The two health issues that I think Johnson County Community Hospital should prioritize are smokers and heart disease. These two health issues are causing the most problems with the health of the Johnsons County community. Making programs and activities available, in my opinion, helps prevent the community’s long-term repercussions of smoking and heart disease. Even though these medical issues won’t be the simplest to solve, they will lead to greater community health outcomes. Smoking contributes significantly to heart disease, which was one of the main issues in Johnson County. Leaders in the healthcare industry must offer initiatives to reduce smoking and the prevalance of long-term health effects such as heart disease.
There are several different types of heart disease. Heart disease is known to be the number one leading cause of death in the United States (Leading causes of death, 2023). The most common type of heart disease is known as coronary artery disease. Coronary Artery Disease affects the flow of blood to the heart (About heart disease, 2023). Implementing blood pressure, blood sugar, and cholesterol clinics and giving out free low dosages of aspirin can help reduce the number of people suffering from heart disease in Johnson County. By providing this clinic medical professionals will also be able to identify early on set stages of heart disease to provide intervention for those developing heart disease. There are several causes of heart disease, smoking appears to play a significant role in the development of heart disease.
Discussion response
Approximately 46.5% of residents in Johnson County ages 14 and older are smokers. That is almost half of the population aged 14 and older. Smoking is known to cause many health conditions. According to the CDC “smoking causes disease, disability, and causes damage to nearly every organ inside of the body” (Health Effects, 2020). The main long-term consequences of smoking are heart disease, cancer, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, and chronic bronchitis. The primary organs within the body become obstructed by each of the following disorders. Some programs I would offer for residents struggling with smoking consist of behavioral therapy and nicotine replacement therapy. Behavioral therapy will offer healthcare providers to help patients identify triggers, coping strategies, and set goals for quitting. Behavioral therapy helps the community by making residents responsible for their future health and enabling community members to recognize the issues impacting the community. One of the coping strategies that may be presented to struggling smokers could be nicotine replacement therapy in an attempt to assist people to stop smoking. For smokers, nicotine replacement treatment offers a controlled dosage of nicotine to aid in withdrawal symptoms. Smoking is a cause of heart disease and affects the overall health of the Johnsons community.
In summary, the Johnsons community is being negatively impacted by smoking and heart disease, and if nothing is done to address these issues, numerous deaths and long-term health issues may result. Incorporating community health programs can enable healthcare providers to address some issues related to terminal health problems. Finally, offering assistance to individuals who smoke and those living with heart disease can improve the health of many community members and increase community health rates.
