Seven in ten deaths in the United States, are attributable to chronic disease (“Leading Causes” 1). These diseases are not on account of bacteria or viruses, which could be treated with an appropriate prescription or vaccine. Chronic conditions are developed through unhealthy lifestyles and behaviors such as a lack of exercise, poor nutrition, poor sleeping habits, and substance use (e.g. tobacco). Consequently, seven in ten of every death can be prevented with changes in lifestyle. The CDC states that these conditions, “are among the most common, costly, and preventable of all health problems” (“Chronic Disease” 1). Although these conditions have clear and definite causes (knowing the exact reason and “cure” for them), they are becoming more prevalent rather than domesticated. According to Wu and Green, “Between 2000 and 2030 the number of Americans with chronic conditions will increase by 37 percent, an increase of 46 million people” (1). This increase comes with an increase in health care costs: the CDC reported that the U.S. spent three trillion dollars on health care in 2014 (“Health Expenditures” 1). 86% of these costs was associated with these conditions (“Prevention” 1). Despite there being a range of causes of why patients make these choices, one issue that may be less familiar to others is the lack of knowledge in preventative medicine among health care professionals. Current training standards are not adequately educating or equipping health care professionals
In the state of Louisiana there are a great deal of health care concerns. These health care concerns need to be brought up and discussed because the future of Louisiana’s health care system depends on it. It is essential that there is something done for the prevention and quality of care for these health care concerns. Having a healthy lifestyle will help to prevent short life spans and increase longevity of ones life. The health care concerns of Louisiana are asthma, cancer, diabetes, heart disease, infant mortality, and obesity. A lot of residents seem unaware of the health concerns Louisianans face on a daily basis. Which cause high number of deaths due to health concerns.
Another strategy would involve utilizing data from existing public sources to assess the health and safety needs of the people of Utah County. The main elements of the collected data would involve the identification of the key health indicators and the corresponding risk factors. I would also collect information related to the impact of the social, economic and the environment on the health status of Utah inhabitants. The key sources of data for the assessment of needs of Utah populations would include US census bureau, healthy people 2020, environment public health tracking program, department of mental health and substance abuse and Utah hospital discharge database. Other sources of information for the need assessment would include the indicator based information system indicator for the public health department and Utah’s healthcare access survey (Niederdeppe, Bu, Borah, Kindig & Robert, 2008). I
During the evaluation of the objectives in the (LHI) and the analysis of the perceived health of the community, three key factors were identified as potential health problems including children exposure to a second hand smoke, obesity among adults, and limited access to dental care. The identification of the LHI perceived as problems was based on personal observation and perception from community members.
A community’s health can be established through a myriad of differing factors. Three specific factors that will help to determine the health of the county in which I live are community safety, disaster preparedness, as well as an analysis of the population. The community under review, Merced, is located in central California and made up of seventeen cities and communities whose individual populations do not exceed more than 75,000 and covers an area of approximately 1,972 square miles (United States Census Bureau, 2010) with a total population of approximately 255,793 people in 2010 (Merced County California, 2012).
The community that I will be describing is the city of Long Beach. In this city there are many people of age and ethnicity. This city is very diverse in having many people of different cultures and backgrounds. Downtown Long Beach is where people go to eat, have fun and hang out near the Pike. At the Pike is where you’ll find a lot of young people going to the movies or shopping. In this city it is filled with young adults and they are the majority of the community. A lot of the young adults have jobs and there are some that are going to school. Younger adults are more prone to trying new things which sometimes can lead into a health issue. In this city I will be discussing a main health problem that might be relatable to other cities. The health problem that will be discussed is the use of tobacco products in young adults. Some products are cigarettes, e-cigarettes, vapes, chewing tobacco, and hookah. These products are used daily by young adults in this community.
Therefore, individual biology and behaviors influence health through their interaction with each other and with the individual’s social and physical environments (Nies, 2015). The Wakulla community express positive and negative behaviors towards health promotion and illness avoidance. According to Florida Charts, nearly two-thirds of White Wakulla County residents have had a medical checkup in the past year and 80% of adults in Wakulla County have some type of health insurance. However, one quarter (26.5%) of Wakulla County residents report they are currently smoking. For this reason, community/ health nurses must reinforce positive behaviors in the community to prevent
Healthy People 2020 is a movement in America which was started in 1979 and provides 10 year national objectives based on science for promoting health and preventing diseases. It sets and monitors health objectives and tries to influence individuals to make informed health decisions. With such kind of objectives, smoking becomes a big health concern to Healthy People 2020. Smoking affects national health and causes health disparities. Smoking has been associated with a number of health complications such as cancer and heart diseases. Under Healthy People 2010 issues such as smoking during pregnancy and cigarette smoking cessation were to be addressed.
Berks County, Pennsylvania Community Health Needs Assessment. (January, 2013). Public Health Management Corporation, Philadelphia, PA. Retrieved from http://www.uwberks.org/wwwpub/assets/base/ pdf/Commu
Of the numerous health disparities in the county, I am choosing to focus on healthy eating and physical fitness, gaps in access to primary care, access to
Secondhand smoke exposure poses serious health threats to children and adults. For residents of multi-unit housing (e.g., apartment buildings and condominiums), secondhand smoke can be a major concern. Smoke can migrate from other units and common areas and travel through doorways, cracks in walls, electrical lines, plumbing, and ventilation systems. Considering all the dangers of smoking, most especially to the vulnerable citizens like seniors citizens and infants. What is We Choose Health? In 2013, the Illinois Department of Public Health’s (IDPH) launched a statewide initiative, funded by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) known as We Chose Health, a community transformation grant (CTG). We choose health initiated eight
In public health, as in many fields there are a set of conundrums that practitioners, leaders and law makers have to address in order to provide the most appropriate service to their populations. One of these conundrums is the battle between what is good for the community vs. what is good for the individual. This topic will be broken up to the community vs. the individual, and discussed based on research done by Kass et al, and Oriola, and will be concluded by presenting possible solutions.
The MAPP Task Force members are a strong force in the MAPP process and serve as excellent resource in the formation of the Pierce County Community Health Assessment, however additional members are needed to round out the team. The MAPP Task Force is forming a subcommittee of members who will make up the Community Teams and Strengths Assessment team (CTSA). The purpose of CTSA is to gather information from the community that will help answer important questions such as “"How is quality of life perceived in our community?" and "What assets do we have that can be used to improve community health?" (NACCHO.org, 2013). Working together, the CTSA team will dive deep into the community to understand what the residents feel is the most important issues in their county.
It is imperative for countries to have a functioning health care system so their citizens can live their best quality lives. However, the question is raised on whether to focus on the treatment of illnesses or the prevention of them. Preventive health care, if implemented correctly, could ideally prevent and stop illness and disease before drastic measures need to be taken, such as expensive surgeries. It is well-known knowledge that a healthy diet and exercise can help prevent illnesses, as a result, some programs might emphasize a healthy lifestyle. Sharon Begley’s article in Reuters mentions some programs that have helped reduce health care costs, such as the Boston Children’s Hospital asthma program that helps reduce patient’s environmental
Local health departments (LDH) play a central role in the health of the communities. They continue to implement and evaluate prevention programs and policies that keep people healthy. LDH resources are associated with improvements in preventable causes of morbidity and mortality (Erwin, Mays, & Riley, 2012). This paper will examine the services provided by the California Department of Public Health.