PBH 305 - Public Health Policy

3 Semester Hours
The goal of this course is to explore the formation, implementation and interaction of health policies at various levels. We will examine key themes related to health policy using a multidisciplinary approach that employs sociological, political, economic and ethical perspectives on health and disease, the healthcare system, and the challenges of meeting the varied (and often conflicting) needs and motivations of the many and diverse stakeholders. Policies that impact the health of populations, whether directly or indirectly emanate from different statutory, regulatory and advisory bodies at the global, national, state, municipal and increasingly, organizational, levels. In this course, health policy will be explored at both the global and organizational level, and will include discussion of determinants of health, the social distribution of health and disease, and health disparities. In addition, this course will explore the organization and financing of the U.S. healthcare system, its historical context, the roles and behaviors of its key actors, and its comparison to health systems of other nations; the quality, cost and accessibility of health care services; and healthcare delivery system improvement and reform.

Term(s) Offered: Every fall semester