Planning Better Health for the Future, Essay Example

Healthy People 2010 – Top Ten Focus Areas

The Healthy People 2010 project was launched in 2000 by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.  The goal of the project was to identify critical areas of healthcare and to initiate programs serving each area by the year 2010.  There were 28 “Chapters” or areas of focus identified by the project.  Each chapter dealt with the following four areas; Goals, Objectives, Determinants of Health, and Health status (USDHHS, 2010).

In today’s challenging economic times, people and governmental entities cannot always afford to pay for everything they might want.  If the government only had enough money to fund 10 of the 28 areas of focus, they would do well to choose those areas whereby they could receive the greatest return on investment in terms of national health.

Preventative medicine programs offer exceptional return on investment.  According to Cameron (2009) of the Harvard Medical School, a 2009 study found that preventative medicine programs in the Boston area returned $36 for every $1 invested.  While all of the 28 areas of focus are important, centering on those programs related to preventative medicine are likely to bring the most benefit from limited funding.  There are seven areas of focus in the Health People 2010 project that relate directly to preventative medicine.  They are as follows:

#5 Diabetes

Diabetes is a significant health problem in the United States.  There is also a high cost associated with maintaining a treatment protocol as well as the potential costs of blindness or amputation.  Diabetes (especially Type 2) is very preventable and rigorous education in this area could save a lot of health costs later.

#7 Educational and Community-Based Programs

Community-based health education programs are a great way to spread the message about health living.

#14 Immunizations and Infectious Diseases

Proper immunizations and the prevention of spreading infectious diseases are both paramount in overall public health.

#19 Nutrition and Overweight

This is a huge (pardon the pun) public health issue in today’s world.  According to the Centers for Disease Control (Sherry, 2010), the overall obesity rate among American Adults was 26.7% in 2009.  This number far exceeds the Healthy People 2010 goal of 15%.  Obesity causes a wide variety of health problems, and reducing it would save the healthcare system a lot of money.

#20 Occupational Safety and Health

Notwithstanding the national unemployment rate of nearly 10%, most people in America work.  Keeping the workforce safe and healthy not only affects healthcare costs, but also has an impact on productivity and the nation’s GDP.

#22 Physical Activity & Fitness

It is no secret that many Americans live a fairly sedentary lifestyle.  Unfortunately, this fact also includes children who may prefer TV, computer activity, or video games to baseball and other outdoor activities.  Getting America outside and exercising could have a huge impact on overall public health.

#27 Tobacco Use

The government has made huge strides in reducing the use of tobacco in recent years.  This effort must continue with vigor.  Non-smokers are considerable more healthy than puffers.

The Second Priority

The next priority in choosing 10 out of the 28 focus areas involves the overall system on healthcare itself.  Recent changes in healthcare laws have begun the improvement and accessibility problems that have plagued this country for generations.  There are three of the 28 focus areas that address these issues.

#1 Access to Quality Health Services

It is a pity that the United States does not lead the world in universal healthcare.  Many individuals who are responsible tax-paying citizens work at jobs where healthcare is not a benefit.  Those working for what amounts to a living wage cannot afford health insurance and are typically not entitled to state-funded healthcare programs due to being over the poverty line.

#17 Medical Product Safety

Part of a good healthcare infrastructure is the regulations that keep pharmaceutical companies and medical product manufacturers in line with the safest possible standards.

#23 Public Health Infrastructure

The healthcare industry is one of the few remaining industries that still rely on paper forms, records and files.  This is changing rapidly, but the industry must continue to develop logistical as well as performance improvements to better serve citizens.

Failure to Achieve these Goals

Of all the 28 focus areas, these ten are perhaps the most critical in improving public health.  If these ten areas are not addressed, the citizenry of the United States could expect to follow a declining path in overall health and wellness.

One Suggested Program

A very valuable program that would address access to healthcare (#1) would be a network of free public clinics where individuals could take advantage of wellness programs, routine physicals and other preventative medicine programs.  Some hospitals, charitable organizations, and municipalities offer such programs, but they are not widespread.  The cost of such a network would pay significant dividends in terms of public health.

References

(Cameron D 200906 Calculating preventative medicine’s return on investment)Cameron, D. (2009, June). Calculating preventative medicine’s return on investment. Retrieved from http://web.med.harvard.edu/sites/RELEASES/html/060209_oriol.html

(Sherry B 2010 Vital signs; State-specific obesity prevelance among adults)Sherry, B. (2010). Vital signs; State-specific obesity prevelance among adults. Morbidity and Mortality Weekly, 59, 1-5. Retrieved from http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/mm59e0803a1.htm?s_cid=mm59e0803a1_e%0D%0A

(Usdhhs 2010 systematic approach to health improvement)USDHHS. (2010). A systematic approach to health improvement. Retrieved from http://www.healthypeople.gov/document/html/uih/uih_2.htm#obj