Notwithstanding to your connections with your co-livings you have an impact on your community. It may be good or bad both. We all are in a community together, there are no other way and so the health.
Community health is the convergence of health care
services, economics and social responsibilities. People residing in a
particular reason more or less share similar kind of health risks and social
and economic conditions.
A
community emerged as a group of people with varied traits who are connected by
social ties, share common views, and are engaged in joint action in
geographical locations or settings. Community health is the intersection of
healthcare, economics, and social interaction.
According
to the Centre of Disease Control (2019), "Working at the community level
promotes healthy living, helps prevents chronic diseases as well as brings the
greatest health advantages to the greatest number of people in need."
Community
health is a medical practice which focuses on people's well-being in a particular
geographical area. This essential public health sector covers programs to help
neighborhood members in protecting and improving their health, deter the
transmission of infectious diseases, and plan for natural disasters.
For
example a community may be exposed to pollutants from a nearby factory or waste
dumping site or ground water contaminants. Public wellness programs expand
access to preventive health services, include people in decision-making on
treatment, and seek reduced hospital costs. Community health is usually
confused with population health.
However,
interrelated but have sufficient differences.
Where
community health refers the collective efforts of individual or organizations
for the better health of a geographically or culturally defined group of people
while, population health uses outcome driven approaches for the health benefits
of specific group of people typically defined by attribution.
Definition of Community Health
Community
health is the collective well-being of community members. In addition to living
in the same neighborhood or region, these populations often share health
characteristics, ethnicities, and socioeconomic conditions.
Community
health is a medical specialty that centers on the physical and mental well-being of individuals in a particular geographical area. This vital segment of public
health includes initiatives to assist community members in maintaining and
improving their health, forestall the spread of infectious diseases, and
prepare for natural disasters. Individuals’ health outcome is affected by a
healthy community; Living in a community that is not healthy makes it difficult
for an individual to be healthy. This is because; community is an ecosystem or
environment where individuals live.
For
instance, some low-income communities might experience high obesity rates due
to limited availability of nutritious foods in local grocery stores. This
places them in an area commonly known as a food desert.
Community
health programs improve access to preventive health care services, engage
citizens in care decisions, and seek out lower medical costs.
15 Importance of Community Health
Large
population residing in rural areas does not have access to proper care and
treatments in the hour of their need. Elderly people, pregnant women, neonatal,
persons with chronic illness residing in a distant location from a hospital are
always at high risk.
The
following are the 15 importance of Community health:
1. Addressing Health
Disparities
Healthcare
disparities can be especially prevalent in rural and low-income communities
where hospitals have closed down and physician shortages exist. More than 7,000
primary care, 6,000 dental, and 5,500 mental health shortage areas currently
exist in the U.S., according to the Health Resources & Services
Administration (HRSA).
These
populations may be exposed to higher levels of poverty, homelessness, substance
abuse, and other risk factors. When a community health system that takes the
community’s unique characteristics into account is put into place to address
unmet needs, the community’s overall quality of care can be vastly improved.
2. Lowering Healthcare
Costs
Community
health is an important element of health reform efforts that aim to lower
national healthcare expenses. The cost of healthcare in the U.S. represents
more than 17 percent of GDP, a much higher percentage than in any other
industrialized nation, according to the Organization for Economic Co-Operation
and Development.
About
one-third of this spending goes toward hospital care, so costs might drop if
the U.S. model of care shifts toward more affordable outpatient cares
facilities such as community health clinics. Community health providers operate
under a patient-centered care model, involving patients in care decisions. This
model allows providers to steer patients away from costly trips to the
emergency room and help them avoid relapses.
3. Addressing disparities
in access to health care
Rural
and small cities where per capita income is less, unavailability of hospitals
and shortage of doctors occur, healthcare inequalities may be extremely
pronounced. Such populations are at high risk of exposure to extreme poverty,
drug abuse, and several other risks to human health and life. If a regional
health system that takes into account the particular features of the community
is set in order to meet unmet needs, the general level of service of the
community can be dramatically increased.
4. Enacting Public Health:
Initiatives Community health resources have become essential assets in public
health initiatives such as combating the opioid crisis and stemming the HIV
epidemic. Opioid deaths in the U.S. have surpassed homicides and traffic
fatalities, and community health centers are on the front line of federal
efforts to reduce preventable drug overdose deaths. These clinics are also
working to decrease the estimated 38,000 preventable HIV infections that occur
in the U.S. each year. The holistic model of community care allows
practitioners to treat and prevent a multitude of conditions simultaneously.
5. Community Health
Services and Resources
Community health services providers want to change the model of care from treating illness to maintaining wellness. This challenge is addressed by tackling patients’ well-being in a comprehensive way and not just band-aiding ailments that will soon resurface without proper preventive and maintenance care.
By
combining medical, oral health, mental health, substance abuse, and pharmacy
care with support services including health education, transportation to appointments,
and bilingual staff, community health resource providers make sure that access
to care is not restricted by geographic, economic, or cultural barriers,
according to the HRSA.
6. Community Health Centers
Federally
funded community health centers (CHCs) provide affordable healthcare options to
more than 28 million people in towns and cities across the U.S. The clinics are
designed to improve access to primary care services regardless of whether
patients have insurance, speak languages other than English, or live in remote
areas. These centers often target groups facing health disparities and limited
care resources, including patients living in poverty, rural residents,
veterans, and the homeless.
Clinics
typically use a sliding scale for fees and provide care even when patients
cannot pay. Typical services include: Preventive and primary care services
(including medical and dental checkups and condition management) Disease
prevention (vaccinations, anti-smoking programs, and obesity screenings)
Patient education (nutritional counseling, injury prevention, and disease
information) Mental health services (screenings and counseling) Substance abuse
treatment By providing comprehensive preventive care and helping patients
monitor chronic conditions, CHCs serve to lower medical costs by reducing
expensive emergency department visits and hospital stays. Many of these clinics
operate as patient-centered medical homes (PCMHs).
According
to the National Association of Community Health Centers, some 1,400 CHC
organizations (operating 12,000 sites) generate $24 billion in savings for the
U.S. healthcare system each year.
Most
CHCs receive federal grant funding under the Health Center Program, which aims
to improve health care for vulnerable populations. Many CHCs also receive
funding and operational support from state agencies and nonprofit charitable
organizations.
7. Community Mental Health Centers
What
is community mental health? In the U.S., mental health disorders often go
untreated. Community health centers are providing frontline services in the
behavioral health arena. The demand for behavioral health-focused community
clinics is strong. Substance-abuse treatment centers are also being established
at a growing rate as many regions across the nation struggle to reduce overdose
deaths.
A
Medicare-designated community mental health center is defined as providing
screening, outpatient therapy, rehabilitation, day treatment, and 24-hour
emergency services to chronically ill patients or those recently discharged
from inpatient care. States also oversee mental health resources.
8. Public Outreach Programs
Public outreach campaigns include direct medical care programs along with educational materials, advertisements, and social media posts that encourage healthy lifestyles.
Some organizations
operate mobile and pop-up clinics that offer disease prevention programs within
the community. To extend public education into all aspects of the community,
health workers will often partner with local political systems, social work
agencies, and schools.
9. Careers in Community
Health
Public health workers are engaged in a broad scope of activities, including research, education, program development, program management, medical care, and charitable aid.
Roles can range from leadership positions to frontline
caregivers. Professionals seeking careers in community health might work in
medical, educational, government, corporate, or nonprofit settings.
10. Community Health Workers
A
community health worker is defined by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS)
as someone who assists communities and individuals in adopting healthy
behaviors. Job duties include outreach on behalf of medical organizations and
implementing community health programs.
Community
health workers are also involved in basic medical screenings or care; informal
counseling; research; and health education and advocacy. Community health
professionals serve as a bridge between community members and medical and
social service providers, and often live in the community.
To
promote healthy behaviors, a community health worker might focus on helping
people get better access to not only medical resources but also to
transportation, housing, and nutrition, as well. In addition, a community
health worker develops cultural sensitivity and establishes relationships with
local residents to create trust.
Such
workers also need to balance activities in client advocacy, public education,
and medical service provision.
The occupational category of health educators and community health workers is expected to grow 11 percent between 2018 and 2028, according to the BLS. This is faster than the average of all occupations. The BLS also reports the median annual salary of a community health worker is about $44,000.
Other job titles
for this role might include outreach educator, peer health promoter, and
community health representative, advisor, or advocate, according to the
National Institutes of Health.
11. Program Director
The program director or clinical director of a community health program or community health center takes overall responsibility for the organization’s goals and accomplishments. A director improves access to care in the community, identifying and filling gaps in care services, and reducing emergency medical care through preventive measures.
Skills that foster establishing rapport with
community members are especially important for program directors. Program
directors must have strong leadership, communication, and management skills, in
addition to a foundation in public health advocacy.
12. Research Analyst
A
researcher career in the community health field entails gathering information
about health issues and risks for specific geographic areas or populations.
Researchers collect essential information on socioeconomic conditions, health
disparities, and community health resources’ effectiveness through data
evaluation and direct interaction with local residents.
A
researcher might investigate environmental hazards, infectious disease risks,
or other regional threats. Community research analysts provide statistical
reports and environmental evaluations to help administrators create innovative
health advocacy and improvement programs.
13. Medical Professional
An
education or early career in community health sciences can form a solid
foundation for a career in medicine as a physician, psychiatrist, or nurse
practitioner, and might even lead the health professional to practice in an
at-risk geographic area.
A community health worker might also go on to
become a hospital administrator or government health official.
14. Earn a Master of Public
Health Degree and Help Communities Grow
Establishing
public health programs that cater to targeted populations enables public health
professionals to improve the quality of care for all communities. In order to
develop effective community health programs, professionals must develop strong
competencies in evaluating health environments, understanding local cultures,
identifying disparities, strategizing interventions, and creating trusting
relationships with local residents and officials. Such skills require a high
level of dedication and tenacity.
15. Reducing charges to
health care
Social
health is an important part in health policy reforms aimed at lowering public
spending on healthcare. Public health services work within a model of
patient-centered treatment, including patients in decisions regarding care.
This model helps physicians to direct patients away from expensive visits to
the emergency department to discourage relapses.
Community Health Elements
Public
health professionals engaged in community health identify how variables related
to socioeconomic status — such as income levels, nutrition, crime, and
transportation resources — impact people.
They
also determine how the community’s medical and educational resources contribute
to residents’ lifestyles and what improvements are called for. Key elements of
community health include:
· Identifying
top public health concerns within the specific geographic area, such as
environmental and social factors that affect healthy life choices.
· Developing
an intervention plan to address resource gaps in the community, such as
establishing community health centers, mobile clinics, and outreach programs.
· Educating
residents on the benefits of preventive care and healthy behaviors to
facilitate life changes.
· Providing
essential services such as screenings, social support, and counseling.
· Helping
residents gain access to resources such as affordable medical, dental, and mental
health care services; insurance (Medicare or Medicaid enrollment); translation
and transportation services; or housing, food, and education.
· Reducing
the need for expensive emergency care and hospitalizations. Advocating for
improved care for at-risk populations to state and federal policymakers.
· Working
with other community agencies to address the area’s mental, physical, cultural,
and social characteristics, including nutrition, housing, and transportation.
Community Health Goals
The
goal of a community health provider is to offer comprehensive services that
grant communities direct and immediate access to essential resources, including
medical, dental, pharmacy, and mental health care.
By
educating area residents on what resources are available and giving them the
tools to access care, public health workers empower people to take control of
their own health.
Community
public health initiatives focus on identifying specific geographic areas with
high levels of need and helping those communities overcome barriers to living
healthier lives.
Community
members’ average lifespans can differ by 20 to 30 years based on inequities
that restrict access to healthy food, affordable health care, and mental health
support, according to the American Public Health Association.
Community
health professionals form strong bonds with citizens, as well as area health
care and social services providers. This enables them to complete essential
tasks, such as uncovering regional health risks, educating local residents on
healthy behaviors, or establishing community health resources to close gaps in
care.
Community
health differs from the similar concept of population health management, which
considers a population’s health outcomes based on a wider range of factors
beyond just geography.
Hospitals
use population health management tactics to improve chronic disease management
or to avoid readmissions.
Scope of Community Health
Community
health covers a wide range of healthcare interventions, such as health
promotion, sickness prevention, and treatment. It also involves management and
administration of care.
Community
Health Workers (CHWs) are often frontline professionals with expertise and
knowledge of the unique characteristics and development of the community. They
are most times members of the community themselves and play a crucial role
ensuring a functioning of community care.