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Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs), stressful or traumatic events that a child experiences while growing up, are proven risk factors for future developmental, behavioral, and emotional distubances. For example, ACEs can impact an indiviual's lifespan, sustance abuse, high-risk sexual behavior, pregancy outcomes, and depression levels. Considering the drastic impact ACEs can have on a child's future, we believe it is imperative to increase protective factors against them and investigate how to mitigate their effects. These effort are driven by the goal of impairing the tragectory of negative outcomes ACEs induce in order to promote a safer future for children disadvantaged at a young age.
Health literacy is the degree to which individuals have the capacity to obtain, process, and understand basic health information and services needed to make appropriate health decisions. Young adults are among the most affected by low rates of health literacy. Increased health literacy can lead to fewer chronic health condtions, better lifestyle choices, and a more complete understanding of one's medical rights. My vision is one where people understand their health insurance and how to navigate it. And based on this understanding of their health insurance, they maintain a healthier lifestyle. It's a vision of a world where people understand their doctor or nurse when speaking to them and do not leave the hospital or office completely confused.
The West Virginia Partnership for Health Innovation (WVPHI) is a non-profit called for by the West Virginia State Innovation Model plan to catalyze health care improvement in West Virginia. WVPHI is available as a resource to assist Governor Jim Justice, the state legislature and state agencies—namely the Department of Health and Human Resources and PEIA—as they evaluate and develop policies for health care transformation. The mission of WVPHI is to assist the state, particularly, in moving it toward a health care system that is value-based. A value-based health care system is one where there is a commitment to achieving three key outcomes: better quality of care, lower overall costs and better population health outcomes.
Value-based health care is a key way to improve West Virginia's terrible population health status. Until the state's population health improves, West Virginia cannot hope to achieve economic diversity and vitality.
Persons experiencing homelessness often have poor access to healthcare and experience significant barriers to basic health management. While this occurs in a wide range of disease processes, this is most obvious is management of basic diseases such as wounds. Small abrasions and injuries are exacerbated by difficult living situations and lack of access to supplies. Patients experiencing homelessness who present to the hospital with significant wounds and/or infections are often discharged with minimal instructions or supplies to ensure maintenance of wound care.
By providing these patients with a basic backpack with wound care supplies as well as instructions for resources, wound care amongst this population could be significantly improved. Patients would not only have dry supplies to maintain healing but would also have a list of free clinics to visit for further healthcare. By allowing for proper wound healing outside of the hospital, patients would have less frequent admissions for severe infections which would ultimately benefit not only the patients but healthcare systems at large.
To educate the underserved populations in our communities about the various resources that are available to assist the survivors of sexual assault and trauma prior to the onset of harmful coping mechanisms, as well as, eliminate the chains of generational repetition that has a tendency to occur.
The flu is a common disease, affecting all ages, which can lead to serious illness and even death. Many people percieve the flu as something similar to a cold: It's not going to kill me. I'll be fine. I don't need my flu shot. Faces of the Flu allows people to tell their flu stories to show others how bad the disease can really be. Through this project, Faces of the Flu aims to increase the utilization of flu shots to prevent further morbidity and mortality from influenza.
Our goal is to create a society where an individual experiencing a mental health issue can be successful and thrive. We plan to achieve this by providing mental health education to the public creating a more understanding culture and reducing stigma. Working to collaborate and bring attention to the problems facing the mental health community. We hope to connect individuals who are suffering from a mental health problem with appropriate and effective treatment and support. We want to help the person while maintaining their independence, dignity and hope for recovery.
I believe that an interdisciplinary, multilevel intervention is essential for the transformation of health care from a system that is reactive and medically focused to one that is proactive and holistically based. Each of us fellows will have experience working at different levels of the health care systems, including the interpersonal, organizational, communal, and public policy. Multilevel change can be achieved by working together and building upon the strengths and expertise that my colleagues and I bring to the table.
Although many aspects of the social work and public health fields inspire me, I am especially passionate about helping the uninsured and underinsured understand how to utilize their health insurance and how to be consumer advocates for health care reform. According to the Pennsylvania Department of Health, Allegheny County has an uninsured rate of 9.9%. Individuals who are uninsured experience worse health outcomes than insured adults do. Studies repeatedly demonstrate that uninsured individuals are less likely to receive care for chronic diseases and health conditions (Kaiser Family Foundation, 2016). Moreover, many individuals are not aware of how to access available health care or what benefits they are due once they have health insurance.
As an individual who has social capital, I often find the health care system complex and arduous to comprehend. Therefore, I care deeply about empowering those who need health care and who lack the knowledge that will allow them to successfully maneuver through the intricacies of the health care system. While I recognize that existing organizations already address this population and their needs, I hope that the interdisciplinary approach endorsed by the Salk Fellowship will build upon and expand the current work being done. In addition, current policies are looking to undermine and spread misinformation about the United States’ health care system (“The Same Agency That Runs Obamacare Is Using Taxpayer Money to Undermine It,” New York Times, 2017). Therefore, it is imperative that health care activists work together to thwart policies that undermine and confuse health care consumers.
Your voice matters and understanding how the health care system works can help you become a better advocate.