Essay Example on Austin: A City of History, Trade and Technology

Introduction

Austin is in Travis County, and it is the capital of Texas. The Austin has its origin from the riverside waterloo village. It is situated in an area where the Colorado River crosses the Balcones escarpment. Traditionally Austin was a buffalo-hunting region. The city was named as the capital of Texas in1839 as an honor to Stephen Austin's father of Texas republic. The city has drastically grown due to trade, technology, and industries to a metropolitan city. The area is known to attract a wide range of opportunities due to technology and commerce. The community is known for its creative culture, and it is named as the world live music capital with increasing entertainment venues. The city also has a wide range of programs, services available to all residents. A good example is the Dell medical school that is bringing medical innovation opportunities and community collaboration to improve residents' health.

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Austin is ethnically diverse, with a total population of 988.218, and it is the fourth-largest community in Texas. Across the United States, it is the 11th largest city. The city population has grown since 2010 at 25%, and the city is growing at 1.23% per year (Austintexas.gov 2017). The population growth is predicted to continue growing, and by 2030, the population is estimated to reach 3.2 million. Although Austin is ethnically diverse, the city has a high population of white and Hispanic people. The African American population in the community continues to decline with time. The reason behind the African American shrinking is the high death rate, and many are moving away from the city (Austintexas.gov, 2020).

According to the 2019-2020 demographics, the white city population is at 539,760 at 68%, Hispanic 277,707 at 35%, black Americans 64,406 at 8%, Asians 49,864 at 6%, native Indians 6,901, Native Hawaiian and other races make up below 10%. The median age of the Austin population is 33years (Austintexas.gov, 2017). Retiring baby boomers and young college graduates make up the highest population of the city. The majority are drawn to this community by entertainment, museums, affordable housing, and city shopping. Due to the growing population, the town is experiencing housing shortages, and this is causing increased prices in real estates (Austintexas.gov, 2020). In Austin, different regions are followed; most believers are Christians, a majority being catholic at 15.1%, Baptist 10.8%, Methodists at 6.8 %, and other Christian denominations make up 16%. Other religions include Islam with3.1percentage following and Judaism at 0.3%.

As Austin register population growth and change, the county economy continues to grow. However, there have been concerns about income inequalities. Unemployment in 2016 stood at 3.1% lower than the rest of Texas, which is at 4.7% and 4.9% in the United States. The average household income in Austin is $62,250, which is higher than Texas and the United States at $55,653 and $55,775, respectively (Austintexas.gov, 2017). Household income is unevenly distributed 20 % of the households earned above 53% of the total revenue earned in Travis country while 20 % other householders made 3% of the total income. About 16% of the population in Austin is living in poverty, and poverty runs across all the ethnic communities 26% of Hispanics live in poverty, 22.6% of black Americans also live in poverty (Robinson, 2018). The impoverished community has, however, affected the people access to health services in the city.

The average income in Austin continues to increase. Still, the revenue per household continues to decline as large percentages of Hispanics, and black Americans live in poverty compared to the white population. The low income in many homes is associated with health risks. Some of the health risks include substance abuse, lack of health insurance, low turnout in the health screening program, and lack of physical exercise. Residence in low-income households also projects higher cases of mental health problems and stress. In Austin, the leading course of mortality is chronic illness such as cardiovascular diseases and cancer. Although obesity, diabetes, and other chronic illness are reported to be on the decline in Austin, the Hispanics and black Americans are the most affected. They are experiencing the highest mortality rates as a result.

When Texas, Travis, and Austin are compared, the Austin population is more educated. Austin has a large number of residents who have attained a higher degree while the majority of low-income earners have completed college. The majority of the Austin population is well educated, and the unemployment rate is low; however, there is a need for more education initiatives and workforce development. Education paves the way for career paths and employment, reducing the gap between the working class and the have-nots (Robinson, 2018). The education initiative and workforce development are expected to provide opportunities for a significant number of low-income earners to increase their income. There is also a need to improve the health care workforce by emphasizing on hiring competent health workers to cater for the growing population. Also, there is a need to address the ethnic gap in the health care workforce, Austin should endeavor in hiring skilled professionals across all cultures in the community bring about incusing and equality.

Health care access and affordability remain a challenge in Austin despite healthcare being made a possibility through community outreach programs such as e Medical Assistance Program (MAP) that have enabled the uninsured population who a majority are low-income earners to access healthcare (Valaitis et al. 2018). In Austin, one-quarter of the population lack medical insurance and one in six people forgo seeking medical help due to high cost. The high medical price and a large number of the uninsured population is a threat to community health. In Austin, the health care system has managed to reach more people through educating, informing, and empowering people to observe healthy lifestyles. However, it is still a challenge to bring people into developing healthy eating habits and understanding health information such as prescriptions.

Funding sources and partnerships

In Austin, chronic illnesses are the leading cause of high mortality rates. Austin health care is advising on the need to maintain an active life by incorporating physical exercises, healthy eating habits, and reduced substance abuse such as tobacco use. The Austin public health funds are set aside to help set programs and measures that will help prevent chronic illness. The Austin Children's Health Project (ACHP) is another source of health care funds for children across the Austin community. ACHP's purpose to reach children with limited access to primary healthcare. Most of the people served by ACHP lack medical insurance. About 75% are uninsured, over 60% of the population under ACHP are Hispanics, black Americana, and Asians at 12%, 5%, and 1%, respectively.

The Austin public health department has collaborated with the different organizations with the intent of reaching more people despite economic disparities and providing affordable care. Some of the organizations that have collaborated with the Austin health care include The Dell Medical School at The University of Texas at Austin, Sendero Health Plans, and Austin Travis County Integral Care. The Sendero Health Plans are a nonprofit organization located in Austin and serves the central Texas region. The organization helps increase access to health care for people who are publically funded. It is in charge of programs such as STAR, Medical Access Program, and CHIP programs. Austin Travis County Integral Care has collaborated with the Austin public health department in offering community-based services that range from assessment, intervention, and prevention for persons diagnosed with mental conditions, intellectual disability, and substance abuse. They offer emergence response services and support to the community

Summary of Interview with Community Health/Public Health Provider

To best understand Austin's health care issues that need addressing, an interview with a public health officer is conducted. Questions used for the interview done by Skype include

• Which community do you represent in the state of Texas?
• What is the population of Austin in terms of ethnicity/ race and gender?
• What is the economic status of Austin Population?
• Which are the most common health issues in the community
• Which health issue is yet to be addressed/ require more healthcare attention, and why?
• What are the demographics of the health issue across each race/ ethnic group in Austin?
• What are the causes of the health problem?
• What preventive measures can be used to reduce the occurrence and severity of the health issue?
• Are there permanent solution/ treatment for the health issue?

Any additional comments (optional)

After interviewing with a public officer from Austin, Texas, chronic diseases remain the biggest threat to the Austin population, especially among the black Americans and the Hispanic community. The leading cause of deaths among people of color includes diabetes, obesity, and heart diseases. The chronic conditions are not new to many Austin people; however, the Austin population has exhibited a lack of knowledge on existing health services aimed at the detection, prevention, and treatment of these chronic illnesses. Also, there is a poor connection between diagnosed patients and health care s many people lack the knowledge of medical insurance to take. They also find it difficult to find specialized doctors, legal information, and terminologies. Due to income disparities among Austin people, many are unable to access affordable careers. For example, statistics show that people with high incomes than those with low-income accessed preventive screening. For instance, women above 40 years with a salary of $75,000 and received a mammogram, unlike women with a lower income of &25000. Also, disparities are identified by race.

Common risk factors to chronic diseases include obesity, smoking, lack of physical exercise, and poor nutrition. In Austin, many people are smokers, 12% of residents are a smoker. Smoking, however, has been recorded to be higher amongst low-income earners. Adults who are earning &25000 smoke three times more compared to those who make above $ 75000. Due to poverty and lack of proper education, people are unable to adopt healthy eating habits. Others are unable to understand health information and prescriptions. For example, many people argue it is challenging to understand food portioning and percentage in packages due to lack of nutrition knowledge and different marketing methods used by brands. To solve the problem, the health care providers need to educate people on culturally appropriate foods and to cook, the importance of physical activities, and sometimes advocate for increased availability of exercise classes. To achieve this, health care providers can launch media campaigns, promoting healthy eating, reduced smoking, and increased excising. The health care providers need to partners with schools and engage workers in workshops to teach the need for a healthy diet and physical exercise.

Another solution to adopt is increased early detection of chronic disease. Austin health care should integrate culturally appropriate screening in all clinics, and the public should be educated on the risk factors and need for routine screening even without symptoms. The testing should also be readily available for all people despite economic status. The screening programs can be done door-to-door, in schools, in homes, shelters, and other public places. Websites can also b...