Bringing Data to Prevention Planning, Term Paper Example

Introduction

This community assessment report outlines the implications of children with special healthcare needs (CSHCS).This is an emerging phenomenon in many societies across the nation. A focus on children in the Los Angeles, California will be embraced. Experts have contended that these individuals require help with medication management, accesses to specialized health care, therapies, case management, travel accommodation, dental and vision care. In addition their families need expended support from agencies and health care services (Houtrow, Jones & Ghandour, 2012). This report distinctly evaluates agencies’ reaction to children with special healthcare needs in the community with an attempt to identify service availability, how planning could begin and the information retrieved used for public policy.

Assumptions from this health assessment data

Epidemiological assumptions are based on the premise that human disease is not randon appearances. Causal and preventative factors could always be identified when systematic investigations are conducted (Tu & Greenwood, 2012). This health assessment presented by the website leaves the evaluator to assume that children with special health needs in the community are increasing. For example, statistics reveal that during 2002 -2003 there have been increases in every age group. The 0-5 age group it went from 10% to 11.9% a maximum confidence interval. The 6 -11 ages there was a movement from approximately 15% to 17%.Similarly,  12-19 a subtle increase from 17% to19%.The actual figures range between 84,000 – 164,000 with the 12-19 age group presenting with the highest incidences and male children with a greater predisposition of developing special needs health conditions. A total amount of 398,000 children are affected in LA County, which accounts for one in every six child (LA HEALTH, 2014).

It has been reported that children are at more high risk of contracting chronic diseases, than adults. The assumption here is that healthcare delivery systems in the community has accepted these  increased incidences  in children with health care needs as a way of life, which may contradict world health organization’s expectations for the health of children in the world. The community seems powerless in addressing the issue. World Health Organization is well aware that some three million children across the world die annually due to environmental diseases. However, chronic diseases could be avoided. While a further assumption could be that in the LA, California county resources are limited in being able to identify underlying causes and devise strategies, World Health Organization through NGOs has developed programs to address many healthcare conditions affecting children with special needs (Onis, Onyango, Borghi, Siyam, Blössner & Lutter, 2012).

Currently, Children in LA, California while it can be assumed that they have limited exposure to screening for special health needs they do have some access to health care. According to available data, 93% had health insurance and 95% access to regular care. However, the challenge produced from the data presented is that the required specialist care might still be inadequate due to the type of insurance policies. Epidemiologists have advanced that in situations where there is missing data as in the amount of children accessing specialist care according to their diagnosed distinct need then, the assumptions are untestable and only be made from intuition  applying deductive and inductive reasoning (Tu & Greenwood, 2012). This is the case with this particular assumption that more specialists’ opportunities should be made available to children with special health needs in LA, California.

More importantly, further data reveal variations among ethnic groups in the county regarding children with special health care needs. African American and white children have the highest have the highest level special health care need, 28% and 22% respectively. Latinos and Asian American were 18 % and 15% respectively. The clear assumption here could be that more white and African American are screened earlier than Latinos and Asians. Here again there is missing data. There are variations in the federal poverty levels among ethnic groups too. 34% o children with special healthcare needs could not access relevant care due to the family’s Federal Poverty level (LA HEALTH, 2014).

Information contained in the report that could help in Planning community health interventions.

In any epidemiological community assessment data that can always be used in planning pertain to disease incidence and prevalence among significant populations. This is relation. to social status, ethnicity, gender differences, and access to affordable care among many other variables. In this situation it is children with special healthcare needs in the LA, California community. State epidemiological outcomes workgroups (SEOWs) have recommended strategies to be applied when converting data into planning mechanisms. They include a through analysis of data to ensure that they are authentic. From all assumptions the data used in this community evaluation is authentic being retrieved form a credible a government agency website (SAMHSA, 2015).

Next, is using the information to produce data guided products. These are identified frequencies or irregularities in interpretation of data, which inform distinct strategies applicable to a specific variable in the data set. For example, if the variable is inappropriate access to  specialist healthcare in children  with special health needs in LA county the guiding product for that data set in planning would include ethnicity, social and gender factors. In yet another application (SEOWs) recommends training communities to interpret the data available to them so they can participate in the planning process. In creating state and local monitoring systems regarding how this data is applied to planning for resolution of inconsistencies accuracy is facilitated (SAMHSA, 2015).

Information could be used in public policy planning

Specifically, the information pertaining to how poverty levels affect accessibility to medical care for children with special health needs is valuable data for public policy. 34 % of then targeted population could not be provided with adequate care due to the Federal Poverty Income level. While the affordable care act was expected to close these gaps, but they still exist in communities. Data regarding insufficient access to specialist care for children with specific special healthcare such as autism, asthma, obesity is comprehensive data social planners can use in restructuring provisions under the affordable act.

Conclusion

The foregoing community data assessment was conducted in the LA California County. Specific concerns pertained to special need health care for children. While a majority of them have access to healthcare it did not address their special needs. This data could be made available to members of the community as they create ideas with state officials in planning to resolve the situation. Presentations to policy makers could be added with respect to revisiting the affordable care act regulations to include this irregularity.

References

Houtrow, A. Jones, J., & Ghandour, R. (2012). Participation of Children with Special Health  Care Needs in School and the Community. Academic Pediatrics, 12(4); 326 – 334

La Health (2014). Children with Special Health Care Needs. Retrieved on November 14^th, 2015 from http://publichealth.lacounty.gov/ha/reports/habriefs/Special%20Children%20FINAL_1.pdf

Onis, M. Onyango, A. Borghi, E. Siyam, A. Blössner, M., & Lutter C.( 2012). Child Growth and  Standards: Worldwide implementation of the WHO Child Growth Standards Public Health Nutrition, 1-8 (samsha, 2015). Bringing Data to Prevention Planning: State Epidemiological Outcomes