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Healthcare And Nutrition PDF Print E-mail
Written by USC Center for Systems & Software Eng. Team #13
Saturday, 09 August 2008 07:49

Health Care

Health care (often healthcare in American English), is the treatment and management of illness, and the preservation of health through services offered by the medical, dental, complementary and alternative medicine, pharmaceutical, clinical sciences (in vitro diagnostics), nursing, and allied health professions. Health care embraces all the goods and services designed to promote health, including “preventive, curative and palliative interventions, whether directed to individuals or to populations”.

Before the term health care became popular, English-speakers referred to medicine or to the health sector and spoke of the treatment and prevention of illness and disease. The social and political issue of access to healthcare in the US has led to public debate and confusing use of terms such as health care (medical management of illness or disease), health insurance (reimbursement of health care costs), and the public health (the collective state and range of health in a population). The public health is related most to economic development and wealth distribution, and health insurance is a business which both provides and restricts reimbursement for healthcare itself in the event of disease, or in access to of medical healthcare in individual health-seeking, -promoting or -maintaining behaviours. -- Wikipedia


The rising cost of health care in this country is staggering. Paying for health care for underserved minorities has become virtually unaffordable. Experts agree that the best way to avoid life threatening disease later in life is to seek preventative health care. Health Maintenance Organizations (HMOs) charge such high premiums for visits to physicians that preventative health care for both minors and adults is generally never sought out. African-Americans are much more likely to be enrolled in public healthcare programs (Medicaid) than their white counterparts. Treatment at hospitals in the inner-city like, King-Harbor Hospital in South Central Los Angeles, generally have poorer service, less-qualified physicians, longer wait times, and higher death rates. The reputations of hospitals in the inner-city serve as deterrents to African-Americans who seek care for their illnesses. RWD is seeking to partner with Cedar-Sinai hospital, which generally serves upper-class whites, to offer recipients of the housing program, health care from Cedar-Sinai physicians, free of charge. While we cannot offer this program to all in the community due to cost restrictions, it is important to be able to provide an alternative to the current health care system. The endowment of RWD as a 501 (c) 3ensures that the hospital is paid for participation in the program, and that the program will expand as resources become available.

 

 

 

 



Nutrition


One of the most proven ways to prevent visits to major hospital is proper nutrition and exercise. Part of the endowment for RWD will be invested the Nutritional Advocacy Program. The Nutritional Advocacy Program will teach classes on food preparation and the principles of healthy dieting. Two new health food co-op/ pharmacies will be built in the South Central Los Angeles region. The facilities will be staffed by qualified professionals including a nutritionist and pharmacist from the community. Customers will be able to obtain dietary analysis and daily meal plans drawn up as a service of the facility. In addition, customers who participate in the0020program will be evaluated, based on their vital statistics, to see if the program is working. Currently, there is only one health food store in the greater Los Angeles region that is located near the inner city. Prices of food and the rising price of gas are serious deterrents to seeking healthy alternatives to the food offered at the comer stores. This will not only be an important part of company revenues, it will help achieve the mission of improving the quality of life for African-Americans in South Central Los Angeles.
Last Updated ( Wednesday, 16 December 2009 02:24 )