Not so long ago, Florida faced a great health issue connected with environmental pollution. The BP Deepwater Horizon was a drilling rig that exploded seven years ago. Even though the very event did not take place recently, its effects become totally understood only nowadays. Being located hundreds of miles from the explosion, Florida faced its adverse influences much later as the leak continued for months. Mainly, the population of Southwest Florida is affected, including those who live on the west coast of Louisiana.
In his article, Charles Digges emphasizes that the spilled oil was toxic. With the help of a nurse and a biologist, he investigated soil and revealed a change in color, which provided evidence to substantiate the cause of various health issues.
For instance, children were getting sick when they spent time on the beach, and their symptoms were identical to those of the cleanup workers who dealt with the spill when it happened. Unlike adults, they were more affected by this contamination and had respiratory and cardiac issues, rashes, and mental problems. What is more, some fishermen sell toxic products, which is also harmful to people’s health. The author describes the health effects of the oil spill using different examples and adds information shared by the Florida Department of Health for readers to understand the problem.
In the Miami-Date community, the homeless have an opportunity to contact various facilities that provide temporary accommodation and related services, like food, medicine, and clothes. What is more, there are separate facilities that assist children and single mothers, and unemployed individuals. Some of them are also made for particular populations, such as Nation’s veterans. The access to them is usually rather easy. The homeless can come to a facility themselves, but a lot of them are not willing to do so because of their personal beliefs or fears. Only within the Miami-Dade community, more than 100 individuals are self-reported homeless people.
The majority of them are adult African American males. However, it is possible to consider that the actual number is higher, and it includes various populations, such as women and children. As a rule, they lose their homes because of monetary issues, including unemployment or medical bills. Thus, the risk of becoming homeless is rather high. If I woke up with no job and no housing, I would definitely search for shelter and ask for assistance with employment. The homeless often have sanitation issues and chronic illnesses. Many are at risk of disability and substance abuse.
Health promotion in a rural population should be more targeted at the elderly because they tend to consult doctors rarely and have unhealthy habits, such as smoking. In addition to that, these areas have rather low crime rates and good air quality. However, their population is also often unemployed or has low income. Finally, it has poor access to healthcare services because of the medical staff lack. These issues are to be considered as the basis for health promotion activities. In urban areas, more attention should be paid to marginalized populations and psychological stressors. Environmental contamination also requires consideration. Lack of basic insurance and socioeconomic issues of minorities are to be discussed.
Health promotion is a process that provides the representatives of the general public with an opportunity to improve their health condition. It can include such activities as sexual education and free cancer screening, etc.