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?

208,460 thoughts on “Important Determinants of Health

  1. Excellent article. I wanted to let you know how much I’ve enjoyed reading your posts since I just recently found your website. In any event, I’ll be signing up for your feed and look forward to your return. I appreciate the wonderful information very much. please visit my pages slot jutawan

    Reply

  2. representative of the ruling National Fascist Party.[3][4]

    The purpose of the merger was to give the Italian capital a strong club to rival that of the more dominant Northern Italian clubs of the time.[2] The only major Roman club to resist the merger was Lazio because of the intervention of the army General Vaccaro, a member of the แทงบอลออนไลน์

    Reply

  3. n the years just after the war, Roma were unable to recapture their league stature from the early 1940s. Roma finished in the lower half of Serie A for five seasons in a row, before eventually succumbing to their only ever relegation to Serie B at the end of the 1950–51 season,[7][13] around a decade after their championship victory. Under future Italy national team manager Giuseppe Viani, promotion straight back up was achievแทงบอลออนไลน์

    Reply

  4. I feel grateful to be able to find a very useful blog like this, because with this blog my knowledge increases. What’s more, I really like reading blogs like this, thank you admin. in the future I will definitely come to visit often to read your other articles.. visit my blog too Idnplay88

    Reply

  5. Pretty good post. I just stumbled upon your blog and wanted to say that I have really enjoyed reading your blog posts. Any way I’ll be subscribing to your feed and I hope you post again soon. Big thanks for the useful info. jual followers

    Reply

  6. 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. Website laten maken

    Reply

  7. I image this could be various upon the written content? having said that I nonetheless consider that it can be appropriate for virtually any type of subject material, as a result of it will continuously be enjoyable to decide a warm and delightful face or possibly pay attention a voice while preliminary landing. 꽁머니 사이트

    Reply

  8. I have read all the comments and suggestions posted by the visitors for this article are very fine,We will wait for your next article so only.Thanks! ソフト闇金

    Reply

  9. Great .. Astounding .. I’ll bookmark your blog and take the feeds likewise… I’m glad to discover such a significant number of valuable information here in the post, we need work out more procedures in such manner, a debt of gratitude is in order for sharing. 成人英語

    Reply

  10. Took me time to read all the comments, but I really enjoyed the article. It proved to be Very helpful to me and I am sure to all the commenters here! It’s always nice when you can not only be informed, but also entertained! ソフト闇金

    Reply

  11. You will find a lot of approaches after visiting your post. I was exactly searching for. Thanks for such post and please keep it up. Great work. 物理補習

    Reply

  12. Fascinating theme for a blog. I have been scanning the Web for the sake of entertainment and happened upon your site. Astounding post. Much obliged a ton for sharing your insight! It is perfect to see that certain individuals actually set forth some energy into dealing with their sites. I’ll make certain to return again genuine soon. สล็อต

    Reply

  13. Such connections are positively difficult to seek after since not every person views BDSM as engaging. Nonetheless, for those that do, this can be viewed as a well known direction for living afrodisiacos femininos fortes

    Reply

  14. Extraordinary review, I’m a major devotee to remarking on web journals to illuminate the blog scholars realize that they’ve added something beneficial to the internet!.. พีจี

    Reply

Leave a Reply

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