Chapter 7 Community Health

1. Chapter 7Community Health

2. Types of Communities • Community • A group of individuals who interact with each other for the mutual benefit of their common interests to support a sense of unity or belonging • Types of Communities • Family, school, place of employment, retirement home, health maintenance organization town or city, state or province, nation, and the world

3. Community Health • Health concerns are based on a community’s demographics as well as a nation’s overall health and economy, and world and national events. • Monitored using the 10 leading health indicators along with birth rates, STI’s, prevalence of infectious diseases and prevalence of cancer • Communityhealth is the aggregate health of a population: a town, state, nation, or planet.

4. Health-Related Functions of the WHO • Guidelines • International standards for sanitation, chemical safety, water purification, immunizations, and infectious diseases • Objectives • To emphasize growth and development of significant internal, governmental changes • *The WHO sends healthcare professionals to nations to combat diseases and disorders at both the community and the individual level.

5. Health-Related Functions of UNICEF • The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), helps children, especially those in developing countries. • *Goals include: • Nutrition instruction, development of low-cost food supplements • Support of general education • Childhood immunization programs • Procedures for supplying safe water • Infant rehydration programs

6. Improvements in Public Health That Increased Lifespan in the 20th Century • Because of the USPHS, life expectancy of Americans which was about 45 years in the early 1900s lengthened by 30 years, to more than 75 years in the last decade of the 20th century. • Advances in public health contribute to 25 of these additional 30 years.

7. United States Public Health Service • Since 1798 ,the United States Public Health Service (USPHS) has undertaken investigation and control of communicable diseases, control of sanitation, andcontrol of the manufacture and sale of biologic products. • *Achievements: • Vaccinations, control of infectious diseases, safer and healthier foods, and healthier mothers and babies • Motor-vehicle safety, safer workplaces • Declines in deaths from coronary artery disease and stroke • Recognition of tobacco use as a health hazard

8. Health and Human Services • Some of the agencies that constitute the HHS include: • *Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ), • Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry • Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) • *Substance Abuse and mental health services administration (state agencies) • Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) • Food and Drug Administration (FDA) • National Institutes of Health (NIH)

9. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention • *The mission of the CDC is to promote health and quality of life by preventing and controlling disease, injury, and disability. • *Roles of the CDC include: • Investigating disease outbreaks at a local, national, or international level or occurrences of bioterrorism • Providing current and accurate health-related information to the public • Fostering cooperative relationships with national, state, and local organizations to combat dangerous environmental exposures • Maintain statistics

10. Food and Drug Administration • The FDA’s mission is to promote and protect public health by helping safe and effective products reach the market and by monitoring products for continued safety after they are in use. • Some FDA accomplishments include: • *Requiring that new drugs and complex medical devices be proved safe before they are put into a consumer market • Requiring safety practices in blood banking • Requiring accurate, truthful, and useful labeling for prescription drugs, over-the-counter medications, foods, and dietary supplements

11. National Institutes of Health • Mission • To uncover new knowledge that will lead to better health for everyone • There are 27 separate institutes, centers, or offices, and each works in its specific field to: • Conduct research on site or through universities, medical schools, hospitals, or other research institutions • Train research investigators • Promote improved sharing of medical information

12. National Institute for Nursing Research • *The NIH formally recognized nursing as a unique and important component of the healthcare system in 1993, and so the National Institute for Nursing Research (NINR) was established. • *The focus of the research is to discover ways to benefit clients. These areas include: • Managing clients during illness and recovery • Reducing risks for disease and disability • Promoting needs for underserved or high-risk clients • Caring for individuals at the end of life • Promoting the care of families within a community

13. OSHA • *The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) is the subdivision of the U.S. Department of Labor and works to prevent occupational injury and illness. • OSHA accomplishments include: • Standards for safety and health protection in the workplace • Standards for occupational exposure to blood-borne pathogens • Standards published to protect construction workers • Ergonomic standards to prevent musculoskeletal disorders

14. Social Security Administration • In 1995, the Social Security Administration (SSA) split from the HHS to become an independent agency. It provides retirement income for many people and financial assistance for healthcare to special populations. • It provides financial support for persons older than 62 or 65 years, and those of any age with special disabilities or handicaps. • It also oversees support provided from Medicare and Medicaid.

15. National Safety Council • Mission • To educate and influence society to adopt safety, health, and environmental practices that prevent human suffering and economic losses arising from preventable causes • *It gathers information regarding safety and health information in the United States, analyzes causes of accidents, suggest preventive measures, and disseminates information derived. • The Council influences public opinion, attitudes, and behavior in other areas.

16. Role and Functions of the Red Cross • The American Red Cross is a humanitarian organization led by volunteers. • Mission • To provide help to victims of disaster and to help people prevent, prepare for, and respond to emergencies • *Services • Armed forces emergency services, biomedical services, community services (food and nutrition), health and safety services, and international services

17. Visiting Nurse Association • The Visiting Nurse Association (VNA) is a nationwide, not-for-profit, community-based home care agency that provides care to any person regardless of his or her ability to pay. • *Direct care services include: • Skilled nursing, physical therapy, maternal and child care, medical social work, pain management, hospice, private duty nursing, enterostomal therapies, and IV and enteral therapies

18. Organizations Related to Specific Diseases • The American Cancer Society • The National Society for the Prevention of Blindness • The American Heart Association • The American Diabetes Association • The Cystic Fibrosis Foundation • The National Easter Seal Society–March of Dimes

19. Organizations That Promote Specific Health Goals • Planned Parenthood of America • Focuses on family planning and prevention of STIs • La Leche League • Focuses on maternal and newborn health by encouraging breastfeeding

20. Programs Common to State Healthcare Services • State health laws must conform to federal laws, but states also have the right to make their own health laws, if necessary. • Programs on state levels address many specific healthcare concerns including aging, children’s health, families in need, mental health, special populations, alcohol and substance abuse, environmental health, communicable diseases, and safety and disability issues.

21. Functions of the Community Health Center • Community health centers usually belong to an organization called the National Association of Healthcare Centers (NAHCC). • Provides healthcare services in locations where populations with special healthcare needs exist • Provides cost-effective healthcare • Promotes better compliance with follow-up care • Provides testing for various disorders as well as immunizations and prenatal services

22. The Environment • Maintenance services include water and electricity • Pollution • Contamination and impurity severely compromises the ecologic balance

23. Causes and Significance of Various Types of Pollution • Air Pollution • Caused by exhaust from automobiles and industries • *Responsible for increases in respiratory infections, such as chronic bronchitis and emphysema, and an increase in the incidence of asthma • *Water Pollution • Caused by inadequately treated and contaminated water • Transmits a number of diseases, including typhoid fever, dysentery, and infectious hepatitis

24. Causes and Significance of Various Types of Pollution (cont’d) • Land Pollution • Landfills for dumping trash contributes to diseases (including cancer), particularly in children. • *Noise Pollution • Chronic exposure to loud noise, such as loud music, poses the greatest hazard to hearing. Noise pollution also causes stress. • Other Types of Pollution • Lead poisoning (plumbism), radiation, and biohazardous waste disposal