Posted on 224,415 Comments on Important Determinants of Health

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?

224,415 thoughts on “Important Determinants of Health”

  8. Hi, Neat post. There’s an issue together with your web site in web explorer,
    would check this? IE nonetheless is the marketplace leader and a good portion of people will omit your wonderful writing because of this problem.

    My homepage … URL

    Reply

  13. I think this is one of the so much vital info for me. And i am glad reading your article.

    However wanna remark on few common things, The web site taste is great, the articles is actually nice : D.
    Excellent job, cheers

    Feel free to visit my site: tunnel rush github

    Reply

  23. Hello! I’ve been reading your weblog for a long time now and finally got the courage to go
    ahead and give you a shout out from Humble Texas! Just
    wanted to mention keep up the great job!

    my blog post – nexus for development

    Reply

  24. عرض ادب و احترام! خیلی خوشحالم که با سایت شما آشنا شدم و
    از مطالب ارائه شده بسیار بهره‌مند شدم.
    اطلاعاتی که ارائه دادید بی‌نظیر بود و من حتماً این سایت رو
    به دوستانم معرفی می‌کنم. همچنین پیشنهاد
    می‌کنم برای ارتقای رتبه سایت خود، بک‌لینک‌های سایدبار را از virgool.iⲟ تهیه کنید.
    برای ارتباط با من می‌توانید به تلگرام @myd_80 پیام دهید.
    همچنین گروه سئو پرم ما در تلگرامو پست‌های مهمان با کیفیت برای فروش در
    دسترس هستند.

    Here is mｙ paage – نکات مهم در آنالیز سایت

    Reply

  29. A person necessarily help to make significantly
    posts I’d state. That is the very first time I frequented your
    web page and thus far? I surprised with the research
    you made to create this particular post incredible.

    Excellent job!

    Review my homepage – Slot Gacor

    Reply

  39. Rayobyte (formerly Blazing SEO) provides a wide range of proxy solutions, including residential and data center proxies. It’s ideal for large-scale operations like web scraping, ad verification, and SEO monitoring, offering a vast pool of IPs globally. Rayobyte is known for its high anonymity and flexible pricing options.

    IP Royal offers residential, data center, and mobile proxies, with a focus on flexibility and a large global IP pool. It’s well-suited for tasks such as SEO, market research, and mobile-related scraping. Its mobile proxies set it apart, making it ideal for testing mobile ads and apps.
    https://proxynix.com/rayobyte-vs-ip-royal/

    Reply

  42. The love of family and the admiration of friends is much more important than wealth and privilege. AOG777

    Reply

  43. My partner and I absolutely love your blog and find many of your post’s
    to be exactly I’m looking for. Does one offer guest writers to write content for you?
    I wouldn’t mind producing a post or elaborating on a few of the subjects you write related to here.
    Again, awesome web site!

    my webpage: bitlife

    Reply

  45. Dalam dunia perjudian online, situs slot semakin berkembang pesat. Salah satu situs yang kini sedang mendapatkan perhatian para pemain adalah MEGA303HOKI, yang dikenal sebagai situs slot 303 bet kecil. Situs ini menawarkan berbagai permainan slot dengan taruhan yang terjangkau, memungkinkan pemain dengan berbagai anggaran untuk menikmati permainan tanpa harus khawatir mengeluarkan biaya besar.

    Reply

  47. You completed certain reliable points there. I did a search on the subject and found nearly all persons will agree with your blog. Domain Rating

    Reply

Leave a Reply

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