Paper Example on Health Facilities in South Carolina

Introduction

This windshield survey was taken in a South Carolina neighborhood to investigate the different challenges and opportunities facing healthcare in the area among other objectives. There are several health facilities in South Carolina, with the Tuomey Healthcare System being one of the main systems practiced. The Tuomey health facility was noted to be functioning optimally and patients were streaming in and out. In the health facility, however, some services seemed to slack due to a lack of equipment or other reasons. There are smaller health-related organizations in the area that are operated by humanitarians and religious groups such as the Salvation Army that mainly target assisting the homeless and the needy. These groups also include the Anmed emergency center, the Haven of Rest for homeless men and a kitchen soup whose identity was not clearly identified.

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One evident issue in South Carolina is the high rate of poverty. Most families lived in simple houses and lived simple lives. The number of homeless on the streets was also noted to be significant. Driving around, it was noted that there were several abandoned buildings which used to house retail businesses and industries. Neighborhoods like Anderson had most of the housing units appearing to be poorly maintained, with several exceptions in the surrounding. In general, there is a significant number of low-earners, unemployed and homeless people in the State.

Many African Americans and Hispanics were noted be living in the poor sections of the state. In these regions, amenities such as hospitals and other health facilities seemed to be less used. High poverty instances make access to medical programs an uphill task for many inhabitants. There were several fast food joints with locals frequenting them. At the same time, several people were either obese or seemed to have weight problems. This indicates that poor dieting and bad feeding habits are features of this neighborhood. Several convenience stores and liquor stores were also noted.

The towns and communities in South Carolina grapple with several public health and environmental health problems. Industrial emissions are one of them. South Carolina is home to some industries in domains such as aerospace, agribusiness, and technology. Some of these companies include International Paper, kraft Heinz, McCall Farms, Starbucks, Tyson, Merl's Shoppe Inc, Kimberly-Clark Corporation, Pactiv Corporation and Columbia Farms among others. Emissions from these industries act as a critical air pollutant. It was noted that the industries also release industrial waste into the environment which may end up having public health consequences. Being an agriculture-intensive state, South Carolina has seen a lot of investment in agriculture by different companies. Agricultural wastes and associated pollution from these farms, however, is a problem as these wastes end up in the environment. In addition to that, the State also has a nuclear reactor site that also poses public health concerns. These health hazards and risk factors remain may have a direct effect on the quality of health of South Carolina residents. Evidence of poorly disposed of wastes was also noted, with several overflowing waste bins in several parts of the city.

Facilities like Palmetto Health Organization give a critical opportunity for the residents to access health services. In asking around, it was noted that a majority of the residents, especially those from poor homes, did not have health insurance. Their access to the government-sponsored Medicare and Medicaid programs is reduced hence their overall ability to access quality healthcare is jeopardized. Disparities in healthcare were noted. The poor neighborhoods were underserved with medical services while the few affluent neighborhoods seemed to have better services. Apart from the Palmetto Health organization and the Tuomey Healthcare center, the region is generally underserved by hospitals and general health facilities which further hampers access to healthcare. The health facilities in place seemed pressured and underfunded as evidenced by long queues and general inefficiency. A talk with one of the hospital workers reveals that the health facilities were struggling to cope up with pressure coming in due to the low funding advanced to them by the government and the largely low purchasing power of the natives.

From general observation, some of the core health challenges beleaguering the people living here include substance abuse, high obesity instances, generally poor nutrition and high cholesterol among others. There is a generally high smoking rate among South Carolina, and this predisposes them to conditions such as cardiovascular infections that are prevalent. As mentioned above, the immediate environment plays a critical role in being a risk factor for these health challenges.

Conclusion

In conclusion, it can be noted that South Carolina is a growing state that is facing its fair share of challenges. Good attention to the critical public health issues seen in this windshield survey is fundamental to ensuring improved access to health as well as protection of individual health from the environmental risk factors. Aspects such as increased funding and policy development are fundamental to alleviating some of these concerns.

References

Collins, S., & Kevin, B. (2013). The opportunity for health plans to improve quality and reduce costs by embracing primary care medical homes. American health & drug benefits, 6(1), 30.

Mayo, R. M., Griffin, S. F., Pribonic, A. P., & Rollins, M. L. (2016). The Reality of the Affordable Care Act Implementation among the Chronically Uninsured: A Qualitative Study. Diversity & Equality in Health and Care, 13(3).

SC Community Loan Fund (2013). Rural South Carolina Faces Unprecedented Challenges. SC Community Loan Fund. SC Community Loan Fund. Retrieved 15 June 2018, from http://sccommunityloanfund.org/blog/2013/12/04/rural-south-carolina-faces-unprecedented-challenges/