Models delivery
Human services do not offer a one-size-fits-all approach. Determining what type of help to provide depends on a client's individual needs. In some cases, the client may need medical treatment rather than social or emotional intervention. In other cases, the reverse is true. And in many cases, a combination of both is needed.
The three primary models of human services delivery-medical, public health, and human services-delineate these treatments. A patient with bipolar disorder, for instance, might best be treated under the medical model by taking an antipsychotic drug. On the other hand, a single teenage mother who has no health problems but is struggling to afford shelter and food might be treated under the human services model with the help of a social worker who can help her find employment and day care services for her child. Furthermore, AIDS workers in Africa might utilize the public health model, combining both medical treatment and social intervention, giving medicine to victims of the disease and teaching prevention practices to help stop the spread of HIV. In some cases, a human services professional may need to apply more than one delivery model. The model, or combination of models, that a professional uses is based on the client's specific situation.
To prepare for this assignment:
• Review An Introduction to Human Services. Focus on the characteristics of the three models of human services delivery: medical, public health, and human services.
• Review the article, "A Science of Connectedness." Consider which model or models of human services delivery might be utilized in effectively organizing health care via the "holarchy" of health care that is discussed.
• Select two models of human services delivery (medical, public health, or human services) discussed in the readings to use for this Application. This may be based on which models resonate most with you, or which models are most applicable to the domain in which you would like to work.
• Think about the characteristics of each model that you selected and how both could be integrated in real-world situations.
The assignment:
• Describe, in your own words, the two models of human services delivery you selected and why you chose each.
• Then explain how the two models might be integrated in practice. Be specific and use examples to support your explanation.