Community Resources
The findings presented in the report are based on the information retrieved from a diverse range of sources. The primary destination of the inquiry was the information databases of the local, state, and federal scope. The most relevant community resource is the Miami Matters database, an intelligence platform designed to communicate the indicators of the community’s quality of life to its visitors in a meaningful and concise format. The resource is also valuable for the connection between the trends observed in the community and the recommended practices for community improvement. Also, several organizations were consulted that focused on pursuing wellness objectives on the local level, such as Florida Agency for Health Care Administration, Florida Community Health Assessment Resource Tool Set, and Florida Department of Children and Families.
Strengths and Concerns
The Miami community’s overview resulted in the identification of several strengths contributing to the improvement in the field of public health. The most apparent improvement is in the domain of obesity reduction and is observable on the organizational, infrastructural, social, and economic levels. For instance, a growing number of childcare programs and involved organizations adopt the dietary approaches developed in cooperation with registered dieticians (Florida Health, n.d.). The community design philosophy encourages an active lifestyle by providing a safer environment for pedestrians and cyclists through the Urban Design Manual (Urban Land Institute, 2014).
Currently, the community contains more than two hundred bicycle racks for safer and more convenient travel. The schools demonstrate a successful adoption of and adherence to Sports, Play, and Active Recreation for Kids (SPARK) curriculum that supports healthy behaviors in schoolchildren and promotes an active lifestyle. The community’s birthing centers also display a strong commitment to the cause by implementing policies and strategies promoting breastfeeding. Finally, the childcare centers’ staff participates in an ongoing training campaign intended to educate on and advocate for an active lifestyle, healthy dietary choices, and screening standards.
However, several concerns could also be identified in the community. Specifically, a significant proportion of the community members do not receive seasonal vaccinations, which undermines the herd immunity and places the healthy population segment under additional risk (Florida Health, 2015). Also, the local population has uneven health insurance coverage, which can be interpreted as a sign of inadequate health care. The high percentage of the population living below the poverty threshold further aggravates the mattes (Florida Health, 2015). Finally, the healthcare domain in the area displays notable gaps in both staffing and financing, limiting their capacity for adequate care delivery to the population (Florida Health, 2015).
Barriers to Community Health Plans Implementation
The most apparent barriers to implementing community health plans are insufficient resource availability, unfavorable socioeconomic state of the local population, and the gaps in health awareness among the population. The first barrier translates into the difficulty of satisfying the needs of the visitors of the local providers’ clients. The second barrier restricts the patients’ options in need of medical intervention to the most basic options and excluding some of the more complex and expensive treatments entirely. Finally, the lack of awareness prevents the population from seeking care and engaging in healthy behaviors.
Admittedly, the first barrier is difficult to address on a local level without support from federal authorities. However, health education and health awareness of the population can be improved through local organizations. For instance, it would be beneficial to organize a series of events explaining the benefits of seasonal vaccinations from the community (rather than individual) perspective. It would also be reasonable to integrate the advocacy of a healthy lifestyle using available assets such as bicycle racks. In this way, a greater degree of alignment can be achieved between the community organizations’ and activist groups’ goals and the interests of the local citizens.
References
Florida Health. (2015). County health status summary profile – 2015.
Florida Health. (n.d.). Child care food program.
Urban Land Intitute. (2014). Building a healthier Florida. Web.