HC 465 Week 4 Discussion

HC 465 Week 4 Discussion | Park University | Assignment Help 

 Week 4 Discussion Ans

Organized public health began in local seaport communities, then gradually expanded to state and federal government agencies. The United States utilizes a very intricate combination of local, state, and federal government public health along with agencies to accomplish the public sector’s responsibilities to the American public. The United States has one of the most complex set of relationships between different levels of government than any other country in the world. There are three elements in the public sector: local, state, and federal government.  In the state government, there are 55 state health agencies. For the local government health agencies, local health departments are the font line of public health services in the United States. Though the state and local governments have a more formal and official responsibilities placed on them to carry out. The federal government has greater financial resources and power to make implementations of laws and regulations throughout the United States.

 

Citation:

Williams, S. J., & Torrens, P. R. (2008). Introduction to health services. Clifton Park, NY: Thomson Delmar Learning.

 

Ans 2

In comparison to other countries in the world, the U.S. has one of the most complex sets of relationships between different levels of government. The structure of organized health in the United States uses a very intricate combination of local, state, and federal government public health agencies to accomplish the public sector’s responsibilities to the American public. 

Local heath departments are at the front line of public health services. It is here that policies and strategies decided upon by the federal and state public health agencies must be carried out. It is also where the stress of meeting public health challenges is greatest and where deficiencies or shortfalls are most visible and obvious. Local health departments carry out their activities under the authority delegated by either their state or their local jurisdictions. There are six basic functions of a local health department: Vital statistics, communicable disease control, sanitation, laboratory services, maternal and child health services, and health education of the public. 

States are the principal governmental entity responsible for protecting the public’s health in the United States. There are 55 state health agencies in the United States. Regardless of organization arrangement, there are also six general functions: Collect and analyze health statistics, provide general education to the public on matter of public health importance, maintain state laboratories and conduct certain specialized tests, grant licenses to health care professionals and monitor and inspect performance of personnel lastly, establish general policy to local government public health units and provide financial support as needed. 

Although local and state governments actually have more formal and official responsibilities placed upon them to carry out public health functions than does the federal government, the federal government has the greatest financial resources and power to implement of laws and regulations throughout the country.The federal government’s activities in public health in the United States are carried out through the Department of Health and Human Services. There are eight primary functions of the federal Department of Health and Human Services: Documenting health status and health situation, sponsor research in both basic and applies sciences, formulate national objectives and policy, set standards for performance of services and protection of the public, provide financial assistance to state and local governments to carry out programs, ensure that personnel, facilities and other resources are available to carry out national policies, ensure public access to health care services, and providing limited direct services to certain subgroups of the population. 

Williams, S. J., & Torrens, P. R. (2008). Introduction to health services. Clifton Park, NY: Thomson Delmar Learning.

 

Replies:-

(1)

Great post I always enjoy reading your discussions I really liked how you were so detailed about the issues with the local health department and the basic functions in the health department I definitely agree with you there have been a lot of issues with the health department overall great job!!

(2)

The U.S health system is definitely extremely complex, but Im not sure as to how well the structure actually works with these levels. I would actually call it disorganized chaos as opposed to coordinated chaos. A quick internet search shows It's a trillion dollar a year industry that accounts for over 18% of the GDP making it larger than countries like Italy. All the while, it continues to grow in size and complexity which complicates the long-standing problems of increasing costs, limited consumer access and not to mention inconsistent quality. I personally see all these "levels" more as smoke and mirrors and with all the money the industry as a whole generates, I don't see much incentive for anyone to want to fix it.   

 

 

 

(3)

I would echo your comments as to the organized chaos that is our health system. As you stated we spend so much more than most countries on health care (as compared to percent GDP) but we still have so many problems and costs we cannot control. As a personal example I recently accepted a job promotion with a 30% pay increase which was fantastic! However once I reviewed the benefits package compared to my previous employer it was going to consume about 20% of the 30 percent increase I received. My health care costs doubled! It seems to me that there has to be a better way for Americans to acquire health care and be able to afford it.

 

Ans 3

1.      Describe and discuss the structure of organized public health in the United States.

The United States uses local, state and federal government public health agencies to accomplish the public sector’s responsibilities to the American public. The United States have one of the most complex set of relationships between the different levels of government of any country in the world. It’s important to understand how each of the three elements work and how the relationships work between them. Local health departments are the front line of public health services in the United States. Local Health departments carry out their activities under the authority delegated by either their state or their local jurisdictions. Local public health departments are in charge of vital statistics, communicable disease control and environmental sanitation. States are the principal governmental entity responsible for protecting the public’s health in the US. There are 55 state health agencies in the US. Each state agency is directed by a health commissioner or a secretary of health. Each agency also has a state health officer who is the top public health medical authority in the state. Last, the federal government’s activities in public health are carried out through the Department of Health and Human Services. It is a cabinet-level department in the federal government. Each one varies from Congress to Congress and President to President, but there is one characteristic that is constant. The Department of Health and Human Services is composed of a series of separate superagencies that have somewhat little interaction with each other and different specialized constituencies, both public and professional.

Williams, S. J., & Torrens, P. R. (2008). Introduction to health services. Clifton Park, NY: Thomson Delmar Learning.

 

 

 

Ans 4

Describe and discuss the structure of organized public health in the United States.  

Local, state and federal government health organizations are used to achieve different categories who have responsibilities to the public Americans. There are relationships in the U.S. that show the government levels that involve social and political values. There are three functions that the government have a role in public health. The three functions are assessment, policy development and assurance. These functions ensured resources, conditions and identification of health problems.  

Assessment involved identifying, collecting and interpretation of data, reasons for problems and evaluation of different events. Assessment is a public function because of the formation of policy and would get relevant information based on objective and neutral factors.  

Policy development handles conflict at their best ability to achieve their goals. For this function to be carried out as optimal, the health agency had to have technical knowledge and professional competence.   

Assurance function assured that goals were reacted by necessary services. Social authority was essential for the assurance function to work.  

Three components of the public sector are the local, state, and federal government efforts.  

Federal government public health activities had greater financial resources and power to apply laws and regulations. Activities that took place at the Department of Health and Human Services had two subdivisions; health activities and human services. Human services involved administration and aging and social security administration. Health services involved center for disease control and prevention, food and drug administration, health resources and services, alcohol/drug abuse, mental health administration, Medicare and Medicaid. There are eight primary functions of the federal department of health and human services involving public health: documenting the status of health and health situations in the U.S. through collecting and examination of numerical data, promoting research in necessary and related sciences, developing objectives and guidelines, enforcing requirements for execution and services and safety of the public, giving assistance financially to state and local governments to fulfill programs, ensuring availability of people, accommodation, and technical resources to achieve rules and goals for development programs and training, Ensured health insurance programs had access to public health care services and providing only services directly to subgroups in the population.  

State government protects the public's health in the United States. The state carries out its responsibility by enforcing the law to promote health and safety. In the United States there are 55 state health organizations that are required to have a licensed physician. Functions of the health agencies in the U.S. include: collecting and analyze health statistics to determine the health status and general health situation of the public, provide general education to the public on matter of public health importance, maintain state laboratories to conduct certain specialized tests that are required by state public health law, establish and police public health standards for the state as a whole, grant licenses to health care professionals and institutions throughout the state and monitor and inspect the performance of personnel and institutions as appropriate, establish general policy for local government public health units and provide them with financial support as may be appropriate. 

Local government policies and strategies decisions are made by federal and state health agencies. One third of the health agencies have responsibilities to government and state health agencies. Funds from the federal or state is what the public health authority depends on. There are six key functions of health departments: vital statistics, communicable disease control, sanitation, laboratory services, maternal and child health services including supervision of the health of children in schools and health education of the public. The function of the public health can be described as quick, original, efficient and personal. 

Williams, Stephen. J. and Torrens, Paul. R. (2008). Introduction to Health Services, Clifton Park, NY, Thomson Delmar Learning

 

Ans 5

Describe and discuss the structure of organized public health in the United States. 

The combination of local, state and the federal governments within the United States all contribute to the efforts to take care of the American public and their heath statuses. Three of the actions taken by the government in order to assure for the public health of the country is assessment, policy development and assurance. Through these activities, the government can discover certain aspects of healthcare in a given area, including identifying the needs of individuals in a certain group, if there is a community diagnosis to be made, and conduct any research necessary. The assessment of these governments should be full and extensive in order to accurately measure a problem a community is having, ways to solve any problems, and possible alternative solutions when the ideal solution is not plausible (Williams, S. J. & Torrens, P., 149).  

 

 

 

The Federal Government has the most powerful role in the United States public health system because of their extensive resources mostly due to the creation of the Federal Income Tax in 1913. Through the Department of Health and Human Services, smaller agencies within this organization help to work with public policy and the American people in order to establish a functional healthcare system. Unfortunately, the overall relationship of each agency within the DHHS is very limited and the institution is not efficiently organized and each agency has it's own agenda. Overall, the two larger subdivisions of the DHHS are related to health activities and human services activities (Williams, S. J. & Torrens, P., 151).

The United States has 55 state governments; 50 for each of the states, and District of Columbia, Guam, Puerto Rico, American Samoa, and the US Virgin Islands for the remaining 5. Each state falls under the direction of a health commissioner or secretary of health, has a licensed physician acting as the state's health officer, and may of the states have a governing state board in place to approve policies and review the way the state's funding is being allocated. The states that do not have a board in place do not operate with the same administrative oversight. As compared to federal agencies, the state administrative agencies are much more compact and organized. Some of the major functions of the state governments include the analyzation of health data, maintain state medical facilities, and establish financial support policy for healthcare (Williams, S. J. & Torrens, P., 152).

Within the local government, the policies decided on and put in place by the state and federal government are acted on. If there are shortfalls or issues in the public policies that are enacted, they become most apparent here.Some local governments may be in charge of only one county, while other organizations are in charge of multiple municipalities. These organizations respond to the area mayor or supervisor, or a collection of board members. The local government is dependent on the perspective state government for half of it's overall funding. Because of this, the local government must constantly report activities and findings to state and local government in order to continue to function properly. Some of the activities carried out by the local government include the measuring and reporting of vital statistics, maintenance of communicable disease control, and overall health education to the surrounding public (Williams, S. J. & Torrens, P., 153).  

 

References

Williams, S. J. & Torrens, P. (2008). Introduction to Health Services, 7th Edition. [Vitalsource]. Retrieved from https://bookshelf.vitalsource.com/#/books/9781305850354/