To improve health care outcomes within a community, leaders must understand the needs of specific populations. In addition, it is important that leaders are able to gather and present persuasive evidence to decision makers to obtain the necessary funding and establish these needs as priorities for budget and resource planning. Thus, proposed changes should support improved outcomes and align with the current or needed health care policy.

This assessment provides an opportunity to propose a community health care change that is based on the community health assessment you completed in Assessment 2.

Your community health assessment was well received by the executives at Vila Health. Consequently, they have asked you to recommend a change in the community that will improve health outcomes. They have also asked you to submit your recommendation in a formal change proposal. You are confident that you can present a strong case for change, including a financial plan, that will ensure the success of this initiative.

In this assessment, you will draft a change proposal to executive leaders to solicit support for a change to the current community health care system. To prepare for the assessment, you are encouraged to begin thinking about your justification for establishing the recommended change as a priority, a strategy for leading change, and how the change will be funded. In addition, you may wish to:

• Review the assessment requirements and scoring guide to ensure that you understand the work you will be asked to complete.
• Review Guiding Questions: Planning for Community and Organizational Change [DOCX] Download Guiding Questions: Planning for Community and Organizational Change [DOCX], which includes questions to consider and additional guidance on how to successfully complete the assessment.

Note: As you revise your writing, check out the resources listed on the Writing Center’s Writing Support page.

The following resource is required to complete the assessment.

• Vila Health: Planning for Change.

Vila Health is a virtual environment that simulates a real-world health care system. In the various Vila Health scenarios, you will apply professional strategies, practice skills, and build competencies that you can apply to your coursework and in your career. The information you gather in this scenario will help you to complete the assessment.

Complete this assessment in two steps:

1. If you have not already done so, complete the Vila Health: Planning for Change simulation.
2. Draft a change proposal to justify your recommendation for improving the health of the community and establish the change as a priority for the next budget cycle. Consider the feasibility of your proposed change, in terms of overall scope, funding, and timeframe.

The change proposal requirements outlined below, correspond to the grading criteria in the scoring guide, so be sure to address each point. Read the performance-level descriptions for each criterion to see how your work will be assessed. The Guiding Questions: Planning for Community and Organizational Change document provides additional considerations that may be helpful in completing your assessment. In addition, be sure to note the requirements below for document format and length and for citing supporting evidence.

• Identify the benefits of proposed health care system changes and its implications for a community.
• Describe potential barriers to change in an organization or community.
• Develop strategies for changing barriers into opportunities and resolving conflict.
• Develop a strategy for helping organizational stakeholders understand and evaluate the proposed changes to an existing health care system.
• Develop a grant proposal and associated budget for a proposed change to an existing health care system.
• Write clearly and concisely in a logically coherent and appropriate form and style.
• Support assertions, arguments, propositions, and conclusions with relevant and credible evidence.