Within the Discussion Board area, write 300–500 words that respond to the following questions with your thoughts, ideas, and comments. This will be the foundation for future discussions by your classmates. Be substantive and clear and use examples to reinforce your ideas.
For the past 10 years, Helping Hands Hospital and the two nearby academic medical hospitals have been doing a great job of serving the population; however, the population is increasing in diversity and expanding into rural locations. These changes have sparked a concern about the ability of individuals to access care. Access to care is a determinant of health, but there are numerous barriers to access. There is an upcoming orientation for new staff, and you have been asked to address the access to care concern. Please include the following:
*Discuss 2 barriers to accessible health care in your own community.
*Give an example of something a hospital could do to improve access to care for your community.
* I live in Orange County, California
Healthcare Industry
Student’s Name
Institutional Affiliations
Healthcare Industry
Healthcare access is a key determinant of health that every medical facility should aim to address. Some of the challenges that health organizations face as they strive to enhance access to care for the community are the increasing diversity and the expansion of populations to rural areas (Cacari et al., 2021; Austin & Wetle, 2016). Helping Hands Hospital is currently experiencing these challenges as members of the community in rural areas have limited ability to access owing to the massive expansion and increasing diversity. In order to identify the best strategies to increase healthcare access to populations, healthcare organizations should begin by locating the barriers that might be hampering the observed access (Assefa et al., 2021). This assignment will discuss barriers to accessing health care in Orange County, California
Barriers to Accessible Health Care in Orange County California
A number of barriers are preventing Orange County residents, especially those in the rural areas, from accessing healthcare. For example, there are few health centers in the community and this is preventing residents from reaching out for care in the few facilities that are dispersed within the county. Many people who live in rural areas in Orange County are compelled to skip care because they cannot travel long distances to receive care. Graves et al. (2022) conducted a study to establish the specific barriers to healthcare access in rural areas. In this study, participants who reside in rural area admitted to traveling long distances in order to access health care. The lack of finances and poor roads discourage many from traveling long distances to receive care.
The other barrier that is affecting healthcare access in Orange County is language barrier. Non-English-speaking residents have expressed concern regarding the lack of support that they often get from healthcare facilities. Effective communication is a key component of care because it supports the formation of a positive therapeutic relationship between the patient and the healthcare provider (Shamsi et al., 2020). The population of Orange County comprises people from different cultures and backgrounds. Some of these residents cannot speak and do not understand the English language that is used by healthcare providers in healthcare facilities. Al Shamsi et al. (2020) reported that language barrier prevents effective communication between patients and their healthcare providers. It also increases the risks of developing adverse events among the persons experiencing language barrier. In the absence of a translator, the non-English-speaking residents in Orange County California find it challenging to express their health problems to their healthcare providers, a factor that prevents them from receiving patient-centered care.
Improving Access to Care in the Community
Hospitals in Orange County should work together to improve healthcare access in the community. For instance, they should use mobile clinics to increase populations’ access to care. Graves et al. (2022) recommend that it is important to address both system-level and individual-level barriers in order to improve healthcare access to rural populations. The use of mobile clinics is a system-level barrier aimed at addressing the lack of sufficient healthcare organizations in the community. Through these clinics, hospitals will be able to reach residents close to their homes. In this manner, they will not have to travel long distances to access care.
Conclusion
Healthcare access is one of the problems that are preventing residents of Orange County from attaining positive health outcomes. The two barriers to accessible health in Orange County California are the limited number of healthcare facilities in rural areas and the language barrier. Hospitals in Orange County can use mobile clinics to increase healthcare access to rural residents.
Al Shamsi, H., Almutairi, A. G., Al Mashrafi, S., & Al Kalbani, T. (2020). Implications of language barriers for healthcare: a systematic review. Oman Medical Journal, 35(2), e122. https://doi.org/10.5001/omj.2020.40
Assefa, N., Sié, A., Wang, D., Korte, M. L., Hemler, E. C., Abdullahi, Y. Y., Lankoande, B., Millogo, O., Chukwu, A., Workneh, F., Kanki, P., Baernighausen, T., Berhane, Y., Fawzi, W. W., & Oduola, A. (2021). Reported barriers to healthcare access and service disruptions caused by COVID-19 in Burkina Faso, Ethiopia, and Nigeria: A telephone survey. The American Journal of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene, 105(2), 323–330. https://doi.org/10.4269/ajtmh.20-1619
Austin, A., & Wetle, V. (2016). The United States Health Care System (3rd Edition). Pearson Education (US). https://coloradotech.vitalsource.com/books/9780134297927.
Cacari, S., L., Roary, M. C., Diana, A., & Grady, P. A. (2021). State health disparities research in Rural America: Gaps and future directions in an era of COVID-19. The Journal of Rural Health: Official Journal of the American Rural Health Association and the National Rural Health Care Association, 37(3), 460–466. https://doi.org/10.1111/jrh.12562
Graves, J. M., Abshire, D. A., & Alejandro, A. G. (2022). System- and individual-level barriers to accessing medical care services across the rural-urban spectrum, Washington State. Health Services Insights, 15, 11786329221104667. https://doi.org/10.1177/11786329221104667
Rossel, C. (2021). Press release: Overcoming the barriers to healthcare access. https://familiestogetheroc.org/press-release-overcoming-the-barriers-to-healthcare-access