Thorough identification of particular health needs of a community is one of the essential elements of community health improvement by means of healthcare organizations that is capable of benefiting the whole nation. Demographics of the state of Florida are characterized by a significant number of Hispanic/Latino residents. According to the United States Census Bureau (n. d.), Latino residents constitute the most numerous minority population in Florida, where there are 5,015,015 Hispanic or Latino residents out of 21,299,325 Floridians. As the assessment shows, this population is vulnerable in terms of healthcare services access and the quality of health.
The health needs of the designated community were identified upon the completion of a thorough assessment, which showed the acute level of alcohol consumption by young Hispanics due to the challenges of acculturative stress, underemployment, underinsurance, and poverty. According to Ertl Dillon, Martin, Babino, and De La Rosa (2018), the majority of young Latino women and men have mental issues on the basis of migration difficulties, such as depressive disorders and anxiety. The physical health problems that result from alcohol abuse include irresponsible sexual behavior causing HVI and STDs, heart diseases, diabetes, and cancer (Central Florida Community Benefit Collaboration, 2016). Such statistics call for immediate action to mitigate adverse health outcomes and promote a healthy lifestyle.
The severity of the problem implies the need for immediate actions from the side of all responsible stakeholders. Among the helpful interventions, there is collaborative work of local health departments and hospitals within specifically developed programs (Beatty, Wilson, Ciecior, & Stringer, 2015). Well-planned interventions aimed at the elimination of health illiteracy and the promotion of the importance of seeking medical help at specialized facilities must be prioritized (Schifferdecker et al., 2016).
The programs initiating treatment and prevention of such chronic illnesses like diabetes, heart diseases, or cancer should be carried out by joint efforts of hospitals and community-based organizations (Rabarison, Timsina, & Mays, 2015). For educational and promotional purposes, special community meetings, personal communication with professionals, and promotional information publication must be initiated.
Since the identified group represents an ethnic minority, it is vital to apply culturally sensitive methods of health promotion and treatment in accordance with the National CLAS Standards (Office of Minority Health, 2016). Spanish-speaking professionals, as well as volunteers and specialists of Latino origin, should be attracted to work with the community to facilitate a culture-specific environment. The services of translators must be provided when needed as per national standards.
The stakeholders involved in the resolution of the issue might follow the example of successfully performing organizations, one of which is the Hispanic Health Initiatives organization. In the course of assessment, it has been found that the administration of the entity employs volunteers with specific knowledge of the Spanish language and the cultural background of the served population to meet their requirements properly. The interventions beneficial for young Hispanics might include such as
The anticipated outcomes of the extensive work with the population include lowering of mortality, higher living standards, better health quality, increased level of consultations with community healthcare workers, and overall better condition of community health. Due to the fact that the Hispanic community the biggest and the youngest of all minorities not only in Florida but in the whole US, it is vital to resolve their specific health problems out of epidemiological considerations (Pérez & Luquis, 2014). Thus, the researched methods of influence and available interventions show a high level of probability to change the current situation.
References
Beatty, K. E., Wilson, K. D., Ciecior, A., & Stringer, L. (2015). Collaboration among Missouri nonprofit hospitals and local health departments: Content analysis of community health needs assessments. American Journal of Public Health, 105(S2), S337–S344.
Central Florida Community Benefit Collaboration. (2016). Community health needs assessment: 2016 report.
Ertl, M. M., Dillon, F. R., Martin, J. L., Babino, R., & De La Rosa, M. (2018). Alcohol use exacerbates acculturative stress among recently immigrated, young adult Latinas. Journal of Immigrant and Minority Health, 20, 594-602.
Office of Minority Health. (2016). The national CLAS standards. Web.
Pérez, M. A., & Luquis, R. R. (Eds.). (2014). Cultural competence in health education and health promotion (2nd ed.). San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.
Rabarison, K. M., Timsina, L., & Mays, G. P. (2015). Community health assessment and improved public health decision-making: A propensity score matching approach. American Journal of Public Health, 105(12), 2526–2533.
Schifferdecker, K. E., Bazos, D. A., Sutherland, K. A., LaFave, L. R. A., Ruggles, L., Fedrizzi, R., & Hoebeke, J. (2016). A review of tools to assist hospitals in meeting community health assessment and implementation strategy requirements. Journal of Healthcare Management, 61(1), 44–57.
United States Census Bureau. (n.d.). Florida. Web.