Health Disparities Improving the health of the socially and economically disadvantaged is a major task. Many Americans are living with poor health because of their socioeconomic statuses and it has many negative effects on their long term health. Improving access to health care is not enough to help fix the lower death rates among low income families. Our social status in our economy has large effect on our lives including how we are able to live our lives and in tern it has large measurable effects on our health. San Antonio is no exception, in low income areas the mortality rates by diabetes are stunning and need to be changed in order to help improve the lives of so many people. In my essay I will be proposing a plan to help lower
Through the weekly courses, lectures and readings, I have learnt a lot about racial and ethnic disparities, racism amongst minorities (Hispanics, African American-Black, Asians, Latinos). America is a nation of immigrants and their health and healthcare consists of multi-ethnic immigrant stories. I want to share some thoughts on racial and ethnic health disparities, on why I think that America is still a racist nation and racism is so insidious and pervasive. Health disparity is defined as a particular type of health difference that is closely linked with social, economic, and/or environmental disadvantage. Health disparities adversely affect groups of people who have systematically experienced greater obstacles to health based on their racial
Some researchers in the field of public health analysis have increasingly focused on how social determinants of health influence health outcomes and disparities (Clarke, C. E., Niederdeppe, J., & Lundell, H. C., 2012). They have also explored strategies for raising public awareness and mobilizing support for policies to address social determinants of health, with particular attention to narrative and image-based information Clarke, C. E., Niederdeppe, J., & Lundell, H. C., 2012). The relationship between the social determinants of health and health disparities has been well researched. In developing policies or programs to reduce and, ultimately, prevent health disparities, upstream contributing factors, known as the social determinants of health, must be taken into consideration when addressing such issues (Dubiel, H., Shupe, A., & Tolliver, R., 2010). Progress toward reducing health disparities will involve support for community-based strategies, enhanced the understanding of SDH, and increased diversity of the health-care workforce. The coordinated efforts to address disparities take into account strategies and actions that build on community infrastructure and an increasingly diverse and culturally competent workforce (Jackson, C. S., & Gracia, J. N., 2014). These efforts will need to overcome low public awareness and concern about social determinants of health; few organized campaigns; and limited descriptions of existing message content. The established relationships
Health Disparities & Vulnerable Populations Healthy communities depend on the promotion of collaboration between health care providers, equitable utilization of health care resources and access to care for disease prevention. The Affordable Care Act (ACA) has increased access to insurance, but has not necessarily contributed to increased access to care (Lane et al., 2012). Limited access to health care and insurance, along with socioeconomic status, ethnicity, race, gender, sexual identity, and age contribute to health care disparities in the United States ("Disparities," 2014). The Appalachian Region has many factors that increase the risk of health disparities among this population, including poverty, unemployment, limited access to care,
One of the major obstacles for researchers in the field of Health Psychology and Aging is understanding the role of health disparities across different populations. Health disparities can be understood in terms of differences in some facet of health and well-being across different groups of people. The issue of health disparities across different populations is one that must be understood not only in the context of genetic and biological factors, but also in the context of a broader sociocultural perspective. The influence of health disparities are implied in the context of aging, but are discussed across the entire lifespan. The existence of health disparities in later life is often a product of a lifelong experience and life-course trajectory. This essay will address some of the major
Health Disparities, a term most common in the United States (Public Health Reports), is known as the difference or inequality that is justified by using people’s race, gender, age, rank, and socioeconomic status. In other words, it known as injustice in the health care services. Inequality within health care access has been a topic for years due to noticeable inequality. Inequality in health care for mother’s ranges from age, race, income status, and education. When the health care providers has the ability to deny service to anyone they feel cannot benefit the provider or the mother, this is where a disparity becomes the outstanding limit of injustice.
Yejide I agreed Health disparities could be preventable if we educate the community about the resources and programs available to them. The affordable Care act offers Preventive medicine care such as cancer screening test, nutritional education, immunizations and tobacco screening among others. Preventive care are programs focus in the prevention and detection of illness at an early stage, when the treatment has a better outcome, however, the best way to maintain and prevent illness is by making healthy lifestyle choices. CDC report that millions of children, adolescent and infants in United States do not receive preventive care which lack them from achieving their full potential as individuals, some of the preventive care that children should receive are regular’s physical checkups, vaccinations, screening for depression, blood pressure checked, hearing, Flu vaccine and HIV test among
Disparities in health What factors do you think contribute to the disparities in health among ethnic, socioeconomic, and gender groups in your country?
Social determinants of health inequity reflect deeper social divisions, which generate multiple risks that are reproduced over time. Hierarchies of power must be critiqued through the lenses of class and race to make tangible the seemingly abstract connections between social and economic determinants and distribution of health inequity. Racism finds refuge in various forms of material exploitation; narrow interventions that fail to address the root causes that undermine the health and well-being of members of the community will ultimately fail.1 The treatment of Mexican immigrants with tuberculosis (TB) by health officials in Los Angeles from 1914 to 1940 is a telling story that made salient the insidious impact of poverty and race on health, and it provides an important lesson for public health officials.
As your mention in your post, health disparities affect to low-income people. These populations have behaviors that increase the risk of cancer from smoking cigarettes, eating unhealthy foods and not enough physical activity or engaging in sexual activities increasing the risk. The social environment plays an important role and describes
Growing up in a refugee settlement and later in a low-income immigrant family with limited access to healthcare, I understand the importance of addressing the socioeconomic disparities in health. Whether it is organizing workshops on hygiene for Tibetan refugees in rural India or providing HIV testing and counseling to the local Asian LGBT community in the Twin Cities, I am driven to improve the health of vulnerable populations. In addition to the excellent medical education and early clinical exposure, what really draws me to Geisel School of Medicine is the Urban Health Scholars Program (UHS). As an Urban Health scholar, I look forward to exploring the intersection of race, refugee or immigrant status, LGBT identity and health. Given my strong
There are many factors that are creating issues in the health of many Americans. People often think that since we live in the United States which is rich and powerful, that we all must have access to some type of insurance. This is not true for all Americans; some have health insurance while many don’t. Some jobs offered health insurance but the cost its just too high and many people can’t afford it, leaving them without health insurance. Having no health insurance creates a bigger problem, people don’t get their annual checkups and their health deteriorates. Having programs that would help us with our health its important and more of those are needed.
In a study done by Praphul et al. (2012) health disparities collaborative were implemented in three federally qualified health centers in Louisiana in order to improve the delivery of quality care and improve the outcomes of patients diagnosed with diabetes and heart failure. A qualitative study was conducted with interviews done with the chief operating officer, lead physician, and nurse coordinator. Data was analyzed by interpretative coding. The study was limited by staff turnover, learning curves of employees, remote location of facilities, lower economic status meant limited ability for follow-up visits. Despite these limitations the study concluded that in order to use a collaborative approach in order to improve patient outcomes several
To whom it may concern at the Center for Disease Control and Prevention, I am a student researching health disparities and inequalities, specifically suicides. Reading through a report on suicide information gathered from 2005 through 2009, I noticed many interesting issues. After analyzing the textual facts along with the tables and
Unfortunately, social inequalities of different socioeconomic classes greatly affect the outcomes of health. According to the PowerPoint, groups who identify with a higher socioeconomic status typically are healthier in comparison to those who identify with a lower socioeconomic status. (1) Individuals in higher classes tend to have health coverage, the means to pay for health services, and receive better access to health care. When it comes to the lower-class community, access to health care is limited, income is low or non-existent, qualification for insurance or government assisted programs proves to be difficult, and overall, they are left with substandard options. The poorest of the poor and the highest-class have the most access to health care. These groups qualify for insurance through work and or through government assistance programs like Medicare and Medicaid. Sadly, the working poor or middle class, are affected most by social inequalities. As explained in the PowerPoint, the working poor struggle to earn enough money to obtain insurance on their own or through work but earn too much according to government guidelines to qualify for assistance programs. (1) In an article by Abby Goodnough, she reports that some working people have opted to stay uninsured and pay the penalty associated with the Affordable Care Act, because the fee would be cheaper than paying the high premiums of health insurance. (2) With limited or no access, individuals are at risk for developing chronic illnesses. In many cases, access has little to do with transportation or funds, but rather a provider’s willingness to work with certain groups. On more occasions, provider’s do not want to deal with the difficulties that accompany Medicaid insurance or find it difficult to work with patients who do not have the ability to pay for needed treatment. (1) It is disheartening that our citizens are faced with such inequalities that some must go without insurance, go without treatment, and face mortality due to circumstances out of their control. Our country needs to find better alternatives to bridge the gap that exists