Next Steps Simulation: Connecting the CommunityOverview:This short assignment is the final section of your paper. It is intended to furnish students the opportunity to imagine scaling-up their researc
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Ventura County Health Indicators
Rodney Chew
Ventura County Health Indicators
Ventura County is located in southern California, occupied by a mixed population of 843,843 people (U.S. Bureau, 2020). The county has over 11 main hospitals to serve the population and is complemented by privately owned clinics and urgent care healthcare institutions. Ventura County Healthcare Agency has adopted WHO's definition of health, which defines health as a condition of absence of disease and a good state of mental, physical, and social well-being of an individual (Hanefeld & Fischer, 2021). To track the health situation of the county, the government established the Ventura County Community Health Needs Assessment Collaborative (VCCHNAC), which is responsible for determining the health, social and political influences on the health of the situation, compiling the general health profile of the county. This paper will explore the health situation of the county and the state of the health indicators used to define the health profile.
Health Situation of Ventura County
Compared with other Canadian counties, Ventura has some significant health issues that need to be addressed, as depicted in its health profile. Among the emergent issues is the need to improve access to health services for the population through coverage, physical access, health education, and trusted relationships between clinicians and the public. Another health priority that needs to be addressed, as identified by VCCAHNA Collaborative, is the need to reduce the impact of health issues that are related to the lifestyle and general behavior of the people as a strategy to treat emotional and mental health issues that may lead to drug and substance abuse. The third health issue that needs prioritizing is improving healthcare for the older adults in society (VCCHNAC, 2019). The county also needs to prioritize reducing the burden of chronic illnesses prevalent in its population compared to other counties. Lastly, social needs, especially those related to affordable housing and food security, should be prioritized to improve the population's quality of health (VCCHNAC, 2019).
These criteria used in improving the health situation by addressing the five issues will be expected to address the causes of the health disparities and issue an element of sound social justice in healthcare delivery. The criteria that will be effective in achieving this will include correcting the social and economic inequalities that exist among the population of Ventura County and dedicated and availability of sound leadership in the various health institutions (VCCHNAC, 2019). The management will need to weigh the impact of the existing problems and seek to correct them to improve healthcare. To address these, they will need to consider and monitor the various health indicators that determine the condition of the healthcare issues in Ventura County, as discussed below.
Health Indicators of the Access to Health Services
Access to care is a key element noted in the health profile of Ventura county (VCCHNAC, 2019). For the health situation of a population to improve, they need to have enough chances of access to health facilities and care. Access to health is a great factor that can be used to determine the health situation of a particular population. The basic factors used to determine this include health coverage, physical; access to health facilities and care, health literacy, and good relationships with the health personnel. In Ventura County, the following health indicators were used to explore the situation of access to healthcare: non-physician care provider rate in the county, adults with healthcare insurance, delay of care or adults that had difficulty accessing care, dentist visit rate for both adults and children, the statistics of people who have a definite source of healthcare and the number of adults needing mental or behavioral care, compared to the ones that get it (VCCHNAC, 2019). These indicators were compared to the situations in other counties, with warning indicators being used to assess the situation.
From the indicators, it was evident that many adults had difficulty accessing healthcare while others had delayed access to healthcare (VCCHNAC, 2019). This is caused by various reasons, such as the cost of treatment. Many adults might find it hard to access treatment as they find it too expensive, especially those with no health insurance. The high medical costs in the rest of the United States are the main barrier to accessing healthcare, making the population access the services less frequently even when they need to. The high medical costs also make it hard for small businesses to be able to offer healthcare insurance, leaving Medicare plan to be the monotonous healthcare insurance provider (Black & Adjaye-Gbewonyo, 2021). The report indicates that about 10% of individuals aged 65 years and below has healthcare insurance (VCCHNAC, 2019). Other barriers such as lack of sufficient transport services, difficulty in appointments, and inability to access services are major causes of difficulty accessing healthcare. Disparities in prenatal care for women in their first trimester were also recorded as a prevailing problem in the county.
To address these issues and improve equal access to healthcare, there are recommendations on expanding healthcare programs to all, increasing clinic hours past 5 pm and on weekends, increasing health literacy through health awareness campaigns, increasing prenatal care, and establishing an asthma working plan (Black & Adjaye-Gbewonyo, 2021). The community has also taken the initiative to improve access to care by increasing the number of health personnel, especially making use of community health workers who are conversant with the various ethnicity and races in the region. These approaches will seek to establish equal opportunities for healthcare access to all.
Health Indicators of Behavioral Health Issues
Health, being a broader concept of physical, mental, and social saneness rather than mere absences of disease, encompasses the essential behavioral health of an individual in an effort to establish an improved quality of life (Hanefeld & Fischer, 2021). Healthy behavioral practices address self-rated mental health, a feeling of well-being, and broad social participation in the community. Mental health, drug and substance abuse, and alcoholism were the main identified topics under the behavioral issues of the population of Ventura County (VCCHNAC, 2019).
Alcoholism and substance abuse, including prescribed drugs, were identified as the leading behavioral issues in the county. The notable health indicators for alcohol were high liquor store density in the region. The ease of access to alcohol in the area was a leading cause of alcohol abuse, noted among adults and teenagers. Other indicators include the statistics of adults and teenagers involved in binge drinking and the number of hospitalizations as a result of alcohol consumption. It is reported that about 32% of motor vehicle accidents in the county are caused by alcoholism, making it a significant behavioral issue in the population's health (VCCHNAC, 2019).
On the other hand, about 37% of participants in a survey reported abusing prescription drugs (VCCHNAC, 2019). Drug-induced deaths were the 4th leading cause of premature death, accounting for 653.2 years lost between 2015 and 2017 (VCCHNAC, 2019). The health indicators for substance abuse were cases of synthetic opioid overdose, heroin overdose, and prescription of drugs with an opioid.
Mental health has been recorded by almost 50% of the research conducted by Ventura County Community Health Needs Assessment Collaborative (2019) as a severe health problem. Emotional and mental well-being is a crucial component of health as they allow one to realize their potential, cope with stress, work productively and make essential contributions to the community. An alarming 33% of the participants in the study reported having poor mental health (VCCHNAC, 2019). The health indicators used to assess this issue were episodes of depression, thoughts of committing suicide and actual cases of suicide, and intentional self-inflicted injury. In this research, suicide was established as the 7th major cause of death, especially among teenagers (Mishara & Stijelja, 2020).
To improve these issues, the Ventura administration has established task forces such as the Ventura County Opioid Abuse Suppression Taskforce, which plays a significant role in suppressing the use of opioid drugs in the county (VCCHNAC, 2019. Campaigns to create awareness of the health impacts of alcohol and substance abuse are also underway. To improve the population's mental health, psychiatrists and guidance services have been made more accessible at the health institutions and community level. With these strategies, the behavioral practices of the population are bound to change and improve their health situation.
Indicators of Ageing Problems
As adults grow older, they become more susceptible to developing chronic conditions that require frequent healthcare. They may establish multiple health issues that cause a financial and care burden to the individual's family. The deterioration of health due to old age is a significant issue in Ventura County that needs to be addressed. The health indicators for these problems are assessed as the prevalence of chronic old-age conditions such as stroke and diabetes, the population of older adults with Medicare and other insurance covers, the statistics of older adults that live alone, poverty levels of older adults and their access to care and healthy foods such as grocery stores (Moorman, 2020). More than average, older adults suffer from multiple chronic conditions, with some severe developing diseases such as cancer, hypertension, rheumatoid arthritis, and osteoarthritis (VCCHNAC, 2019). Most of the individuals are documented as being cared for by close family and friends away from the hospital, which are not qualified to provide care due to the financial burden of hospitalization.
Older adults who live alone are more exposed to depression and isolation from the community that may develop other issues such as dementia. Those with multiple illnesses are also at risk of developing even more complications due to the sophisticated medications and their side effects. Health insurances such as Medicaid and Medicare have come in handy to provide financial assistance to older adults (Moorman, 2020). However, the older adults in Ventura County do not enjoy all the services of Medicare and Medicaid due to geographic restrictions of the services. To improve the age-related problems in the county, there are recommendations such as screening individuals that are likely to develop multiple chronic conditions when it is still early. There are also strategies for training non-medical healthcare givers in order to improve the care given to older adults away from hospitals. Health institutions have also formulated efforts and plans in doing follow-ups on discharged patients, monitoring their situation even when they are away from hospitals to improve their health. Other strategies include best discharge practices to reduce the rate of re-admissions, follow up of medical history through advanced electronic healthcare systems to reduce cases of wrong prescriptions and diagnosis, mobile care of older adults by healthcare providers, and bulk purchasing of pharmaceuticals to reduce the costs of buying medication (Ventura County Public Health, 2019).
Indicators for Housing and Food Insecurity
According to health care professionals, unmet socio-economic needs such as housing, transportation and food have a negative effect on the health of individuals. These issues are primarily caused by gaps in the services' provision and increasing population, as noted in Ventura County. Housing and food security of the vulnerable groups in the county were reported to be significant issues that either caused health problems or made already existing conditions severe. The indicators for poor housing and food insecurity include homeownership, the statistics of the population that own their own homes, the number of people spending 30% and above of their earnings on income, and statistics of food insecure children ineligible for assistance.
Housing stability and access to affordable housing rates in the form of rent influence the individual's quality of life and economic stability. Ventura county is among the least affordable places for housing, with factors such as lack of transportation services to access the housing facilities affecting most of the minorities and those with social needs. According to the 2020 United States Census Bureau, the median gross rent ranges at $1,645, which is not affordable among many county residents. 50% of the population that could afford rent spent more than 29% of their salaries on rent, translating to fewer funds left for healthy nutrition and healthcare costs (VCCHNAC, 2019). The prevalence of street families, who account for about 1,400 adults and children, puts them at an increased danger of health disparities (VCCHNAC, 2019). The impact of food insecurity can be felt in situations such as the prevalence of chronic conditions such as obesity and anemia due to low-quality nutrition. Children who face food insecurity face great danger of behavioral and social issues and an increased risk of abuse, fighting, and bullying that might result in health issues.
To mitigate the problem, Ventura has put in place measures such as creative housing that will enable the provision of affordable housing to the residents. The improvement of transportation systems in the county will also act as an acceleration to accessing affordable housing. Society is also pushing for decriminalization and prejudice against street families that put them in situations that pose a significant danger to their health, such as incarceration (Ventura County Public Health, 2019). There are also efforts to implement food insecurity and social needs screening in society and reduce the stigma related to hunger and food assistance, especially in schools (Ventura County Public Health, 2019). The government is determined to address food insecurity in children through school channels.
Conclusion
Ventura County's health profile discloses that it faces various health issues that should be improved. These include; improved access to health services for all, proper management of chronic illnesses, provision of social needs such as adequate housing and food, provision of quality healthcare to the older adults, and improving the behavioral health of the residents. The data shown in several research reports indicate that these gaps need to be closed by addressing the socio-economic disparities in the county, improving the health institutions, and utilizing committed leadership in the various gaps. With the recommended strategy, the health profile of Ventura is likely to change in the coming years.
References
Black, L. I., & Adjaye-Gbewonyo, D. (2021). Urgent Care Center and Retail Health Clinic Utilization Among Adults: United States, 2019.
Hanefeld, J., & Fischer, H. T. (2021). Global health: Definition, principles, and drivers. Handbook of Global Health, 3-27. https://link.springer.com/referenceworkentry/10.1007/978-3-030-45009-0_1?noAccess=true
Mishara, B. L., & Stijelja, S. (2020). Trends in U.S. suicide deaths, 1999 to 2017, in the context of suicide prevention legislation. JAMA Pediatrics, 174(5), 499. https://doi.org/10.1001/jamapediatrics.2019.6066
Moorman, S. M. (2020). Medicare and Medicaid. Dying in Old Age, 109-127. https://doi.org/10.4324/9781351020183-8
U.S. Bureau. (2020). U.S. Census Bureau QuickFacts: Ventura County, California. Census Bureau QuickFacts. https://www.census.gov/quickfacts/venturacountycalifornia
VCCHNAC. (2019). Health Matters in Ventura County. Ventura County Community Health Needs Assessment { A Report by The Ventura County Community Health Needs Assessment Collaborative (VCCHNAC) }, 196. https://www.dignityhealth.org/content/dam/dignity-health/pdfs/chna/chna-st-johns-pleasant-valley.pdf
Ventura County Public Health. (2019). Community Health Priority Areas. https://www.healthmattersinvc.org/
