Healthcare Services
D8
Income Inequality and Socioeconomic Gradients in Mortality article by Wilkinson and Kate examined the relationship that exist between income inequality and health status of the population especially those responsible for socioeconomic gradient in health. Significantly, the article outlines that mortality in counties were closely linked to income inequality (Wilkinson and Pickett, 2008). Therefore, according to the article, and in line with Unnatural Causes video, the income inequalities currently witnessed in countries is a great determinant of socioeconomic gradient of health (Wilkinson and Pickett, 2008).That is, individuals earning low incomes have increased chances of becoming sick and ultimately die. Moreover, a further scrutiny of inequity across Louisville supports the finding of the article. For instance, the median income for Jim’s District is high compared to other districts and stands at 79,878 dollars (Unnatural Causes, n.d). For that, the life expectancy is high at 79.8 years with a considerable lower infant mortality rate compared to other districts (Unnatural Causes, n.d). Notably, the article maps with the video review and class discussions. Public health nurses can improve health of vulnerable population by formulation policies and reforms geared towards promoting affordability of healthcare services.
D9
Food borne illnesses is a major problem in the State of New Jersey. The population consumes contaminated food that in return causes certain disease or even death. Contaminated food contains disease causing pathogens, bacteria, virus and parasites that negatively impact on human health. These diseases are communicable because they can be passed from one person to another contact with animals and humans. The most common mode of transmission is through contact with animals and consumption of contaminated water. In New Jersey, diseases such as Campylobacteriosis, Cyclosporiasis, Listeriosis, Salmonellosis, Shigellosis and Vibriosis have been reported (State of NJ Department of Health, 2017). According to CDC, more than 300,000 people are hospitalized, and 5,000 die from food-borne diseases annually (State of NJ Department of Health, 2017). For that, nurses can create awareness through myriad programs and promotions on the need to thoroughly cook food, cover and treat drinking water.
References
State of NJ, Department of Health. (2017). Food-borne illness. State of NJ, Department of
Health. Available at: http://www.nj.gov/health/cd/topics/foodborne.shtml. Retrieved May 23, 2018.
Unnatural Causes. (n.d). Is Inequality making us sick? Unnatural Causes. Available at:
http://www-tc.pbs.org/unnaturalcauses/assets/resources/louisvillemap.pdf. Retrieved May 23, 2018.
Wilkinson Richard and Pickett Kate. (2008). Income inequality and socioeconomic gradients in
mortality. Am J Public Health. 2008 April; 98(4): 699–704. Available at: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2376999/. Retrieved May 23, 2018.