PSSF funding was
not available, nationally one in four children receive SNAP benefits in a given month. This
translates into between 20 and 22 million children receiving SNAP benefits in a given year.
While not all of these children will need PSSF funding dollars these are the figures for which
the state funding is determined (Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, 2017). Each state
and tribe must submit their intended goals with PSSF funding. Each of the submitted plans
must take into account collaborative efforts with key stakeholders. Assessing a Healthcare
Program Policy EvaluationTitle IV-B requires that PSSF plans be integrated into the state
and/or tribal agency’s 5-year Child and Family Services Plan (CFSP) and provide annual
updates by June 30th each year. The regional Children’s Bureau offices are responsible for
communication and feedback to the respective states or tribes related to the annual reports.

4. What specific information on unintended consequences were identified? Unintended
consequences that have been identified since this program began in 1993 is that the
program which began as a response to the growing number of children in foster care
placement has expanded over the last 25 years and has been reauthorized under different
legislative acts, most recently the Child and Family Services Improvement and Innovation
Act of 2011. At current this program addresses permanency of children, Personal
Responsibility Education Program and abstinence education (United States Health & Human
Services: Administration for Children and Families, 2015). 5 What stakeholders were
identified in the evaluation of the program or policy? Who would benefit most from the
results and reporting of the program or policy evaluation? Be specific and provide
examples. Stakeholders identified in the evaluation of the PSSF program include •
Department of Human Services in each state and each county • Native American tribes •
Vulnerable families with children at risk for abuse and/or neglect • Families with open child
protection cases; either court involved or non-court involved • Foster parents • Adoptive
parents • Hospitals and clinics • Physicians and other healthcare providers • Schools •
Teachers • Law Enforcement • Courts • Community members All of the stakeholders listed
above will benefit from the results of PSSF program evaluation because the results will
impact the direction for future grant funding for children and adolescents with regard to
foster care, permanency, PREP, and abstinence education. Did the program or policy meet
the original intent and objectives? Why or why not? The PSSF program has met it’s intended
objectives over multiple years. However, the population it serves is constantly changing and
the objectives are fluid based on the legislative source of funding, so the measure of success
is a target that is constantly moving and difficult to assess. Would you recommend
implementing this program or policy in This program is already implemented in the state of
Colorado and provides funding for valuable resources for children and adolescents within
our state. 6 your place of work? Why or why not? I would recommend implementation of
this program because it aims to preserve the structure of families, provide family support to
vulnerable families, provide time-limited reunification support, provide skills, guidance, and
education for adulthood. Dividing families and removing children from their biological
parents changes the heritage of a family forever. The PSSF program provides tools to
prevent the division of families whenever possible.Identify at least two ways that you, as a
nurse advocate, could become involved in evaluating a program or policy after one year of
implementation. In the role of a nurse advocate we can become involved in evaluation of a
program via multiple different avenues. For example, nurses can volunteer to participate in
the program planning committee that focuses on evaluation of the program one year after
implementation. By becoming involved at this level nurses can help to influence discussions
regarding needs for modification to the program in order to help make it more successful.
Nurses can also participate in program evaluation by contacting legislators who support the
program in order to provide a nursing perspective relative to the program. Conclusion The
healthcare program evaluated for the purposes of this paper was the Promoting Safe and
Stable Families (PSSF). During the course of research for this paper it was challenging to
find all of the data for completion of the above table. The background, data, goals, and
outcomes were not presented in a comprehensive way that made evaluation clear and

5. concise. As research carried on it became apparent why being involved in program
evaluation in person and in real time is imperative to success of the evaluation process.
While evaluation of this program was challenging it was meaningful in that the impact of
this program over the last 25 years became obvious. The PSSF program is proof that
programs can withstand the test of time as long as modifications 7 can be made along the
way to continue to best meet the needs of the target population and take into account the
evolving desires of the key stakeholders. 8 References Casey Family Programs. (2011). The
Promoting Safe and Stable Families Program: Assessing a Healthcare Program Policy
EvaluationBackground and Context. Retrieved from
http://www.casey.org/media/PromotingSafeandStableFamilies.pdf Center on Budget and
Policy Priorities. (2017). SNAP Helps Millions of Children. Retrieved from
https://www.cbpp.org/research/food-assistance/snap-helps-millions-of-children Colorado
Office of Children, Youth, & Families: Division of Child Welfare. (2018). 2018 Annual
Progress and Services Report: 2015-19 Child and Family Services Plan. Retrieved from
http://co4kids.org/sites/default/files/IM-CW-2017-0018.pdf State of California Health and
Human Services Agency. (2014). Promoting Safe and Stable Families Program. Retrieved
from http://www.childsworld.ca.gov/res/OCAP/PSSFFactSheet.pdf United States
Department of Health & Human Services. (2018). Administration for Children and Families
(ACF): Mandatory. Retrieved from https://www.hhs.gov/about/budget/fy2018/budget-in-
brief/acf/mandatory/index.html#promoting United States Department of Health & Human
Services: Administration for Children and Families. (2019). FY 2019 Justification of
Estimates for Appropriations Committees. Retrieved from
https://www.acf.hhs.gov/sites/default/files/olab/acf_master_cj_acf_final_3_19_0.pdf
United States Health & Human Services: Administration for Children and Families. (2015).
Promoting Safe and Stable Families. Retrieved from 9
https://library.childwelfare.gov/cwig/ws/library/docs/capacity/Blob/105742.pdf?r=1&rp
p=10&upp=0&w=+NATIVE%28%27 recno%3D105742%27%29&m=1 U.S. Department of
Health & Human Services: Children’s Bureau. (2012). Promoting Safe and Stable Families:
Title IV-B, Subpart 2, of the Social Security Act. Retrieved from
https://www.acf.hhs.gov/cb/resource/pssf-title-iv-b-subpart-2-ssa Rubric Week 10
Assignment Program/Policy Evaluation Based on the program or policy evaluation you
seelcted, complete the Healthcare Program/Policy Evaluation Analysis Template. Be sure to
address the following: 32 (32%) – 35 (35%) Response clearly and accurately describes in
detail the healthcare program or po Response accurately and thoroughly explains in detail
how the success of the pro Response clearly and accurately describes in detail how many
people were reach Response clearly and accurately indicates the point at which time the
program or · Describe the healthcare program or policy outcomes. · How was the success of
the program or policy measured? ·How many people were reached by the program or policy
selected? How much of an impact was realized with the program or policy selected? · At
what point in time in program implementation was the program or policy evaluation
conducted? Reporting of Program/Policy Evaluations 45 (45%) – 50 (50%) Response
clearly and accurately identifies the data used to conduct the program o Response clearly
and thoroughly explains in detail specific information on outcom · What data was used to

6. conduct the program or policy evaluation? · What specific information on unintended
consequences was identified? · What stakeholders were identified in the evaluation of the
program or policy? Response clearly and accurately explains in detail the stakeholders
involved in the Response clearly and accurately explains in detail who would benefit most
from th Response includes a thorough and accurate explanation of whether the program m
of the reasons supporting why or why not. Response includes a thorough and accurate
explanation of whether the program s reasons supporting why or why not. Who would
benefit the most from the results and reporting of the program or policy evaluation? Be
specific and provide examples. · Did the program or policy meet the original intent and
objectives? Why or why not? · Assessing a Healthcare Program Policy EvaluationWould you
recommend implementing this program or policy in your place of work? Why or why not? ·
Identify at least two ways that you, as a nurse advocate, could become involved in
evaluating a program or policy after 1 year of implementation. Written Expression and
Formatting – Paragraph Development and Organization: 5 (5%) – 5 (5%) Paragraphs and
sentences follow writing standards for flow, continuity, and clarity A clear and
comprehensive purpose statement, introduction, and conclusion is pro Paragraphs make
clear points that support well developed ideas, flow logically, and demonstrate continuity of
ideas. Sentences are carefully focused–neither long and rambling nor short and lacking
substance. A clear and comprehensive purpose statement and introduction is provided
which delineates all required criteria. Written Expression and Formatting – English 5 (5%)
– 5 (5%) Uses correct grammar, spelling, and punctuation with no errors. writing
standards: Correct grammar, mechanics, and proper punctuation Written Expression and
Formatting – The paper follows correct APA format for title page, headings, font, spacing,
margins, indentations, page numbers, parenthetical/intext citations, and reference list. 5
(5%) – 5 (5%) Uses correct APA format with no errors.