Babies and Budgets
2016
This case considers decision-making options for delivering postpartum screening services under the provincially funded Healthy Babies, Healthy Children (HBHC) program at the King Public Health Unit in Ontario, Canada. While program costs have increased steadily, funding from the provincial Ministry responsible for oversight of HBHC has been stagnant. The group must decide whether or not to cut costs by reducing the number of staff responsible for screenings. Faced with the challenge of maintaining the effectiveness of screening services, the group weighs each option. Using expert opinion and historical information, the team must forecast costs and consequences to compare options systematically. The case includes worksheets for budgeting and cost-consequence analysis. Instructors can obtain a copy of the answer key from the MPH Program Office.
The case includes guidance for instructors, including learning objectives and discussion questions. It is the tenth in an 11-case collection written by students in the MPH class of the Schulich Interfaculty Program in Public Health at Western University, Canada. The cases may be freely copied and used for educational purposes by an accredited educational institution.
Source:
John-Baptiste A, Perera Y, Ranade S. Babies and Budgets: Balancing Costs and Consequences in Postpartum Screening. Western Public Health Casebook. Public Health Casebook Publishing 2016. https://ir.lib.uwo.ca/westernpublichealthcases/vol2016/iss1/16.