The Working of the Public Health Sector - Case Study Example

Public Health: An Inclusive Analysis Submitted Diseases are spreading like fire day after day; this is causing injuries to the public health sector. Hence, health preventative measures need to be taken and organizations and health care agencies need to kick start their work. This has been discussed in the literature review presented below. To explain the working of the public health sector and its analysis specified diseased group selection has been done. Furthermore, the group has been discussed in detail with reference to its geographic characteristics, opportunities and medically available facilities. Public Health: An Inclusive Analysis In any society, a situation becomes more of a ‘Nada’ and less of a ‘hurrah’, if ubiquitously you look and people are putting on microbes in the air and interspersing globules of germs in your face. It does not sound enjoyable at all, does it? Of course not now! Why would anything put up the shutters to being a bacteria hub or the public polluter and slayer sound pleasant? But do we really care? The response might be full of enthusiastic affirmatives but the truth is the condition of the public health sector is becoming worse day after day. People are getting grimy, they are fetching diseases and in the worst case scenario, they are ‘dying’. Why all of this? The answer to this hoisted ambiguity refers to many causes out of which ‘unawareness’ tops the list. Nadin (1998) verifies this point by saying “The end of literacy -­­­ a chasm between a not-so-distant yesterday and the exciting, though confusing, tomorrow – is probably more difficult to understand than to live with” (3). Therefore, shall the former expression be phrased as ‘Should we really care?’ Yes! Is what we say and as soon as the answer is provided we confront another important question, which is ‘What is a health problem?’ The definition and clarification of what a health problem is can be validated by the definition “It is a condition in which an individual’s body is not able to execute by and large. A health problem might even cause throbbing in an individual’s body.” Therefore health problems can be considered such a part of a society which can lead a society towards havoc. All the institutions of a society are affected by health problems i.e. political, economic, educational and religious institutions. Hence, when a single individual is affected, the entire society is too. As Lucas, Makrides and Ziegler (2010) have explained “While we may be interested in the consequences of growth, the literature mostly provides information about size” (73) In many countries it has been distinguishingly found out that specified health problems are caused in different ways amongst certain groups. To study this point further it is necessary to exclusively evaluate these groups. The assessment of the first, of the most important diseases spread amongst various zones, was amongst the Latin Americans. A disease called “Chagas” was exposed in 1909 and it affected millions of country people. A solemn impact on the morbid and death rate was noticed as well. The main power approach for this contaminated group mainly relied on preclusion of its spread through abolition of insect vectors and checking of the ailment by controlling the transmission of blood. Similarly another important group which has been collectively affected by the issue of public health problem is the Black Americans; the ‘Alzheimer Disease’ is believed to have spread in greater number and might increase with the passage of time. As it has been said by Drs. Tang, Stern, Marder, Bell, and Mayeux that “The presence of an APOE-ϵ4 allele is a determinant of AD risk in whites, but African Americans and Hispanics have an increased frequency of AD regardless of their APOE genotype” Amongst these groups and many others there are those groups which were able to receive proper medical attention, whereas, like the former group some were unable to gain proper medical care. This again directs us towards a flaw in the public health sector of our society where people are not being equally provided with opportunities of medical care. This is where the role of the health coverage organizations and agencies take a vigorous part and do all that is in their power to eliminate a system of social disorganization. Both Wynia and Schwab (2007) have truly evaluated that “To be compassionate, fair, transparent, consistent, participatory, and sensitive to value is to follow guides that build the workforce” (VII) This states that the social stratification issue shall be eliminated from the society in order to prevent public health problems on an equal level. Some important medical care agencies that helped in the health coverage category include; Medicare, Medicaid, Medi-Cal (California), Women, Infants, Children (WIC) program, etc. It is believed that geography and the features of the area or territory in which an individual is living plays an enormously vital role in the public health sector. John Eyles (1987) has briefly validated this point by stating that “By Geography we mean not only the patterning of social and epidemiological conditions across territories. We also regard the spatial basis of policy initiatives to tackle problems emanating from these conditions as Geography” (1) Another specified group disease named as ‘Melanoma’ amongst the North Americans has been seen as increasingly developing. To evaluate and describe this diseased group, we first rather know what it is. Melanoma is a malevolent cancer of Melanocytes, which are the cells that manufacture the dark coloring, melanin responsible for the shade of skin. The explanation of the disease has been provided by Bosserhoff (2011) when it is described that “Once considered a rare disease, the lifetime risk for developing melanoma in the US has increased from approximately 1 in 1500 during the 1930’s to its present risk of approximately 1 in 60” (1) This disease has been researched to be spread among people with fair skin complexion. Melanoma is the sixth most common disease in the US. It is usually considered as the single most common disease among people from ages 25 to 29. What catches the attention of the researches is that the risk of developing this disease in lifetime in white people is 1 to 50. But in African Americans this disease is noticed to be developed in 1 in 1000. But another important fact is that if the African Americans develop this disease the effects are worse than that caused in white people. This disease as mentioned above is known to be spontaneously increasing in the United States of America more rapidly than it is in any other region. Studies have shown that Melanoma is the second most common cancer among the males of the US Navy. It has been specified by Martin, R. White et al., (1988) that “One hundred seventy-six confirmed cases of melanoma were ascertained in active-duty white male enlisted Navy personnel during 1974-84” (11) Many medical institutes in this country are focusing on developing their research and diagnostic systems regarding this disease. Similarly the New York Presbyterian Hospital launched in Columbia University Medical Centre a Melanoma Centre in 2003. This was the only agenda of its kind in New York City that now provides identification and management of one of the most serious of all cancers. Kaufman (2003) MD, co-director of the Melanoma Center expressed that "Although the publics consciousness has been raised about skin cancer, too many people still dont realize the seriousness of the disease, especially if its melanoma” (1) Other well-known institutes that offer the diagnosis and treatment of this disease in the region include; Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, New York and National Cancer Institute, Bethesda. These medical services are considered as the best in their respective areas. Different Melanoma centers provide vast research and diagnostic services for their patients. Four of these medical care centers include Northern California Melanoma Center (NCMC), Washington Hospital Center and MD Anderson Cancer Center in Texas. These medical care centers, even though are poles apart from each other, yet they are a source of medical care for the above mentioned American white people’s group taken under study above. Following are the services provided by these infirmaries: 1) Programmes: NCMC is aiming at working and researching about malignant melanoma to develop more effective therapies. This medical unit is also working on investigational immunotherapy. Side by side WHC provides clinical expertise in Cutaneous Lymphoma, Merkel Cell Carcinoma and majors in Melanoma. 2) Contact and Communication: The above medical care units have online as well as telecommunication services for contact. The public sector has been provided with their pamphlets and brochures. Above that advertisement is done on monthly basis to create awareness amongst these groups regarding their services. It has been verified by Fiske (1982) that “I assume that communication is amendable to study, but that we need a number of disciplinary approaches to be able to study it comprehensively.” (1) 3) Services: The above revealed medical units proved the services in which they detect Melanoma, work on screening, document and examine patients with moles and atypical moles syndrome. They treat patients that are at a very high existence risk of melanoma, prevention, treatments, surgery, radiation and chemotherapy. The U. S. Preventive Services Task Force (1989) has stated that “Persons in whom malignant melanoma is detected early may experience a better outcome than those detected with more advanced disease.” (49) These hospitals also provide State-of-the-art perfusion/ infusion treatments to save limbs with multiple tumors. It is a necessity in this era for us and the public health care organizations to work as hard as possible in order to prevent and check the spread of this disease as soon as possible, also to reduce the diseased group to zero. But there are always some hurdles and barriers in the way of every goal. Following are the obstacles in the way of the above pointed out medical issue: 1. Access: Hospitals located in backward areas are unable to access data which is required for research and examination. This leads them towards a lethargic system working. Un accessibility leads a medical unity towards disaster as it makes it low in the field of spontaneous revolution and development. 2. Communication Challenges: There are a large number of challenges that an organization has to go through once any group has signed up to it. People are introverted, whereas some are unable to discuss what there problems are. In this specified group of people who suffer from Melanoma it is necessary for the expertise to make sure that each individual whop signs up for the treatment and examination shall provide all that there is. Ellis (2003) has elaborated that “The use of warm-ups with your groups can be very helpful, even just to elicit names and roles/designations” (86) 3. Regulatory Issues: Another major hurdle in the way of medical care is regulation issue. Those hospitals which are in a way incomplete or lack a sector of incomplete department are not granted access to starting their hospitals unless they have established them with complete research and system accessing units. Some hospitals lack the complete required research information regarding a commencing problem. 4. Financing/Economics/Budgetary Issues: These play a vital role in the development and progress of any medical units. Hospitals which are unable to provide a proper budget or are financially unstable do not reach the goal as research and study along with practice and trials requires money and funds. Formulating this theory Rutkow (2010) said “Big medicine meant inefficiencies: overuse of services, over emphasis on technology, and fragmentation of clinical care.” (295) But if there’s a will, there’s a way, right? Not that it’s a cliché it works here. The above mentioned diseased groups once provided the medical care and facilities are in direct contact with the path of righteousness. But it depends upon their stage of disease on which they are currently standing. Hence, to make it better for people of such disease groups which have yet not reached the ‘oh no!’ stage and to provide better opportunities for their cure tools have been provided for early diagnosis. According to Bishop and Gore (2002) “It is of utmost importance to establish the risk profile of an individual patient by counting his or her risk factors, even before seeing the lesion in question.” (89) Hence, after passing over the above mentioned hurdles any medical care unit can easily achieve its goal of public health prevention. “Skill in goal setting allows the medical assistant to clarify what must be accomplished and to develop a strategic plan to successfully achieve the goal” (78) say and verify actually Lindh, Pooler, Tamparo and Dahl (2009). References: Bishop, J. A. N., & Gore. M. (2002). Melanoma: Critical debates. Oxford, UK: Blackwell Science. Bosserhoff. A. (2011). Melanoma development: Molecular biology, genetics and clinical application. New York, NY: Springer Wien. Eyles, J. (1987). The geography of the national health: An essay in welfare geography. United Kingdom, UK: Biddles. Fiske, J. (1982). Introduction to communication studies. London, UK: Methuen & Co. Lindh, W.Q., Pooler, M., Tamparo, C. D., & Dahl, B. M. (2009). Delmars administrative medical assisting. New York, NY: Delmar Cengage Learning Lucas, A., Makrides, M., & Ziegler, Ekhard E. (2010). Importance of growth for health and development. Switzerland, CH: Reinhardt Druck, Basel. Nadin, M. (1998). The civilization of illiteracy. Dresden, ME: Dresden University Press. New York-Presbyterian Hospital. (2003). “Melanoma Center Opens at Columbia University Medical Center”. New York-Presbyterian Hospital. Retrieved from http://nyp.org/news/hospital/melanoma-center-opens.html Ellis, R. (2003). Communication skills: Stepladders to success for the professional. Bristol, UK: Intellect Books.  Rutkow, I. (2010). Seeking the cure: A history of medicine in America. New York, NY: Simon and Schuster. Tang, M. X., Stern, Y., Marder, K., Bell, K., & Mayeux, R. (1998). The APOE-e4 Allele and the risk of Alzheimer Disease among African Americans, Whites, and Hispanics. The Journal of American Medical Association. 279(10), 751-753. Wynia, M. K., & Schwab, A.P. (2007). Ensuring fairness in health care coverage: an employers guide to making good decisions on tough issues. New York, NY: American Medical Association. White, M. R., et al. (1988). Malignant Melanoma in U.S. Navy personnel. Virginia, VA: Defense Technical Information, 1988. U. S. Preventive Services Task Force. (1989). Guide to clinical preventive services. Darby, PA: Diane Publishing. Read More