Important Determinants of Health

As local communities continue to respond to the COVID-19 pandemic, understanding the population and resource availability becomes increasingly important. Accessibility and affordability of healthcare are crucial during these times, as the virus does not discriminate against whom it affects. While the pandemic has caused changes in everyone’s lives, individuals without health insurance, access to transportation, and access to mental health services are a part of the population that is being particularly negatively affected.

To focus on the specific challenges faced by a local community during this pandemic, this blog will focus on the Albany, New York area and its population (1).

Health Insurance

In the U.S., there are over 28 million uninsured individuals (2). It can be incredibly expensive to try and afford basic care without health insurance, and patients without health insurance are limited in the providers they can see and make appointments with. Uninsured people are therefore far less likely to get medical care, which means they are not receiving yearly checkups and don’t have access to preventative measures, such as cancer screenings or blood pressure tests. In many cases, medical care is only sought in emergencies.

While the uninsured rate in New York has decreased in recent years, there are few options for those that are uninsured in Albany. One of these options is Surya Immediate Medical Care– while not currently accepting any ill patients due to the pandemic, the center accepts patients without insurance and allows self-payments. A new visit costs $150, while an established visit costs $100. Charges for additional services like strep tests and x-rays are listed on their website. For dental health, Aspen Dental in Albany is a practice that provides free exams and x-rays on the first visit, without insurance.

Access to Transportation

Being able to make an appointment is one thing, but actually getting to the doctor’s office is another– access to transportation is something that can often prevent patients from receiving the healthcare they need. One of the COVID-19 testing sites in Albany is at SUNY Albany. However, to be tested, individuals need transportation to the testing site and must be in a vehicle when they are being tested. Some resources that provide transportation include UberHealth, Medanswering services for individuals with Medicaid, and CDTA transit for Albany county resident seniors over the age of 60.

More recently, some mobile testing sites have become available and are listed here, which can allow some individuals to have access to testing without needing transportation, depending on where they live.

Mental Health Services

Mental health is an equally large component and contributor to overall health and wellbeing as physical health. With the COVID-19 pandemic, many individuals are experiencing loneliness, anxiety, and other mental health issues as daily lifestyles have changed due to quarantine and social interaction is limited. To try and support individuals at home, some hotlines have become available 24/7 or throughout the week to provide help. A COVID-19 support line is available at (518) 269-6634, from 8 am to 8 pm every day. Additional hotlines and mental health resources in Albany are listed here.

While the Albany area has begun to respond to changes in healthcare availability and accessibility due to the pandemic, there are still some areas that can be improved upon, such as increased access to basic care and preventative services for people who are uninsured. Additionally, access to health insurance, transportation, and mental health services are only a few of the determinants of health and wellbeing– what do you think your local community can improve upon when it comes to the health of its population?

140,509 thoughts on “Important Determinants of Health

  1. You make so many great points here that I read your article a couple of times. Your views are in accordance with my own for the most part. This is great content for your readers.CELEBRITY

    Reply

  2. I think this is an informative post and it is very useful and knowledgeable. therefore, I would like to thank you for the efforts you have made in writing this article. Minecraft Baritone 1.19

    Reply

  3. “Throughout life, we acquire many different skills, for example, learning to knit, to drive a car. These skills are considered very important, but none of them will allow us to live longer. cbd smoker And when a person loses health, then all other skills depreciate.
    The disappointment lies in the fact that we treat health as something for granted, naively thinking that it is given forever and has an emergency reserve. This is a colossal mistake.”

    Reply

  4. Thanks for sharing this quality information with us. I really enjoyed reading. Will surely going to share this URL with my friends. ff reward

    Reply

  5. I’m confident they will be benefited from this web site. Feel free to visit my website; 카지노

    Reply

  6. Hard to ignore such an amazing article like this. You really amazed me with your writing talent. Thank for you shared again. 온라인카지노

    Reply

  7. I am always searching online for articles that can help me. There is obviously a lot to know about this. 카지노

    Reply

  8. Hi it’s me, I am also visiting this website daily, this site is genuinely fastidious and the viewers are actually sharing nice thoughts Reputable Jewelers

    Reply

  9. players as quickly as possible, the fastest, the game is interesting to play, Talking about this game, there is certainly no one who does not know each other. especially the this game will be a game that creates
    pgslot

    Reply

  10. تسوق اون لاين مفارش سرير من افضل الخامات, واجودها, من منتجات مفارش قصرى, حيث وفرنا لكم مفارش صيفي, مفارش شتوي, مفارش أطفال, مفارش عرائس, مفارش مواليد, مفارش سرير ,وأيضا نقدم افضل مفروشات, واكسسوارات, المنزل للحصول على غرف تشبه القصر تناسب جميع أذواق عملائها الكرام بجودة ممتازة وأسعار خاصة
    مفارش

    Reply

  11. If you’re looking for a Thesis helper Malaysia, come to assignmenthelper.my for the greatest thesis assistance in Malaysia at the most reasonable prices. Our team of professional academic writers will complete your thesis with high-caliber work for a very small fee.

    Reply

  12. Oh my goodness! a fantastic post dude. Thanks a lot Nevertheless I will be experiencing trouble with ur rss . Don’t know why Not able to sign up for it. Is there everyone acquiring identical rss issue? Anybody who knows kindly respond. Thnkx ทีเด็ดบอล

    Reply

  13. I appreciate you taking the time to write this topic; it’s quite educational, and the material adds to the post’s intrigue. sincerely grateful Tom Cruise Bomber Jacket

    Reply

  14. This is a great article thanks for sharing this informative information. I will visit your blog regularly for some latest post. 
    backlinks generator

    Reply

  15. Mmm.. estimable to be here in your report or notify, whatever, I repute I should moreover process strong for my have website want I play some salubrious further updated busy in your location. sell my house fast dallas tx

    Reply

  16. it was a wonderful chance to visit this kind of site and I am happy to know. thank you so much for giving us a chance to have this opportunity.. Marketing

    Reply

  17. I recently wanted to complete a quick comment in an effort to express gratitude back for people wonderful pointers you will be posting at this site. Time consuming internet investigation has towards the end through the day been rewarded with top quality means to give my guests. I will say that a lot of us readers are truly endowed to exist in an incredible network with biggest reason so many marvellous those with useful hints. I’m quite privileged to own used your webpages and show off toward really more fabulous minutes reading here. Many thanks for lots of things. cbd for sale

    Reply

  18. Write my assignment for me students can get an education by purchasing an inexpensive homework class. When students are unable to go out due to many reasons, they can easily study from the comfort of their homes. In such circumstances, online classes help in removing the boundaries and limits, thereby helping the students to gain knowledge sitting at home. For any kind of support you need with your Coursework writing help service, you can connect with us online 24 X 7.

    Reply

  19. Wonderful illustrated information. I thank you about that. No doubt it will be very useful for my future projects. Would like to see some other posts on the same subject! Conversation

    Reply

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *