Health Of Health And Human Services

Since 1980, the United States has taken on 10-year plans that outline certain key national health objectives set to be accomplished during a 10-year timeframe (Shi & Singh, 2015). These initiatives are founded on medical care with prevention services, health promotion, education, community health care, and increased access to integrated services. The initiative, Healthy People 2010: Healthy People in Healthy Communities, launched in 2000. The initiative emphasizes the role of community partners such as

The health status of the population in the United States is a national priority. The Healthy People 2020 outlines priorities and to improve the health of individuals and communities across the country. Healthy People 2020 is defined as a comprehensive set of national objectives for “improving the health of all Americans” (Healthy People 2020, n.d, para. 1). The Healthy people 2020, is aimed at improving the health of individuals and communities and envisions “a society in which all people live long, healthy lives” (Healthy People 2020, n.d, para 4). A short priority list was developed and contains twenty-six objectives knowns as Leading Health Indicators (LHI). The list of objectives was created to prioritize health issues that must be addressed and to find appropriate actions to take in order to improve the health of the population.

The mission of the Department of Health and Human Services is to help provide the structure that Americans need to live prosperous and healthy lives. This service gives families, children, and seniors a way to receive quality health care. This achieved by helping parents find affordable childcare and legitimate jobs. This organization is dedicated to keeping American’s food safe, preventing infectious diseases, and by pushing the boundaries of how to treat and diagnose disease (U.S. Department of Health & Human Services , 2013).

Healthy People 20/20 is an organization that sets 10 year obtainable goals for improving health for all Americans. According to their websites mission statement they strive to identify nationwide health improvement priorities (Healthy People 20/20). Increase public awareness and understanding of the determents of health, disease, and disability and the opportunities for progress (Healthy People 20/20). Provide measurable objectives and goals that are applicable at the national, State, and local levels. Engage in multiple sectors to take action to strengthen policies and improve practices that are driven by best available evidence and knowledge (Healthy People 20/20). Lastly to identify critical research, evaluation, and data collection needs (Healthy People 20/20). The topic I selected was the same area of healthcare that pushed my interest into the Nursing profession, Mental Health and Mental Disorders.

The health of the American people lags behind those from other developed countries. Federal public health agencies have a wide range of responsibilities and functions which includes public health research, funding, and oversight of direct healthcare providers. It has been a long time since changes have been made to the way the federal government structures its health care roles and programs outside of Medicare and Medicaid (Trust, 2013). With healthcare reform on the horizon now is the time to invest time and money in prevention, not medicine, making it a top priority to improve health and prevent disease. Funding efforts at all levels of the public health continuum need to focus on developing programs aimed at such leading initiatives

Assessing the county population for a 4.31% growth in the over 65 age group (which is a low estimate, due to the large 45-64 group within the county), and including an additional facility for the Carter Village’s 110 new assisted living program, the number of available beds in 5 years appears to be 686, compared to a demand of 814. Although this facility appears to assist this problem, there still is a need for 128 additional beds for long term care.

This website identifies health improvement priorities, increase public awareness and understanding of the determinants of health, and provide measurable objectives and goals. The information from the Healthy People website gives the reader an understanding about healthcare services and explains why health services are important, the barriers these services have, and what needs to be done to prevent these barriers. Chronic disease prevention and promotion. (2016, January 14).

Released by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services each decade, Healthy People reflects the idea that setting objectives and providing science-based benchmarks to track and monitor progress can motivate and focus action (Department of Health and Human Services, 2010). Healthy People 2020 represents the fourth generation of this initiative, building on a foundation of three decades of work (Department of Health and Human Services, 2010). Over the years it has been modified, strengthened, and expanded to cover a wide range of health related concerns with its main focus aimed at prioritizing and emphasizing disease prevention. The goals of Healthy People 2020 are to attain high-quality, longer lives free of preventable disease, disability,

Healthy People 2020 define health equality as “the attainment of the highest level of health for all people.” Comprehension of this ideal brings forth the conclusion that everyone should receive equal amount of attention to prevent inequalities, injustices, and to remove health and health care disparities. According to the National Institute of Health, health disparities are resulted from multiple factors defined by race/ethnicity, sex, education, geographic location, income, and disability status. These disparities can stem from many elements like increase risk for disease, which may originate genetically, by ethnicity, or familial factors, occupational exposure, and if access to health care is available. Health inequality has

In 2010, Healthy People 2020 was started by the Department of Human Health Services. Health programs and research topics were instituted to help Americans live healthier and longer lives (CDC, 2014). The 42 topics presented are all very important in maintaining the goals set by Healthy People 2020. If these programs were to be cut or budget restraints imposed on them, the impact would be felt by all Americans. There would be more unhealthy people, preventable chronic diseases would be more prevalent, and education and health associated programs would be

Health people 2020 is focused on promoting health, protecting health, and providing preventative services. The plan is to decrease health disparities by improving the health of certain groups in need of better health care. The Health People 2020 initiative wants to prevent chronic disease such as cancer, diabetes mellitus, and heart disease.

Healthy lives, Healthy people (DH, 2010a) outline how public health challenges are to be tackled; including recognising lifestyle driven health problems (Chan & Woo, 2010). The DH policies aim to improve the public health of the population, consequently the DH recognises the issues can be related to health inequalities (Dahlgren & Whitehead, 2007). The wealthier population live longer than the poor (Karlsson, Nilsson, Lyttkens & Leeson, 2010). Healthy Lives, Healthy People state people in the poorest areas die on average 7 years earlier than those living in the richer areas and spend up to 17 more years living with ill health (DH, 2010a). Consequently, it is paramount that inequalities in health are reduced as a result each person has access to the same care (DH, 2016a). Our Health and Wellbeing today (DH, 2010b) accompanies the white paper Healthy lives, Healthy people (DH, 2010a). Our Health and Wellbeing today (DH, 2010b) utilise an extensive approach to looking at health and wellbeing, identifying that health is not just about the existence of disease or illness, but how a person’s general health is (Patton et al, 2012). People are living longer than ever before which means the success in improving in addition to building on public health raises further challenges (DH,

Out of the Ten Essential Public Health Services it is clear that Healthy People’s 2020 goal is using all ten of the services. They have been monitoring the health status of individuals in a community for health problems. They are diagnosing and investigating that health problems are a concern to the community. They are making it a point to inform, educate, and involve people about the current health issues. They are including the community and partnerships to help solve the health issues, and are developing policies and plans to support individual and community health efforts. Some places are enforcing policies and regulations to protect individual’s health and ensure safety. These policies are then linking the personal that is needed to assure the provision of health care. The public health and personal health care is competent, and they are evaluating the effectiveness, accessibility, and quality of personal and population-based health services. The research is continuing to look for new insights and ways to solve these health care issues (Hunting & Gleason, 2012). Not only are all Ten of the Essential Public Health Services being used, but so are all three of the core functions which include; assessment, policy development, and assurance (Hunting & Gleason, 2012).

To conclude, health promotion is important factor to decrease and health disparities. If the resource is available and provided, and advocates like organizations like Health People 2020 can make a difference in a community to take their own health into their own hands if given the right education and tools. People have to be empowered to understand so they can assist in correcting the problems in their communities and individual

“People living with prevalent chronic conditions such as heart disease, cancer, diabetes, stroke, and chronic lung disease account for 75% of healthcare expenditures in the United States (Ahn, Basu, Smith, Luohua, Loring, Whitelaw, & Ory, 2013)”. Preventing disease has the potential to significantly reduce healthcare cost. Healthy people do not visit the doctor’s office or emergency room as much as an individual with a chronic disease or illness, which decreases healthcare cost. It is important that people are educated on how to live a healthy lifestyle, and make better choices in order to prevent disease and illness from occurring.