A Letter to the Commissioner of Health - Research Paper Example

? My is Jennifer Carpio and I am an _______ currently in my ___ year. I am a resident of ______ and in this paper I will discuss the major health problems relative to my community. These issues will be tackled in detail through the New York Department of Health and Mental Hygiene’s Community Health Profiles obtained from their website describing Bushwick and Williamsburg. This paper will also necessarily contain a comparison of the area I live in as distinguished from New York City (NYC) and Brooklyn through analysis of the given graphs and tables including all other important discussions. Brunswick and Williamsburg has a total population of 194, 300 by the year 2000 where 33% is aged from 0-17 years of age, followed by ages 25-44 at 30%, 45-64 at 17%, 18-24 at 12% and the 65 years and older with the least at 8%. The people here are relatively younger than compared to New York City and Brooklyn overall. However, study shows that majority of the residents aged 25 and up were not able to finish college with only 8% of the population holding a college degree. The highest percentage at 27% studied high school but were not able to finish it, followed closely by 25% with a high school diploma and the remaining 17% reached college but left before completing a degree. The number of the population living below poverty line is comparatively high at 38%. The majority of residents are Hispanics representing 53% and Blacks with 37%. Asians, other and Whites comprise a small portion of the area’s racial profile with the first two at 3% each and the latter with 4%. But foreign-born residents are lower in Bushwick and Williamsburg with 27% compared to Brooklyn’s total of 38% and NYC’s 36% (New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygience, 2006). In the introduction of New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygience’s Second Edition Community Health Profile, the paper has arrived with the following conclusions and enumerates the major health concerns. First, there is poor access to health care with almost 1 out of 3 people do not have a physician they confer to and a spike in the number of those uninsured in 2002 and 2004. Second, HIV deaths have decreased but this is still higher compared to NYC and Brooklyn. Finally, there is rampant interpersonal violence in the area which includes homicide and domestic abuse of a partner (ibid). When asked to rate their own health, 35% of the people of Bushwick and Williamsburg said that they have poor or fair health. Overall death rates have dropped as with other areas although it remains high. Premature death or mortality before reaching the age of 75 is also an issue with the community having the worse statistics ranking poorly at number 37th out of the total 43 neighborhoods partaking in the survey. Take Care New York has proposed ten viable and logical goals geared at improving quality of health for the people of Bushwick and Williamsburg. The first goal proposed, ‘Have a regular doctor or other health care provider’ is a viable and helpful solution that addresses not only specific problem areas of health but encompasses various elements that may serve as a venue to reach out to people and improve the community’s well-being. The first thing that needs to be done in order to achieve the goal of having a regular health care professional is to establish health care centers at strategic locations that will cater to the members of the community exclusively. There must be a health center in places in such a way that there will be an ideal ratio of health care provider for a certain number of people. This adequate proportion must be implemented that the professionals will not be overwhelmed with the number of patients that they must attend to. In order to do this, there must be a budget specifically appropriated for such purpose. This will start with the public servants’ attention and support since it will require a significant to construct and carry out. These centers should be equipped with necessary facilities and medicine that residents no longer need to go to the emergency room for their immediate medical needs. They should be in the nature of lying-in clinics. This means that it should not be limited to check-ups and medicine hand-outs as its only activities. The patients that require swift medical attention, but without necessity of having to be hospitalized, may be admitted and cared for within the health care center. Given the staggering number of residents who do not have insurance, this will help them in avoiding hospitalization expenses which they most likely cannot afford. Between 2002 and 2004, the uninsured spiked to over 70% and 12% of survey participants in 2006 said they went without health insurance intermittently during the year (ibid). The second and an imperative objective for this goal is to have a regular doctor for the community. This will require government appropriation to enforce. Correlative to the first intervention, there must be in each of the health care centers a doctor who will most likely be a general practitioner employed who will attend to the needs of the facility. He will serve as a decision-maker and determine those that need to be done. This also demands that he should have at his disposal subordinates who will be tasked to enforce his instructions for the overall management of the place. In order to attract competent professionals, the salary that they are entitled to must also be competitive including all other benefits and allowances that may be afforded to them. Other than doctors, nurses, midwives and other medical professionals should also be hired. Since certain medical equipment and machines are quite expensive to acquire and maintain, there should be a plan to place them advantageously. For example, an x-ray machine may be placed in one center (preferably the most densely populated) but the same is for the use of four other centers within a 2-mile radius. With the endorsement of the health care provider, a person may go to the given center and avail of their x-ray services. In addition, a roving x-ray mobile should also be procured so that this could be more accessible. I perceive that other than pharmacists, radiologists and medical technologists, midwives would be an indispensible addition to these centers. First and foremost they will have the main job of performing child delivery. This will allow a pregnant to have the option to go to the health center for the delivery of their baby. If this will be done, it becomes essential to procure supplies relative to birthing with prenatal and postnatal care. The midwife in each center will focus on activities pertaining to the mothers and their babies. They will advise them on how to care for their health while pregnant, assist in their delivery and guide them in childcare. Finally, aside from regular doctors employed by the government as public health care providers, it will also be advantageous to have specialists who will visit the centers intermittently. In order to do this, there are various possibilities that may be employed. The public officials may cooperate with hospitals, whether public or private, and converse with them the prospect of allowing their resident specialist to allot a certain amount of time to go to the centers and lend their expertise. This may be done at a fee to be shouldered by the local government or the doctors themselves may even opt to do this pro bono. Given the proper motivation, they may agree to such terms and conditions as may be convenient for them. Ordinarily, people who do not have the means to go to the hospital will only rush there when their medical ailment has already escalated. Moreover, they do not have the capacity to pay for staggering professional fees requiring specialization. Having doctors specializing in some of the most common medical fields such as internal medicine, pulmonary, dermatology and others will encourage the residents to inquire about their health. The visits will be limited to check-ups and prognosis as primary opinion and the patient thus availing of it for free will have the option to have a second opinion or not. Those without the financial means will now have a ‘personal doctor’ so to speak. Aside from this, it will also be a great way to forge a strong cooperation between the public sector and the private. Even nongovernmental organizations may also take part of such projects that are aimed at promoting good health in the community and charity. Bibliography New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygience. (2006). Community health profiles: Bushwick and Willaimsburg. New York. Retrieved September 24, 2012, from http://www.nyc.gov/html/doh/downloads/pdf/data/2006chp-211.pdf. Read More