For example, people who live in Missouri City, Texas, can be classified as a community because they practice certain common traditions and activities. This paper analyses the health needs of Missouri City. Missouri City is a city in Texas, USA and exists within Houston-The Woodlands metropolitan area. 33% of Missourians are white alone, while Black African Americans alone constitute 41.9% of the population as of 2019; the city had a total population of 74557 people residing within 78.72 square kilometers (United States Census Bureau, 2019).
Healthcare Improvement needs of the Community
A recent health issue that has affected most communities is the coronavirus (COVID-19). Despite the efforts of both national and international bodies to minimize its spread and general effect on the population, the pandemic continues to kill many people and affect many families. With the constantly increasing rates of COVID-19, the Missouri City community requires more health facilities and equipment, such as staff, supplies, and hospital bed capacities. As a predominantly minority population, the Missouri City community is especially in need of additional healthcare equipment and facilities because of the health inequalities it faces as a minority community.
The virus has penetrated across the community, and most hospitals within the community are in desperate need for equipment and general supplies. Due to the increased number of patients requiring hospital admissions, the hospital requires additional bed capacity. They also need additional COVID-19 prevention equipment, such as masks, IV fusion pumps, and ventilators.
More importantly, community health centers need additional healthcare staff because as the number of patients increases, the ratio of healthcare providers to patients worsens (Zanettini et al., 2020). This issue is amplified partly by the fact that apart from COVID-19 patients, the hospitals still receive patients with other healthcare needs.
Engagement of Community Stakeholders
The community stakeholders are typically those involved in addressing the community’s challenges and issues. Some of the most prominent stakeholders include the healthcare organizations, the government, the citizens, and the community agencies. Each of them is responsible for ensuring the safety, health, and well-being of the community, including protecting the community against pandemics such as COVID-19. Because of this, the stakeholders must be aware of the health issue and are providing the necessary support (Gonzalez et al., 2020).
The most crucial stakeholder in the health issue of COVID-19 is the local government. All state governments should take various measures to contain the spread of COVID-19 and minimize its impact on the community. One of the most important steps taken so far by the local government to contain COVID-19 among the Missouri City community is the allocation of money to improve the delivery of healthcare systems, provide the necessary personal protection equipment and improve the hospitals’ capacity (Bruns et al., 2020).
The Texas state government has also made a considerable effort to assist those who are most vulnerable to COVID-19, including the elderly and those with underlying health conditions such as cancer and diabetes. Zanettini et al. (2020) observed that by protecting the most vulnerable from COVID-19, communities can minimize the spread and effect of the pandemic, especially regarding the costs incurred by families to treat their loved ones, as well as the burden of caring for their loved ones. However, one of the most significant challenges experienced by the local government is enforcing the COVID-19 containment measures such as social distancing and quarantine. These challenges can be addressed by educating patients on the importance of observing the containment measures.
Wellness/Treatment Model
One of the most effective wellness models adopted in the COVID-19 scenario is the Department of State Health Services (DSHS) guidance, which offers comprehensive guidelines to all Texas communities regarding COVID-19 prevention measures. According to Gonzalez et al. (2020), the DSHS guidelines aims to prevent the spread of COVID-19 within Texas based on scientific evidence, research, and recommendations from healthcare professionals.
For example, the DSHS guidelines shares useful information with various stakeholders, including employers, food businesses, critical infrastructure workers and workers at high risk, on how to observe COVID-19 containment measures and minimize their exposure to the disease through safe operation (Zanettini et al., 2020). Furthermore, the DSHS framework is accompanied by tools that can effectively help stakeholders communicate safety messages to their customers and colleagues.<
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