The collection, interpretation, and dissemination of data is an important component of community health as highlighted in Chapter 3. We learned of the various ways of collecting data and displaying it for the general public to analyze. In order to implement successful community health programs that will make an impact, we must collect data from various sources to see how extensive the problem is in the community and subsequently design, implement, and evaluate community health programs to address the problem.

For this week’s discussion forum post, I would like you to search for data sets from the County of Orange, the State of California, and the United States health databases for one of the following diseases.

1. Diabetes
2. Hypertension (High Blood Pressure)
3. Mental Health
4. Cancer
5. COVID-19

Find the prevalence rate, incidence rate, and mortality rate for your selected disease at the county, state, and federal levels. Also identify who is impacted the most by your selected disease (ethnic group, seniors, children, etc..) Please summarize your findings and provide any charts or other visual aids to present the data you collect.

The Affordable Care Act allowed for the expansion of the Medicaid program. As the Act passed through the legal system, many states have decided not to expand their respective programs, and many changes associated with Medicaid have occurred over the years. Review some of the articles provided in the supplemental reading materials and consider visiting some of the websites to identify similar information about Medicaid Reform issues such as the Kaiser Family Foundation and CMS.

Provide a discussion on the following questions: How did the Medicaid expansion impact states?  How are the states’ populations impacted? How does the current Medicaid program impact different states? Offer reasoning behind either position and evidence to support it. You can also elect to address specific states, or several states, and/or include information from a federal level in your discussion

Don Hines is a 46-year-old construction worker who has had type 1 diabetes since the age of 13. Over the past 5 years, his kidney function began to fail despite his best efforts to follow a low-protein diet and control his diabetes. He has been on hemodialysis for 2 years while waiting for a suitable donor for a kidney transplant. On Christmas Day, he received a phone call that a kidney was available and he underwent successful transplant surgery. Don is 5 ft 8 in. tall and weighs 175 lb.

1. Don will require high doses of anti-inflammatory immunosuppressive drugs following his transplant. Based on his history of diabetes, why would these medications be cause for concern? What modifications in diet and diabetes medications may be necessary?

2. How would you explain to Don the changes in his diet prescription following the kidney transplant compared to his previous diet while he was on hemodialysis?

3. Why are transplant patients at higher risk for foodborne infections? How would you educate Don about food safety?

Identify the different reasons (a. disability reason, b. emotional reason, c. physical reason, d. environmental reason, e. cultural reason, f. social reason, g. learning need a reason) why development may not follow the expected pattern and state the areas of development that may be affected. 3.2 Explain the personal factors that influence children’s development. These will include 1. maternal health (Exposure to substance use/misuse, Folic Acid, Exposure to common childhood, illnesses, Stress during pregnancy, Pre and postnatal depression, Diet) 2. health status 3. disability 4. sensory impairment 5. learning difficulties.

The federal government as part of its initiative to reduce the cost of healthcare and improve quality passed legislation called the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA). A provision in ARRA included the Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health Act (HITECH) which created incentives for hospitals and physicians to adopt clinical health information technology. HITECH resulted in the creation of “meaningful use” criteria for EHRs. All of the following are “meaningful use” use criteria except for one the following:

a. Improve quality, safety, and efficiency of Problematic employees

b. Provide patients access to their EHR through “smartphone” technology

c. Improve care coordination

d. Improve population and public health