The people of the Greater Houston area are diverse, and due to their wellness condition, a more detailed approach may be necessary to understand the health of the population of the Greater Houston area, considering the factors contributing to health conditions (Carte et al., 2022). The article explains community indicators of health in Houston, public health and nurses’ responsibilities, key influences on health, and Initiating Support for National Health Policies.
Community Indicators of Health and Wellness in Houston
The health of the Greater Houston region is the most important consideration among the indicators relevant to such a community analysis. These factors show the community’s health compared to other communities and the effectiveness of these interventions. Socio-economic and healthcare aspects are essential in any society; for example, the number of healthcare facilities per capita, the prevalence of health insurance coverage, and the ease of access to medical services indicate the wellness of the Houston community (Bodenreider et al., 2019). Health outcomes are a complete index of a population’s health status in Houston.
It indicates death rates, prognosis, occurrence of chronic diseases, and hospitalization rates. However, the other social determinants of health in Houston are the standard of living, education level, housing quality, and availability of healthy food. This is important in molding the community’s health and welfare. For instance, substance abuse, mental health problems, smoking, and physical activity are behaviors that can be detected from the health indicators of that community and the health impact it exposes (National Academies of Sciences et al., 2021). There are also environmental quality indicators, including air and water quality, exposure to pollutants, and the availability of green spaces, all of which indicate the idea of what ecological factors determine the health of the Greater Houston area residents.
Community and Public Health Nurses’ Responsibilities
The community and public health nurses are the sole determinants of health promotion and prevention for Houston’s injured and ill. Additionally, their tasks move from curing diseases to narrowing down health gaps. The nurses of the community health team gather complete information about the health needs, threats, and resources of the study area. This allows them to create individualized yet effective preventive and treatment programs. They are grouped as having multidisciplinary humans and community stakeholders (National Academies of Sciences et al., 2021). They apply and implement evidence-based interventions to meet the health needs of diverse groups in a particular community.
In contrast, community and public health nurses offer education and guidance to empower individuals and communities that may adopt a healthy way of life. In this role as a nurse, my next imperative task will be advocacy. Advocacy means shaping policies and dedicating resources to social determinants and health equity (National Academies of Sciences et al., 2021). Nurses operating in the community and the public health sector contribute to developing a healthier and better Houston region by fostering partnerships, using given resources, and promoting policy amendments.
Key Influences on Health And Wellness In The Greater Houston Area.
The major detrimental factors are the high degree of regional heterogeneity and a significant inequity in social and financial status, which are the obstacles to equal health care and education rights that consequently and unfairly create health disparities within communities. Those major problems in the health of the Houston area are related to the climate and environment as subtropical weather is settled, and the rise in the number of chronic diseases and respiratory complications characterizes environmental pollution (Flores et al., 2020). Additionally, the city and associated transport patterns contribute to the condition of people by making urbanization much faster, leading to an increase in sedentary lifestyles, traffic-related injuries, and possibly hunger.
If the disparities deteriorate, the unequal distribution of healthcare facilities is another factor through which healthcare infrastructure would need improvement in some areas. There are shortages of healthcare providers in underserved communities. Moreover, the region’s tropical nature makes it susceptible to various natural disasters like hurricanes, which calls for disaster management and resilience-building programs to manage the health impact of such events (Adepoju et al., 2021).
Initiating Support for National Health Policies Amid Fiscal Constraints
Community and public health nurses are essential in caring for populations, families, and individuals to prevent illness and injury. Nurses are vital in this community health maintenance. These organizations’ roles in health promotions involve appraising community health requirements, setting up targeted interventions, making education and counseling available, acting as advocates, putting in efforts to sustain policy changes, and collaborating with partners to attain better health outcomes (Adepoju et al., 2019). These professionals use their skills and experiences to empower their community, which is becoming healthier
In conclusion, to meet the goal of having equal health outcomes and wellness improvements in the metropolitan area of Greater Houston, the group of leaders from the community, physicians, and political leaders should come together and work as a team. Firstly, nurses should prioritize health equity and draw community involvement to spot and ensure equity. Further, they can mobilize resources and formulate interventions to ensure that everyone can access healthcare as required and, therefore, can record the desired health outcomes. In this regard, strategies comprise advocacy, innovations, and strategic partnerships, which can help ultimately realize the vision of a society in the Greater Houston area where each citizen is empowered and able to enjoy healthy and solid craftsmanship irrespective of ethnicity or socio-economic background. Creating health equity and improving the well-being in the Greater Houston area should be the role of the community and the leaders, and they should work together to innovate and advocate. Using collaborative alliances and community involvement, nurses can spearhead the positive transformation, entailing fair healthcare delivery to all the residents regardless of their ethnicity and social status and, consequently, a healthier future for everyone and more resilience.
References
Adepoju, O. E., Han, D., Chae, M., Smith, K. L., Gilbert, L., Choudhury, S., & Woodard, L. (2021). Health disparities and climate change: The intersection of three disaster events on vulnerable communities in Houston, Texas. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 19(1), 35. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph19010035
Bodenreider, C., Wright, L., Barr, O., Xu, K., & Wilson, S. (2019). Assessment of social, economic, and geographic vulnerability pre- and post-hurricane Harvey in Houston, Texas. Environmental Justice, 12(4), 182–193. https://doi.org/10.1089/env.2019.0001
Carter, B., Reitzel, L., Chen, T., Woodard, L., and Cancer Prevention. Health Behavior and Policy Review, 9(5), 1017–1036. https://doi.org/10.14485/hbpr.9.5.2
Flores, A. B., Collins, T. W., Grineski, S. E., & Chakraborty, J. (2020). Disparities in health effects and access to health care among Houston area residents After Hurricane Harvey. Public Health Reports, 135(4), 511–523. https://doi.org/10.1177/0033354920930133
National Academies of Sciences, E., Medicine, N. A. of, Nursing 2020–2030, C. on the F. of, Flaubert, J. L., Menestrel, S. L., Williams, D. R., & Wakefield, M. K. (2021). The role of nurses in improving health Equity. In www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov. National Academies Press (US). https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK573898/#:~:text=By%20connecting%20with%20individuals%20in
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