This week, we are focusing on Health Disparities. Be sure to read the materials posted in the Assignments folder before participating in this week’s discussion board.
Our discussion board is going to focus on the Case Study entitled “Where Do You Live? Health Disparities Across the United States.” on pages 578 – 579 of the eText. Please read through the case very carefully and then think about the issues covered in the case in light of the information contained in Chapters 14 and in the Assignments folder for this week.
To complete your original post, you will need to complete some outside research using credible resources. Your original post must address all of the following items:
1. What can or should be done when populations are disproportionately unhealthy or at higher risk for certain health conditions? Provide an example of a population that is disproportionately unhealthy or at higher risk for a particular health condition. Be sure to clearly identify the population and the condition.
2. What is cultural competence? Could the absence or presence of cultural competency be related to health disparities?
3. Is the concept of health disparities a new idea? How many years ago did people first start writing and speaking about health disparities?
Be sure to support your answers with credible sources and provide both in-text citations and a reference listing in APA format.
Highly variable health care and patient outcomes occur in different regions of the U.S. According to a report from the American Cancer Society, deaths from colon cancer have declined in all but three regions of the country: eastern Virginia/North Carolina, lower Mississippi delta, and west-central Appalachia. The U.S. colon cancer death rate has declined by half over the past decades, partly due to screening, but there are large differences between states (Preidt, 2015a). Another study showed that 36% of counties in the U.S. are more than 50 miles from the nearest doctor specializing in ovarian, uterine, and cervical cancers, putting many women at a disadvantage for quality care and positive outcomes (Preidt, 2015b). Lastly, kidney dialysis rates in the U.S. are higher in poor neighborhoods (Preidt, 2015c). Possible reasons for these differences include less access to care, greater exposure to environmental toxins, and lifestyle habits.
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS
1. What can or should be done when populations are disproportionately unhealthy or at higher risk for certain health conditions?
2. You are a health educator working for the state Department of Public Health. How do you prioritize on what health conditions or concerns your Department focuses?
3. What data sources will you rely on?
4. How do you help hospitals in the geographic region address these health disparities?
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