Administrative Applications in Health Care Organization, New Straitsville at Ohio

 Straitsville community in Ohio has been experience various challenges in the provision of health care, which are common in the entire Ohio state.  The issues facing the health care in Straitsville relates to access to health care services and affordability. These issues results from the fact that the population is unable to meet the health costs , understaffing and  diversity in culture especially among the immigrants who makes service provision difficult. Another issue that has affected this community involves increased drug and alcohol abuse in the region that has deteriorated the pressing heath issues in this region. The health care systems in all the regions of Ohio State including Straitsville appears to be broken especially due to increasing costs that have at times gone above the inflation of the country (OhioHealth O’Bleness Hospital  2016). This means that majority of Straitsville families and even businesses are experiencing a hard time paying for the healthcare services. This is largely attributed to the fact that many of the residents do not have insurance coverage that could help in easing the burden. Even where the uninsured patients can access the health systems, it is often after being admitted in the emergency room (Interact for Health, n.d). This means that they bypass the primary care they require and shift the large cost to other people.

Even after the Congress passed the law on health care in 2010 that was supposed to ease the cost burden across the country, the primary care costs and other funding challenges were not fully addressed. However, the law has been blamed for the increased cost of health care services and the loss of preferred coverage for the residents of Straitsville. The law has also limited their choices on medical treatment and doctor options for the most of the population in this area. Those individuals with lower incomes mostly feel the burden of the cost since they have to spend a small portion of their income in seeking health care services (OhioHealth O’Bleness Hospital 2016). There is also disparity in access to health care services especially among the people of color. These individuals have a higher rate of poverty and people from such races are mostly subjected to such high costs. In addition, the health care cost also affect children and adults with over 65 years of age and these individuals depend on government programs or support from family members (OhioHealth O’Bleness Hospital 2016). Without enough insurance on their health these people are likely to be affected by the high cost of health care.

Cultural issues that affect the health care in Straitsville community are mostly evident while providing health care to people from different cultures. In the case of immigrants, it becomes hard to get patients to how the health problems and health care services provided will impact on their situation. The health care service providers may therefore, find it hard to provide client-centered services in a way that does not interfere with people’s behavior, lifestyle and belief.  Some patients may exhibit various characteristics that may affect their reception of treatment services and therapy options since they go against their personal judgments (OhioHealth O’Bleness Hospital 2016). This can negatively affect the effectiveness of services provided by the medical staff. Nursing staff is a major health problem affecting the whole of Ohio State, and Straitsville is not an exception (OhioHealth O’Bleness Hospital 2016). The problem can be found in major public health facilities including the nursing homes which can erode any public health benefits that have been gained among the residents and business employees.

 The health care facilities in the region are critical need of skilled worker, and the biggest shortage is among nursing staff. This is a problem that is not only affecting Straitsville but the entire Ohio State, which explains the seriousness of the matter. Moreover, medical assistants and other practitioners who extend the health care services are also needed in the various public facilities in Straitsville. The health practitioners’ shortage issue extends beyond the fact that they cannot be found to how they can be found. The problem is also complicated by the increasing number of practitioners who are retiring or headed to retirement. The individuals who have been working in conventional public health care setting are shifting to personal care givers and managers and leaving a gap in the health facilities that may require considerable amount of time to fill (Kaiser Family Foundation, 2014). This has forced health care facilities to share their services with other regions. The lack of enough nursing staff is a huge risk in providing public health care services.

The issue of drug and alcohol abuse has become of importance to health care in Straitsville where part of the population is under acute substance abuse. The health care facilities have to contend with helping individuals who have indulged in alcohol abuse and additions of other drugs such as Suboxone and crystal meth (Interact for Health, n.d). While there are various rehabilitation programs in this region, the issues of drug abuse have not reduced, and this denies these addicts a chance to live a sober life.

Reference

OhioHealth O’Bleness Hospital (2016). Community Health  Community Health Needs Assessment. Retrieved from: http://www.ipacohio.org/Websites/ipacohio/files/Content/5875875/Athens_CHA2016.pdf

 

Kaiser Family Foundation, (2014).The Ohio Health Care Landscape. Retrieved from: http://www.kff.org/medicaid/fact-sheet/the-ohio-health-care-landscape/

 

Interact for Health ,(n.d).Ohio adults cite drug use, insurance as top health problems. Retrieved from: https://www.interactforhealth.org/upl/Ohio_adults_cite_drug_use_insurance_as_top_health_problems.pdf