One of the big problems that we see when we look at public health in New York is the healthcare system. It focuses solely on helping those that are already sick. If we focused on keeping people healthy instead it would reduce the number of high cost surgeries and would in the end cost much less. There is also that fact there is a much less chance of dying when you keep people healthy rather solely than healing the sick. This doesn’t happen because people usually visit the doctor when there is a problem instead of constantly keeping up with their health. There are also many that are unable to be in good health due to financial situation, and medical bills only make the situation worse. Another evident problem when we look at the health in New York City, is the high substance use. Smoking is one of the bigger substances used in the city. According to CBS there is more than a million New Yorkers who smoke, and this is an increase from last year. If this were to continue more and more people will start smoking, which will cause a ridiculous amount of second hand smoking and people who are at risk for various ailments. Not only is smoking bad for the people that smoke, but its bad for the government. According to American Lung Association, smoking has cost the government $96 billion from health care expenditure. Everyone wins if smoking is decreased in New York.
Another big problem that is seen with health is obesity. Usually when you think of America you see a very obese person that is constantly eating even when it’s detrimental to their health. According to the nyc.gov, 34% of New Yorkers are overweight. This is a big problem. A lot of these people have a much higher risk of getting diabetes, heart disease, cancer, and many other health problems. Fixing this problem would definitely be very beneficial to society. It has been seen that obesity and overweight problems start at an early age. According to the Center of Disease Control, more than a third of children and adolescents are either overweight or obese. This is a very large number and may contribute to the large number of New Yorkers who are overweight. To fix the problem of obesity, focusing on improving the diet of children may be the best solution. Currently, schools feed children with fattening processed food that is in no way good for their health. In order to change this, the schools need an incentive to get their kids better food. To do this the government should give schools more money if their school lunches follow a certain guidelines. These guidelines would obviously aim to make the school lunches healthier. The government can also give various food providers to schools that will get them this incentive. Schools can use this money to get better computers, desks, chairs, and various other items needed for schools. This will cause students to become healthier while also getting tools to receive a better education.
Sources:
http://www.cdc.gov/healthyyouth/obesity/facts.htm
http://www.cbsnews.com/news/smokers-in-nyc-increase-to-1-million/
http://www.lung.org/stop-smoking/about-smoking/health-effects/smoking.html
http://www.nyc.gov/html/doh/html/living/obesity.shtml
Shawn, I agree that our health care system should focus more on preventative care and less on healing problems that arise over the course of ones lifetime. The issue, however, is that people need to do a lot of work on their own to maintain a healthy lifestyle. This is not something we can change with the system, since people need to take it upon themselves to make healthy choices. I feel that makes this more of a cultural problem. The media has been helping with this. Lately, I have seen an abundance of advertisements, which portray health as the “cool” and “hip” new thing. Health is in right now, especially in NYC. The problem is that it is very expensive to keep up with this trend. Lower income neighborhoods, especially those in food deserts, do not have the same recourses as other areas of NYC. That’s when we start to see obesity and other illnesses. I think your solution of making public school lunches healthier is a good one. We need to create a standard for all schools in our city so all the youth in NYC creates good eating habits at a young age.
I agree with you that the health care system in New York City, and the country is inadequate. You make a great point that we focus on solving public health problems when they arise and not preventing problems. This is especially the case in health related problems that can easily be prevented like STDs and tobacco related diseases. However, I think another major issue with healthcare in the country and city, is not only what is being treated, but who. There is an inequality of care between the rich who can afford the best private healthcare and the poor who live with no access to health insurance and rely on the ER, and paying out of pocket when they need some kind of doctor care.
Additionally, I like your discussion of childhood obesity and school food in low-income schools. Schools need to apply stricter standards on what constitutes a balanced diet, especially what foods are considered vegetables. I think as well, that physical education in schools should be enforced on a wider scale. Many schools do not possess proper gymnasiums, or PE equipment to really engage inner city kids in proper fitness and exercise. With more emphasis on proper food and exercise, schools can become a place where kids learn about healthy living and shape better routines they can abide to as adults in New York.