PUBH 1000 Week 9 Policy Brief Example

Course	PUBH 1000 Foundations of Public Health
Week	Week 9
Paper type	Policy brief
Length	About 520 words, 4 pages
Format	APA 7 student paper
School	Walden University
Program	BS in Public Health
Updated	October 2026

Free sample paper for PUBH 1000 Week 9

One Ask for Public Works: A Two-Page Policy Brief on Winter Falls on Uncleared Sidewalks in a Composite City, Asking for Enforcement of the Existing 24-Hour Clearing Rule on Three Corridors

Student Name

Walden University

PUBH 1000: Foundations of Public Health

Instructor Name

Month Day, Year

What this page is doingThe title names the office, the single ask and the place, which are the three things a decision maker needs to see before reading any figure.

One Ask for Public Works: A Two-Page Policy Brief on Winter Falls on Uncleared Sidewalks in a Composite City, Asking for Enforcement of the Existing 24-Hour Clearing Rule on Three Corridors

To

Director, Department of Public Works, composite city of about 210,000 residents.

The Ask

Enforce the city's existing rule requiring property owners to clear snow and ice from adjoining sidewalks within 24 hours after snowfall ends, starting with the three commercial corridors where most recorded winter falls occur. Enforcement would mean inspections after each snowfall of two inches or more, warnings on the first day, and city crews clearing uncleared stretches and billing the owner after 48 hours. The department already holds this authority under the municipal code; the ask requires no new law.

What this page is doingPlacing the ask in the first lines, with the authority already named, tells the director exactly what is being requested and that it is within reach.

The Problem in Numbers

The rate among older adults was 2.65 times the all-ages rate. Of falls with a recorded location, 31% occurred on three corridors that together hold about 6% of the city's sidewalk length.

Table 1

Emergency Department Visits for Falls on Snow and Ice, Last Winter (Composite Figures)

Measure	Count	Rate per 100,000 residents \|
All ages, emergency department visits	412	196 \|
Adults 65 and older, emergency department visits	158	520 \|
Hospital admissions after a visit	61	29 \|
Visits with a recorded location on one of three corridors	89 of 287 with a location	Not applicable \|

Note. Composite figures; source is a health department review of emergency department records, November through March; population 210,000, of whom about 30,400 are 65 or older.

Why Sidewalks Matter

Studies elsewhere show the pattern is not unusual. In Boston, hospital admissions for falls rose by 18% on average in the six days after a moderate snowfall (Bobb et al., 2017). In England, emergency admissions for falls on snow and ice rose steeply as temperatures dropped, were highest among the oldest adults and cost the health system 42 million pounds in one severe winter (Beynon et al., 2011). Both studies point to the days after snowfall, when ice remains on walking surfaces, as the period of greatest risk.

Why Enforcement, Not Education

The rule already exists. A spot survey by health department staff after two snowfalls last winter found that 40% of frontages on the three corridors were still uncleared after 24 hours. Owners know the rule; many do not follow it because nothing happens when they do not. Changing the conditions people walk on reaches every pedestrian, including those who never see a safety message, which Frieden (2010) identified as a strength of public health measures that change environments.

What It Would Cost

Inspecting three corridors after each qualifying snowfall would take two inspectors about one day. Clearing costs for uncleared frontages would be billed to owners under the existing code. The department would need to set aside staff time during snow events, when crews are already stretched.

What this page is doingGrounding the case for enforcement in a local spot survey, rather than assumption, gives the director a fact to act on.

How Success Would Be Measured

The health department will repeat the emergency department review next winter. Success would be a lower share of located falls on the three corridors, set in advance at 20% or less, and a lower uncleared share in follow-up spot surveys.

References

Beynon, C., Wyke, S., Jarman, I., Robinson, M., Mason, J., Murphy, K., Bellis, M. A., & Perkins, C. (2011). The cost of emergency hospital admissions for falls on snow and ice in England during winter 2009/10: A cross sectional analysis. Environmental Health, 10, Article 60. https://doi.org/10.1186/1476-069X-10-60

Bobb, J. F., Ho, K. K. L., Yeh, R. W., Harrington, L., Zai, A., Liao, K. P., & Dominici, F. (2017). Time-course of cause-specific hospital admissions during snowstorms: An analysis of electronic medical records from major hospitals in Boston, Massachusetts. American Journal of Epidemiology, 185(4), 283-294. https://doi.org/10.1093/aje/kww219

Frieden, T. R. (2010). A framework for public health action: The health impact pyramid. American Journal of Public Health, 100(4), 590-595. https://doi.org/10.2105/AJPH.2009.185652

The Walden PUBH 1000 Week 9 instructions

Policy brief assignments ask students to persuade one named office to do one thing. Instructors expect the brief to name the office with authority, state one clear ask, support it with data rather than adjectives and address cost and feasibility. Briefs are short, often two pages, with headings and a table. Strong briefs explain why the proposed action is better than alternatives, such as education campaigns, and define in advance how success will be measured. Students should cite local data where available and published research for the broader pattern. Many prompts ask for a brief addressed to a city or county agency rather than a legislature, which keeps the ask within that agency's power.

How the PUBH 1000 Week 9 example is put together

The brief opens with the addressee and the ask, noting that the department already holds the authority. Table 1 gives emergency department visits, rates and admissions for falls on snow and ice, with the corridor share, and its note gives the population figures. A section on why sidewalks matter cites hospital admission studies from Boston and England. A section on why enforcement rather than education reports a local spot survey showing 40% of frontages uncleared after 24 hours and links environmental change to the health impact pyramid. Sections on cost and a predefined success measure close the brief.

Reading the PUBH 1000 Week 9 rubric

Policy briefs earn points for a clear ask, appropriate audience, evidence and feasibility. The sample earns the ask criterion by stating one action in its opening lines and naming the authority that already exists. Audience credit comes from addressing the department that can act. Evidence credit comes from rates as well as counts, an age-specific rate and two peer-reviewed studies. Feasibility credit comes from a cost section in staff days and an existing billing mechanism. Setting a success measure in advance shows accountability. The argument for enforcement over education, backed by a spot survey, is often what distinguishes top briefs. Format and citations complete the scoring. Briefs with several asks or no named decision maker tend to score low.

Common PUBH 1000 Week 9 mistakes, and how to avoid them

Policy briefs lose force when they ask for several things or address no one in particular. Name the office that can act and ask for one thing it can do. Lead with the ask. Support it with counts and rates, including for the group most affected. Explain why your action beats the obvious alternative. Give a rough cost in staff time or money. Say how success will be measured, with a target set now. Keep it to two pages. A first brief for the local issue you choose can be drafted for you free of charge. Write the cost in units the department uses, such as staff days. Put population figures in the table note so readers can check every rate.

Get a PUBH 1000 Week 9 example written to your instructions

Attach the Week 9 prompt and its rubric, and name the office or official the brief has to address. A two page brief written to that reader comes back, first custom sample costs nothing, landing in 24-48 hours. Naming the recipient matters more than naming the topic, since authority shapes half of what a brief can say.

More PUBH 1000 papers and BS in Public Health samples

PUBH 1000 Week 9 questions, answered

Where can I find a free PUBH 1000 Week 9 sample paper?

This page includes the complete Week 9 policy brief, asking a public works department to enforce sidewalk snow clearing on three corridors, with a data table.

What makes a good public health policy brief?

One clear ask addressed to an office that can act, supported by counts and rates, with cost, feasibility and a success measure stated in advance.

Do falls increase after snowfall?

A Boston study found hospital admissions for falls rose by 18% on average in the six days after a moderate snowfall.

Why ask for enforcement instead of public education?

When owners already know a rule but many do not follow it, enforcement changes the condition directly, while education alone may not change behavior.

How long is a PUBH 1000 policy brief?

Usually about two pages. The sample uses one table and short sections under clear headings.