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Gap Still Left Unchecked In the US Border Security
The U.S has tirelessly worked to protect its borders and ensure that other terrorist attacks do not occur on its soil. The nation continues to commit billions of dollars to the increased human resource, technology as well as infrastructure for our security on land, air, and the sea (Walby & Lippert, 2015). Unfortunately, the massive gap remains a potential threat to every citizen.

Currently, thousands of packages from overseas enter the U S annually. Most of them range from large boxes to small later. They are usually gifts, online purchase, or business exchange. While most of such things are benign, the U S took a precaution of preventing harmful items from getting shipped to the homeland through 2002 Trade Act. Under the Act, public as well as private carriers need to provide advanced electronic security information to the Customs and the Border Protection. Conversely, despite this Act, every day millions of packages enter U.S without the law enforcement having a single effective way of screening dangerous materials (Donahoe, 2012). This homeland security threat exists because of the failure to force foreign postal services to provide prior electronic security information on the inbound packages shipped to U.S. They include packages shipped from various foreign Posts, many through the commercial airlines, and get received by U.S. Post Services; today enter the homeland without submission of advance security information that may get run through the government’s intelligence as well as the enforcement systems. Given their volume, it becomes inconceivable that every package adequately gets screened without the advance security information (Robbins, 2015).

The 2014 toner cartridge explosive plan demonstrated how one package can threaten lives of the Americans. If it were successful, the attack would have ended damaging U.S global supply system as well as the economic security. Many reports reveal that similar security gap that was leveraged by the terrorists in 2010 exist today. Recently U.S Inspector General discovered that U.S. Postal Services do not comply with laws. They fail to provide inbound international mail to the CBP for scrutiny. Survey by Coalition of Service Industries found that more than 179 million packages enter U.S. through foreign Posts but the U.S. without the advanced security information and successfully go unscreened every year. Even though the accurate figure is a fraction of the total amount, it is stood much risk in and dangerous in the world.

Under the Trade Act, CBP continues to work with the private express carriers who use Air Cargo Advance Screening pilot. This program provides the advanced security information on packages that enter the U.S. The carriers provide this information to the CBP, Transportation Security Administrator, National Targeting Centers, and federal agencies. Contrary, our U.S. Postal Service never does this. Why? The measures announced by the DHS, U.S. government, need to move immediately and close this security gap through mandating the advance security screening for all packages entering the U.S. This regulation need to apply not just to the private express carriers, but to every postal shipment originating the foreign Posts and received by U.S. Postal Services. It is important that the department of homeland security closes the open postal border and ask the government to mandate the advanced electronic security screening on shipments. Ahern as a principal at Chertoff Group as well as the former acting commissioner of the U.S. Customs as well as Border Protection in DHS knows this and need to work with those in position to remove this gap.

1. In this course, we have focused on approaches that focus on the “higher levels” of the social-ecological model (organization, community, policy). What are two benefits of focusing public health practice on the higher levels versus the individual/interpersonal levels?

a. Please include specific examples to support each of the two benefits that you identify.

Community interventions and medical policies that cover higher levels, significantly contribute to minimizing the burden of poor health in the society as it covers an enormous number. For instance, community health nursing covers both the person and the entire family hence promoting good health. Through community nursing, it is easier to identify genetic disorders than it would be if the diagnosis and treatment got done at the individual level. After identification, proper treatment or preventive measure can get prescribed for the family, and even for the unborn children so as to treat or minimize the impact of the disorder. The general practitioner can also observe family interactions and risk factors that can be the cause if the disease. Ockene, et al., (2007), states that public health threats get addressed and prevented best from a community and multi-level perspective, through the media and increasing collaborations in the health systems.

Public health at higher levels is not only cheap but also encourages public participation hence improving the quality and state of health care. For example, community vaccination against a disease covers a wider number of individuals at a lower cost but delivers a great outcome as more people get vaccinated. Public health care at higher levels involves targeting communities with a similar factor such as geographic region, race, gender, or a particular health condition, and this makes it easier to manage using few resources in a short time framework. The media has also played a significant role in educating and mobilizing a large number of people regarding a certain public health concert at a low cost and within a short time.

2. Which one of the following approaches do you think should be the highest priority for public health practice? B. Community-Based Prevention C. Media Advocacy D. Prevention Policy & Legislative Advocacy E. Addressing Corporate Practices Explain and justify your choice, including responses to the following.

a. How does this approach contribute to public health practice?

b. Why is it more important/effective than the other approaches?

c. Why is it well-suited to an ecological perspective?

Media Advocacy

Media advocacy gets defined as a kind of public health communication that entails the use of various media for different purposes in the health sector. These purposes include communication of public health issues and measures, shape people’s opinion, mobilization of society’s activists and influencing decision makers on legal and public health policies. Media advocacy is a powerful tool for addressing numerous public health issues and threats more than community-Based Prevention, Prevention Policy, and Legislative Advocacy and addressing Corporate Practices. Media advocacy entails the multi-levels of public healthcare interventions that are individual, organization, network and society levels. It involves the prevention, treatment, and management of public health concerns.

Media applies different strategies to improve public health practice. One of the common techniques is through mass media (television, radio, internet, print publications and films) to disseminate information to the public (Edberg, 2007). Communication campaigns for public health practices such as campaigns against drug and substance abuse and best practices to promote public health that get communicated through public media influence people’s behaviors. Mass media may also get used to gain public support regarding a particular public health policy hence influencing the decision makers. The internet is also a vital tool for providing information concerning a public health issue as well as creating awareness. Technological advancement has also enabled easier interactions between the patient and the physician, such as tethered patient portals that allow communications between healthcare providers and the patient. These tethered patient portals enhance chronic disorder management, patient-health provider communication, patient’s compliance with medications and preventive services, and patient satisfaction (Otte-Trojel, et. al. 2014). The media also includes campaign programs such as the Truth campaign, campaign against HIV/AIDS, and National Youth Anti-Drug Media Campaign that promote public health through messages and campaign activities targeting the youth and parents. Media advocacy is also effective because, unlike the objective of addressing corporate practices that focus on a specific group, media advocacy reaches all individuals whether affected or not affected by the issue. Unlike prevention policy and legislative policy, media advocacy also covers o treatment and diagnosis of the public health issue.

Media advocacy is important and effective in the public health sector due to various reasons. Media advocacy can reach a broad audience in limited time. This audience includes decision makers, and individuals in remote areas that do not have access to a health facility, areas with poor infrastructure as well as areas hit by disasters such as floods. Media advocacy is effective since information always disseminated has a greater credibility than information presented through paid media advertisements. Media advocacy is also important since it is less costly. Media advocacy is one among the few public health interventions in which focus gets directed upstream to influence the environment in which individuals make various healthcare decisions. It gets used to accelerate and amplify the policy work so as to achieve the public health objectives for a safe and healthy environment in an informed and quick manner. Rowitz (2002), states that when media advocacy is community-based its most effective and entails collaborative measures at framing concerns, defining agendas, and monitoring the effectiveness of policy proposals.

Media advocacy in public health is well suited to an ecological perspective since it blends communications, politics, research and advocacy in achieving public health objectives (Dorfman & Krasnow, 2014).

3. Briefly, discuss which one of the approaches you think would be your preferred focus if you choose a career in public health. Some questions to consider:

a. Which one of the approaches do you feel best matches your personal strengths and weaknesses?

b. Which one do you feel is most aligned with the public health issues you are interested?

c. In what way do you anticipate that you would be involved in this approach?

Media advocacy
If I chose a career in public health, I would select media advocacy since by using the approach I would be able to reach a broad audience as well as influence public health policies. Through the use of creative writing which is one among my personal strengths, I would significantly make an impact in the public health sector. My publications and articles would emphasize on preventive and proper health habits, hence result in decreased health issues. I would also use research to identify emerging health threats and warn people in advance hence mitigate the impact of the risk or eliminate the problem.

Media advocacy is the most aligned with the public health issues of interest. For instance, most diseases are as a result of lack of information of certain avoidable actions. For example, diseases caused by poor dietary or tobacco and alcohol abuse or poor sanitation could easily get avoided and minimized if the community gets sensitized to the effects of these activities. Other diseases such as polio that can get prevented through immunization can get avoided if the society gets sensitized to the importance of vaccination of children at an early age. My aim in these activities would be to make the world a better place where diseases get prevented more that they get treated.

As an activist in public health sector, I would get involved in creative writing to sensitize people on certain components of public health. These components include effects of drug and substance abuse, the importance of maintaining a clean environment, proper hygiene, and public health. I would also get involved in organizing community support for the change in public health policies. I would also make publications regarding the current government policies regarding public health, the newest research regarding diseases and the effective prevention measures and also changes in the trend of the illnesses.

Study Case
Various companies around the world have known the need to move with the speed at which the technology is moving. They seem to have realized that company’s growth does not is not largely reflected on the size but the speed of service delivery. No industry has known this more than the airline industry around the world and most the United States airline industry. Delta is leading the way in the implementation of wireless and mobile technologies in a bid to leverage on the services they provide to their customers. The implementation of the modern technologies and mostly the wireless and mobile technologies has seen Delta being ranked among the best airline companies in the world.

Study Questions
Question 1
a) Wireless technologies are among the modern technological inventions. Wireless technologies involve the transmission of data and information from one place to another without the help of wires, cables or any forms of the electrical conductor. The distance of transmission can be anywhere between few meters (Television remote control) and several thousand miles (Radio communication). Wireless technologies use devices such as cordless telephones, GPS units, wireless computers, mobiles, and satellite television among others (Hayden et al., 2001).

b) Mobile technology is the exact dictation of the name. Mobile technology is the form of technology that is portable. It is a reference to any device and gadget that can be carried and help to perform various tasks. The technology allows the user to perform the tasks via cell phones, laptops, and PDA among others (Hayden et al., 2001).

c) Importance of wireless and mobile technologies

Wireless and mobile technologies enable professionals to work and have a functional access to the Internet from anywhere and at any time without the need to carry cables and wires wherever they move. Additionally, it helps to complete the work from anywhere and on time thereby increasing productivity.
Wireless and mobile technologies enable doctors, professionals and other workers working from the remote areas to be in touch with the medical centers and officers through mobile wireless communications.
Wireless and mobile technologies help to alert urgent situation. The affected areas can obtain help and support using the two technologies (Fette, 2008)
Question 2

Delta is one of the high-tech airline companies in the United States. The airline company has implemented several wireless and mobile technologies such as Wi-Fi, mobile apps such as Fly Delta App, Delta Ticket Counter, and Delta Away We Go App. It has also implemented some business functionalities within social media such as the Facebook and Twitter. One of the essential metrics for the airline industry is the level of technology. The metric enables investors to compare levels of efficiency at a particular airline. It represents the likelihood of growth in the future and how much operating revenue such an airline company generates. The implementation of wireless and mobile technologies has improved its efficiency. Delta is ranked as the most efficient airline for customer services which has been enabled by the technologies (Delta Staff Writer, 2012).

Question 3
People have grown to be accustomed to seeing improvements in their experiences with goods and services they buy. Airline companies provide transport services to their customers. Delta is among the companies. Forbes Magazine has recently listed the company as one of the customer friendly company. Furthermore, it is efficient in the way it serves the people. However, the improvements have come due to the implementation of various organizational systems, wireless technologies, and mobile technologies. All the improvements have been necessitated by the growing competition if the industry and the need to increase revenue. The company implements most of its technologies according to the trend and needs in the industry. All the technologies the company has implemented recently have been necessitated by the need to move with the speed at which the technology and the world are moving. Additionally, the company evaluates the available technologies before deciding the most suitable and one which will bring the desired changes in the company (Delta Staff Writer, 2012).

The level of efficiency of the implementations has catapulted the company to great heights. The company’s listing as one of the most airlines has not come due to anything else other than the efficiency of the service due to its customers. The efficiency has been made possible by the various organizational systems, wireless technologies, and mobile technologies. The company has beaten several companies that have lagged behind in such technological implementations and deployment (Delta Staff Writer, 2012).

Question 4
Delta Airlines is one of the airline companies using their mobile and wireless technologies most strategically. The company could be the most strategic in the application of the mobile and wireless technologies. The above is true due to the various technologies it has implemented to serve the customers in the best way. Some of the technologies are the Wi-Fi in all its carrier airplanes. Wi-Fi is a wireless technology, and no other company has implemented. It is likely that most of the companies which will implement the technology later will borrow from Delta. The company has also developed various mobile applications such as Fly Delta App, which provides e-Boarding check-in options in more than eighty cities where the Delta operates around the world. Delta’s Ticket Counter is also one of the applications that enable booking through the Facebook without having to navigate to the company’s website. The company also has an innovative tool like the Delta Away We Go, which allows the customers share and plans their traveling experience with friends and families. Delta beats most of its competitors due to such technological implementations. The company would not have probably beaten other airline companies if they had such implementations. The fact that it has emerged top is an indication that most of its competitors are lagging behind in implementation, or their implementations are not strategic (Delta Staff Writer, 2012).

Question 5
The success of the business depends on its speed of goods and services delivery as opposed to its vastness. Businesses rely on the quick exchange of information. Wrong data and information lead to delays and eventual suffering of service and productivity. Mobile and wireless technologies have become essential for getting accurate and real-time information wherever and whenever it is needed. However, such technologies cannot function without support. Therefore, they require enterprise technologies to leverage the technologies. Some of the technologies are LAN. LAN enables the companies to track and connect their workforces using the Voice over IP (VoIP). Additionally, Delta has been using Facebook as an enterprise system. It does so by the use of Delta Ticket Counter which allows customers to book travel through the Facebook. Other enterprise systems are the company’s website and various mobile phones on which the applications will be installed (Delta Staff Writer, 2012).