Healthy Start Border Alliance: A Case Study

The first problem that needs to be addressed is simply the lack of access for women in vulnerable populations to prenatal care. This is a major problem because we see that the rate of women who

In 2008, the death rates for infants was 53% higher for AI/AN women compared with non-Hispanic white women (Centers for Diseas Control, 2015). This is a significant disparity between these two populations. Good health is influenced by race, ethnicity, socioeconomic state, geographic locale, education, and lack of health insurance to name just a few (Healthy People, 2015). The comparison and contrast identified in previous paragraphs clearly presents the existing health disparity of AI/AN’s population.

Within Victoria there are multiple models of maternity care available to women. An initial discussion with the woman’s treating GP during the early stages of her pregnancy is critical in her decision-making about which model of care she will choose and this key discussion is essential in allowing a woman to make the first of many informed decisions throughout her pregnancy. According to a survey conducted by Stevens et al. (2010) only 43% of women felt ‘they were not supported to maintain up-to-date knowledge on models of care, and most reported that model of care referrals were influenced by whether women had private health insurance coverage.’ Many elements of these models of care differ: from location of care, degree of caregiver continuity, rates of intervention and maternal and infant health, outcomes access to medical procedure, and philosophical orientation such as natural or medical (Stevens, Thompson, Kruske, Watson, & Miller, 2014). According to the World Health Organization (1985) and Commonwealth of Australia (2008) there is a recognition that ‘85% of pregnant women are capable of giving birth safely with minimal intervention with the remaining 15% at potential risk of medical complications’ (McIntyre & Francis, 2012).

The Low Country Healthy start program is designed to eliminate disparities in perinatal health, improve birth outcomes, and quality of life in African american women and infants living in Allendale, Bamberg, Hampton, and Orangeburg counties. The Low County healthy start program propositions four purposes (1) Eliminate disparities in perinatal health by focusing on individual health behaviors and assisting women of child bearing age improve their health and the health of their families, (2) Increase responsiveness to women and families at high risk for poor outcomes by working directly with perinatal, women 's health, infant health and social services providers and systems, (3) Increase the impact of the Low Country Community

In response to Sabrina Geneus I am in agreement with her comments regarding one subpopulation in the U.S which has currently has access to primary care are Hispanics. She also made interesting points regarding them which are true that Hispanics do not receive health care services of high quality because of their low socioeconomic status which includes low income, assets accumulation, low wage occupations and occupational characteristic. In addition, they also endure education attainment which is an obstacle to receive health care in a timely manner. Individuals who are face with low education may ruin their ability to understand clearly the health care delivery system, such as communicate with health care providers, and understand provider’s

By collecting date resources from official and do the analysis, they find that “this population is also less likely than the native-born population to have access to a regular health care provider due in part to the high cost of such care and partly due to the lack of continuous coverage.” (Brown 991). There is a common situation among them that they are not covered by Medicaid or private insurance. Lack of health insurance reinforce Mexican women to deserve reasonable pre-pregnancy check. In Betancourt’s study, the table 5 also shows that seventy-six percent of Latino women have experienced the barrier of cost.

The US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) defines medically underserved area as ranking low on a scale that involves physicians per 1000 people, infant mortality rate, percentage below poverty level, and population >65 years old. 9 The HHS defines medically underserved population as that which includes “economic barriers (low income or Medicaid-eligible populations or cultural/linguistic access barriers to primary medical care services.” 9 According to the American Pharmacist Association, approximately 85% of US states have 61-100% of counties with medically underserved areas. 11 “28% of poor, 23% of near poor…[lack] health insurance coverage,” which is much higher than the national percentage of 13%.6 When reviewing the risk factors for vaginitis such as lack of health insurance, tobacco use, lack of bachelors degree, Hispanic origin, etc., many of the women suffering from the condition fall under the category of the underserved population as defined above. This means that clinics with the purpose of treating underserved areas and populations must have a heightened awareness of the prevalence and significance of vaginitis and must be interested in staying up to date on the most efficient medical practice strategies given the patient population.

Making health care more accessible and affordable is one of the most important issues facing our country. Planned Parenthood’s health centers are an integral part of health care safety net. Many women, including the majority of Planned Parenthood patients, do not have a general practitioner and rely on their reproductive health care provider as their primary source of health care. Through this relationship, women have access to a broad range of reproductive health care services that promote and protect their general health and well-being.

Additionally, Latinas are more likely to have unexpected pregnancies, decreased contraception use, and greater poverty rates in comparison to white women (Fuentes & Bayetti Flores, 2010; Jackson, 2013). This is correlated to Latina’s lower rates of access to health insurance and poor socioeconomic status. A combination of cultural attitudes, financial burdens, language barriers and immigration status create a multitude of health problems for young Latinas. Latinas low use of contraception is impacted by many societal factors. Firstly, they are underserved by the healthcare community.

Oddly enough, even with all the medical technological brought forth by the US we are still ranked with a higher infant death rate than Japan. In a study published by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and titled "America's Health Starts with Healthy Children: How do States Compare?” the report found that the high infant death rate is correlated with the lack of education of the mother. Access to healthcare is another correlation to the problem since about 45 million Americans, or 15 percent of the population, are now estimated to be without any form of health insurance (O'Connor, 2008).

As Shaw and Lee mentions, “[b]ack in 2013 approximately 19 million women were uninsured.” (363) That is a lot of women who do not have access to resources to help maintain or support their welling being. With the lack of health care, these women are force to endure any pain and health misgivings by themselves. They are also less likely to go to a hospital until it is probably too late. Take one the story one of my friends told me, when she was still in graduate school, she didn’t have health care and her baby girl also did not have health care, so when her baby girl got sick, even though she didn’t want to, since she didn’t have the money, she stall going to the doctor for a very long time. And by the time that she actually finally decides

PCI is a San Diego-based organization committed to providing health, opportunity, and support to disadvantaged mothers, children, and families living in the U.S./Mexico border region. Since 1961, founder Dr. James Turpin and his team have offered core services designed to reduce infant mortality and low birth weight, as well as increase the number of women accessing prenatal care during pregnancy. The program focuses on women from under served areas of central and southern San Diego County, especially in the nation’s

It is difficult for women with little money or no health insurance to get the appropriate amount of maternity care that they need in the United States. America has one of the highest maternal mortality rates out of all of the major countries in the world even though the maternity care in America is one of the most expensive. Receiving prenatal care and giving birth at a hospital can cost well over a couple of thousand dollars in the United States. A lot of professional jobs in America offer health insurance, which covers maternity care, but not all jobs come with the benefit of health insurance. It is possible to buy health insurance if one does not have a job or a job that covers it, but it costs a couple of hundred dollars a month. America

A group known as FP2020 has been working to make family planning services available throughout the world. Through their efforts, they have avoided 77 million unplanned pregnancies in just three years. In the United States, a similar problem needs to be addressed. Although the costs and expenses associated with contraception is more accessible for the population, the locations are not. Having access to family planning services ensures that women can get the prenatal care they need for healthy pregnancies.

How the provision of information in the antenatal period can positively affect health and life style choices in the pregnant woman and her family.