What is strategic planning and why is it important?

The aspect of the strategic plan that I chose to focus on is creating advanced systems of care for disadvantaged patients. Because I come from a rural community that only has one hospital serving a few counties, I feel like there should be more free clinics for disadvantaged patients, especially those with mental illnesses. Poverty and mental illness seem to go together. An article by the Recovery Village says “For years, researchers have examined the relationship between poverty and mental health problems. For example, the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) is a federal agency that often analyzes many aspects of mental illness…. In 2016, SAMHSA released a report about the association between mental health disorders and poverty. The report indicated that 9.8 million adults in the United States had a serious mental illness in 2015. Nearly 25 percent of these individuals were living below the poverty line” (TRV, 2020). My proposal is for a free mental health clinic that can treat the impoverished community that otherwise has mental illnesses that go untreated.

This clinic could apply for grants to help fund them based on the needs of the immediate and surrounding communities. They could offer free or reduced-price medications on a sliding scale so patients do not go without them. They could also offer home health services for those who need follow-ups periodically but cannot drive to the clinic.

To market this clinic, flyers can be mailed out with the name, location, services provided, hours of operation, telephone number, and information website. The website would have information on mental illness and the importance of regular checkups and medication monitoring. It would also include the same information as the mailers. If the clinic had a partnering hospital, they may be able to reach out to see if they could include something in their patient portals alerting patients to the clinic opening. Radio stations may be willing to put an ad on air before the opening. Another way to market would be to set up a booth at community events, such as fairs, outdoor markets, etc. Using social media is also a great form of communication. According to our textbook, “creating supporters by using blogs, messaging on Facebook or LinkedIn, instant messages on Twitter, or any one of the many mobile apps can establish a sense of community” (Buchbinder, et al., 2019). By reaching out and marketing through various sources, hopefully, many people in the community would get the help they need.