Introduction
The dynamic and increasingly complex modern healthcare sector demands the constant improvement of the main health issues. The program Healthy People 2020 is expected to become one of the main instruments to achieve the goal and attain significant improvement in different spheres like prevention, prophylactic, treatment, etc. In this regard, the objectives outlined by the program become landmarks that are used by healthcare specialists when assessing a certain issue and developing a plan of action to eliminate the problem.
Current state
As for Florida, it has always been one of the worst states if to consider epidemiological indicators. The peculiarities of the region, its population composition, the level of income, and unemployment rates result in the increased number of health issues that should be solved to improve the quality of life of community members. At the moment, the epidemiological situation is complex. First, the state suffers from a seasonal outbreak of influenza which affects a significant number of residents. Second, the problem of AIDS remains topical. Despite all attempts to improve the situation, Florida remains the leading state in new HIV infections (“Florida highlights,” n.d). Third, syphilis and other sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) threaten the population and deteriorate the genetic pool. For this reason, the need for efficient measures to respond to these challenges is obvious.
Influenza
Delving into the first health problem, the seasonal oscillations in several cases of influenza could be admitted. At the moment, Miami, Florida, suffers from another outbreak as 172 new cases have been reported since the beginning of the influenza season (“Influenza,” n.d). The majority of patients should be hospitalized as their symptoms are complex and might threaten their lives. Additionally, the character of the disease presupposes careful investigation of patients states to avoid complications. In such a way, influenza affects Florida and undermines the state of the health of its population. The data about new cases is collected among medical units and caregivers that provided their services to patients suffering from the disease. Additionally, the problem was identified using national surveys. Finally, data related to the appearance of new influenza cases are processed by different surveillance systems that are focused on the comprehensive investigation of the issue to provide the relevant statistics about the new outbreak.
Besides, influenza is one of the main health problems outlined by Health People 2020. There are several objectives related to it. These could also be applied to the state of Florida to improve the situation and prevent the further spread of the disease. First, it is crucial to increase immunization rates and reduce new cases of influenza. Immunization remains an efficient tool that could be used to protect people from the virus and reduce preventable infectious diseases (Cox, Izikson, Post, & Dunkle, 2015). For this reason, mass vaccination becomes one of the main objectives. Second, the respiratory health of residents should be improved through better prevention, treatment, and education (Healthy People, n.d). It means that a significant decrease in influenza rates could be achieved by efficient prophylactic work along with improved patients understanding of the main causes of the diseases development.
AIDS
The second significant health issue that affects the community is the current situation with AIDS. Unfortunately, Florida leads the US with HIV cases and there is a threatening tendency towards their further growth (“Florida highlights,” n.d.). It means that in future the problem will become even more complex in case the situation has not been improved. The latest statistics demonstrate that the number of people living with diagnosed HIV is 103,696 and 23% of them are diagnosed with AIDS (“Florida highlights,” n.d.). This healthcare issue is closely related to the social and economic development of the region and its population structure.
The tendency towards the high unemployment rates and the behavioral patterns peculiar to people living in different communities across Florida precondition the increased number of unprotected sexual intercourses, teen pregnancies, abortions, STDs, etc. The topicality of the problem is also evidenced by the fact that the period of cuts in AIDS is followed by another period of growth (“Florida highlights,” n.d.). Furthermore, numerous governmental organizations and agencies working in the healthcare sector collect the relevant statistics to prove the significant need for intervention and justify the focus on the problem of AIDS (Peterman, Newman, Maddox, Schmitt, & Shiver, 2014).
Nevertheless, Healthy People 2020 outlines the necessity of human immunodeficiency virus prevention by reducing new infections and HIV-related disparities. For this reason, Florida should act by these main objectives to diagnose people who suffer from AIDS and improve their quality of life. Statistics demonstrate that 91% of new HIV infections and AIDS cases come from people who do not realize their current health status and are not provided with an appropriate treatment (Peterman et al., 2014). For this reason, it becomes crucial to introduce a new pattern that will help to deliver care to vulnerable population groups and promote the overall improvement of their state. Finally, a structured approach to patients suffering from AIDS and HIV will help to decrease the probability of new infections.
Syphilis
The third challenge the healthcare sector in Florida faces nowadays is the high pace of syphilis spread. The problem is closely related to the previous one as it preconditioned by poor living conditions, high unemployment rates, wrong behavioral patterns peculiar to the people living in problematic areas, lack of information about condoms, etc. (“Syphilis,” n.d.) At the moment, it becomes a significant issue because of its impact on the structure of the population in Florida and extremely contagious character. Additionally, a pregnant mother could spread the disease to her child through the placenta which increases the number of cases and deteriorates the state of the problem (“Syphilis,” n.d.). Agencies responsible for data collection in the sphere of healthcare identify the problem and state that the rate of syphilis infections in all communities of Florida has risen faster than in other regions of the USA (Gray & Powles, 2013). In such a way, the situation in the state could be considered crucial as there are no signs of improvement. Under these conditions, the Healthy People 2020 objectives seem applicable to the given health issue.
To alter the situation and contain the disease, healthy sexual behaviors should be promoted. The given activity is crucial for Florida as a significant part of the population does not use condoms and precondition the further spread of the disease. At the same time, to prevent STDs and their complications, the increased access to care should be provided. The sober fact is that a significant number of patients are not able to get the needed treatment because of medical insurance issues, low incomes, poor living conditions, etc. That is why the outlined actions are crucial for the improvement of the situation.
Conclusion
Altogether, AIDS, influenza, and syphilis are the main health problems peculiar for Florida at the moment. Applying the main objectives of Healthy People 2020, it is possible to outline a specific set of actions that could help to improve the situation and decrease these diseases rates. However, it could be challenging in terms of the environment in which many patients suffering from illnesses live.
References
Cox, M., Izikson, R., Post, P., & Dunkle, L. (2015). Safety, efficacy, and immunogenicity of flublok in the prevention of seasonal influenza in adults. Therapeutic Advances in Vaccines, 3(4), 97-108. Web.
Florida highlights. (n.d.). Web.
Gray, T., & Powles, E. (2013). Understanding and managing syphilis. InnovAiT, 6(12), 781-789. Web.
Healthy People. (n.d.). Topics & objectives.
Influenza. (n.d.).
Peterman, T., Newman, D., Maddox, L., Schmitt, K., & Shiver, S. (2014). High risk for HIV following syphilis diagnosis among men in Florida, 2000–2011. Public Health Reports, 129(2), 164-169. Web.
Syphilis. (n.d.).