Global Health Issues

Each year, millions of people die from non communicable and infectious diseases curable with modern medicine. The World Health Organization (WHO) repeatedly points out that many of these diseases are “diseases of poverty.” Caring for the underserved world wide and their lack of access to health care is a contemporary issue on which I would like to have an impact.

Healthcare systems continue to emphasize care that occurs after an illness rather than provide the services needed to prevent the illness or reduce the burden of disease. Often times these missed opportunities are related to the lack of access to health care and healthcare systems. Factors that contribute to this include socioeconomic, racial/ethnic and educational disparities. As a public health nurse who has worked primarily with the underserved population, I have experienced the difficulty this population has in accessing care. Also, going forward, with the changes in the economy both nationally and worldwide, the underserved population may have a different face. At least 30% of current population, now with unstable economy and loss of jobs, would fall under this underserved category.

Health care disparities are costly. Untreated diseases, missed diagnoses and poorly managed care often result in expensive and avoidable hospitalizations as well as complications. The outcomes can also lead to disability, increased morbidity and loss of productivity at the individual level. On a broader scale, the cost of health care increases while the access to services remain unchanged.

As a leader, combining both my clinical expertise and business knowledge, I would identify and work towards low cost comprehensive models of care. These models of care would be led by Nurse Practitioners, staffed by nurses and other disciplines with a focus on holistic health. These models of care would be linked to teaching hospitals which would benefit both parties. The benefit for the hospital would be...