Gaps in Service
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Gaps in Services 6th paper
Write a 2-3 page (not including title and reference) paper in 6th edition APA format. Investigate different agencies in your community. Identify 3 gaps or overlaps in services provided to vulnerable groups in your own community. How could you deal with these gaps and overlaps to help clients receive needed services? What should be done to improve the system?
My community is PG county. in Maryland
SAMPLE ANSWER
Gaps in Service
There are several agencies in Prince George’s County that aim at promoting health care delivery to the residents. Some of the agencies offer home-based care while others provide hospitalized care. Senior Health Insurance Program is among the agencies that facilitate medical insurance among the old and the disabled persons in Prince Georges (Prince George’s County, 2013). The agency counsels the groups concerning the best insurance policies and modes to take. The program reaches vulnerable groups through trained volunteers. The personnel addresses policy such as Medicare, Medicaid, HMO Plans, MEDIGAP, and other long-term insurance covers (Prince George’s County, 2013). Family Care Giver Program also serves the aged in the county by educating their attendants. The agency advises caregivers so that they can make sound decisions concerning the services they provide to the elderly (Prince George’s County, 2013). In addition, the institution promotes independent living among elderly patients by advising caregivers on the benefits of allowing patients a chance to solve their problems. The agency also assists caregivers in providing quality services by giving them the information necessary (Prince George’s County, 2013).
Vulnerable groups in Prince Georges County often receive substandard care following gaps in service accessibility. Most of the people within the groups cannot afford high-quality care such as having one’s personal doctor. There is a general shortage of trained healthcare personnel and securing a personal physician is a hard task for the disabled, aged, the poor, and other vulnerable populations (School of Public Health, 2012, Pg. 16). The groups end up not prioritizing on the standard of care but just its availability. They are often unable to reach for services of a high standard, and they get significant predisposition to care that is of poor quality.
There is also a gap in the level of health literacy among vulnerable groups in Prince George’s County. A significant portion of the disadvantaged groups, including the aged, the disabled, and the minority ethnicities cannot understand their health status, especially when in written medical records (School of Public Health, 2012, Pg. 15). Language barrier also hinders care provision and education when people from the vulnerable populations fail to communicate efficiently with healthcare professionals (School of Public Health, 2012, Pg. 16).
Vulnerable groups also lack access to technological advancement. They often lack information concerning innovations and the availability of unique and improved services. As such, there are fewer improvements in health outcomes among the populations.
So as to close the gaps and eliminate the disparities, stakeholders should implement strategic measures. They should focus on educating more health care personnel so that residents would have access to quality care. By increasing the number of medical graduates, for instance, stakeholders would increase chances of the residents and the vulnerable groups accessing personal doctors. Also, there should be strategies to overcome the limitations of health illiteracy among vulnerable populations. For instance, stakeholders can set up interpreter programs and offer materials that educate people about their health (School of Public Health, Pg. 16). Such a move would overcome the limitations of the language barrier and health illiteracy. Marketing innovations would also be an appropriate move in informing residents on the availability of improved services.
So as to improve the healthcare system in the county, there should be the establishment of a medical center affiliated with an academic institution. Such a center would anchor the transformation process. It should create strong connections with the community for optimal outcomes (School of Public Health, 2012, Pg. 20).
References
Prince George’s County. (2013). Information and assistance. Retrieved from https://www.princegeorgescountymd.gov/sites/Family/Services/OlderAdultServices/InformationAssistance/Pages/default.aspx
School of Public Health. (2012). Introduction to the Public Health Impact Study of Prince George’s County. University of Maryland. Retrieved from https://sph.umd.edu/sites/default/files/files/TransformingHealth.pdf
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