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INFORMATION FOR

Module 10: U.S. Public Health System and COVID-19

The Story...

While continuing their research into the impacts of COVID-19, high school friends Tash, Ray, and June recognize the recovery and spread of the virus are very different across the globe and across different populations in the U.S. They want to know more about the public health system, how it works, and what is being done to combat the virus. What are the roles of federal, state, and local agencies? What is each person’s individual responsibility? Why are some communities recovering faster than others? Why are other communities disproportionately affected by the coronavirus, and what can we do about it?


Performance Expectations:

  • Identify organizations, government agencies and community partners that make up the public health system and what they do.
  • Use data as evidence to determine how effective federal agencies have been in combating COVID-19.
  • Identify how health determinants have impacted patients afflicted with COVID-19.
  • Determine the inequities of the public health system and how the pandemic has magnified them.


Module 10 Challenges

  • Challenge 1: What is the purpose and what are the core functions of the public health system?

    Learning Targets: 

    • I can describe the role of the public health system and how it has evolved over time. 
    • I can assess in general how the public health system has responded to the COVID pandemic. 
    • I can describe the functions of the public health system. 
    • I can describe what federal agencies are doing to combat COVID-19. 
    • I can use evidence to determine how effective federal agencies have been in combating COVID-19.
    Estimated Time: 45 minutes

  • Challenge 2: Why is it essential for individuals to adopt socially responsible behaviors to defeat COVID-19?

    Learning Targets: 

    • I can provide evidence to show how individual behaviors impact the ability of the public health system to defeat COVID-19. 
    • I can provide evidence to support why the adoption of socially responsible behaviors slows the spread of COVID-19. 
    • I can make a plan for myself to adopt socially responsible behaviors.
    Estimated Time: 30 minutes

  • Challenge 3: What are some of the inequities in the healthcare system magnified by COVID-19?

    Learning Targets:
    • I can identify and describe social determinants of health.
    • I can use evidence to explain how structural inequities make staying healthy more difficult for people in underserved communities to combat COVID-19.
    • I can identify tangible steps to be taken to address structural inequities in the healthcare system.

  • Challenge 4: What have states done to successfully combat the virus?

    Learning Targets:
    • I can describe the power and limitations the states have in responding to COVID-19. 
    • I can compare how the federal, state, and local government agencies have responded to COVID-19 and use evidence to demonstrate successful strategies used to contain the virus. 
    Estimated Time: 30 minutes

Professional Opportunities