California Health and Human Services Agency Essay

California Health and Human Services Agency - Essay Example Another criterion is to examine the currency of information on the site by looking for updated details on documents and links. Lastly, the coverage of the site shows that the objective of the site is clearly to be used as information updates only, and in no way presents any biasness towards any agencies or boards. Since the inception of the internet, many human services agencies have developed official websites to promote and create awareness for their organizations. One such agency is the California Health and Human Services Agency (CHHS). This paper will examine and analyze the value and relevance of this website to its target audiences using the criteria set out by the Wolfgram Memorial Library (WML) from Widener University. According to WML, there are five crucial criterions that can be used to determine the efficacy of the information on the site, and they include authority, accuracy, objectivity, currency, and coverage. (WML, 2009) The homepage for the CHHS website contains a welcome message by the Secretary, Kim Belshe, in addition to the vision of the agency, which informs "all Californians, especially those most at risk or in need (that they) have the opportunity to enjoy a high quality of life as measured by the sound physical, mental, and financial health of children, adolescents, and adults; strong and well-functioning families; safe and sustainable communities; and dignity for all." (CHHS, 2009) It is clear that CHHS is responsible for the contents of the page because the agency logo is visibly presented. To mark its affiliation with the State of California, there is a copyright mark and a link to the official website on every page. There is also a link to the website for the Governor of California. (CHHS, 2009) While the vision of the agency is stated, the agency goal is not quite as transparent. The closest form of explanation is perhaps under the link "About Us" which spells out the "responsibility f or administering major programs," (CHHS, 2009) and includes the contact information like the agency address and telephone number, which verifies the legitimacy of the agency. However, it is worth noting that an email contact is not provided for enquiries. This may be an indication that the site is meant more as a source of information rather than a site that promotes dialogue. The legitimacy of the website is well established with links to independent websites for all twelve departments and one board. However, at the time of writing this analysis, there was an error linking to the Department of Alcohol and Drug Programs (CHHS, 2009), which indicates a lack of quality control. Without an email contact available, the audience is then forced to either call the agency, or make the extra effort to look for this site online. If CHHS were meant to be only as a source of information, the agency's objective as an official site that "administers state and federal programs for health care, social services, public assistance, and rehabilitation," is clear. (CHHS, 2009) All links are directed to independent department sites that provide a more comprehensive presentation of each program's agenda. For example, the link to the Department of Community Services and Development details this department's programs and resources. (CSD, 2009) Any document or links in the website that highlight specific programs are also presented according to the most recently published so

Urban Life in Local Neighborhood Essay Example for Free

Urban Life in Local Neighborhood Essay Community Board 3 of Manhattan is a part of Chinatown, covering the Lower East Side of the town. It is a largely diverse community, with variety of races, languages, culture, and customs protecting the uniqueness of the district. Today, economy remains to be a major concern. Portion of the population thrive on assistance, others are homeless, and most of what makes up the population are of immigrant status. The district was a foundation on mixed cultures through the many immigrants who settled in the area. This is not surprising though. It is a frontier to immigration, an entryway. Therefore, it is not surprising if immigrants would opt to stay. Population Then and Now The population of the community is in a constant rise. In 1980, the recorded population is 154, 848. With this figure as a base rate, there was a 4. 4% increase in 1990 where the population recorded increased to 161,617. In the turn of the millennium in 2000, Manhattan Community Board 3 is home to 164,407 people, a 1. 7% increase from the 1990 figure. (Manhattan Community District 3, nd) Between 2000 and 2004, an interesting tabulation of births, deaths, and infant mortality has been recorded. In 2000, 14. 1 (2,320) per 1000 are being born. The rate decreased in 2004 where there are only 13. 7 (2,255) births in every 1000. In terms of death, the statistics were not too far apart. There were 7. 9 deaths in every 1000 in 2000, while there were 7. 7 incidences per 1000 in 2004. (Manhattan Community District 3, nd) Alarmingly, infant mortality is on a rise. In 2004, there were eight incidences of infant mortality. This embodies 3. 4 in every 1000 infants. In 2004, there became 13 deaths. This shows that there are 5. 8 deaths for every 1000 infants in the area. (Manhattan Community District 3, nd) Neighborhood Amenities The community offers several income support to its constituents. In 2000, there were more than 8,000 aids given as public assistance. There were more than 5,000 last year. Medicaid use increased from 16,012 cases to a whopping 54,727. The income support of the community has helped 23. 4 of the total population in 2000. In 2006, 74,609 or 45. 4%, almost half of the population, received help. (Manhattan Community District 3, nd) The community also features structural amenities for its constituents. It has about seven schools offering public education for elementary and secondary school students. There are more than 15 private and parochial schools for elementary and high school as well. There are also two college or post-secondary institutions. Apart from this education structures, the community also has libraries, museums, parks, playgrounds and other cultural spots. The community also enjoys hospital services, nursing homes, and other patient health services. Mental health institutions also exist in the community. The same goes with special treatment facility such as special children services and daycare services. Public safety is also not overlooked. Precincts, fire stations, narcotics unit, and battalion forces are available for the service of the people in Community District 3. Most especially, alcohol and drug abuse is being watched as the community knows that it can pose serious risks to the safety and interest of their people. Neighborhood changes Manhattan Community District 3 is a diverse community. Today, the community is undergoing a shift in its environment, dubbed as gentrification. As the community maintained a small locale atmosphere, many small establishments mostly owned by families have started closing down. They were replaced with bars and restaurants which were bigger or plainly just more commercialized. The changes in the environment still reap fruits. Nightlife has drastically increased, bringing jobs to many. (Manhattan Community District 3, nd) Neighborhood needs A primary problem in the community is homelessness. While prosperity is evident at some point, Manhattan Community Board 3 still is on the edge of everyday survival. As an example, many people were being displaced off their homes because the rents were becoming to high to afford. Alcohol is also fast becoming a problem. As more people get chances of frolicking, more establishments are acquiring licenses to sell alcoholic drinks. On the other hand, licensing is not strictly monitored. (District needs, n. d. ) Residential spaces are also fast becoming commercialized. Thus, the community needs stricter zoning monitoring and regulations. In effect, the authorities should also protect the smaller economy. The community also needs better transport system. Bus and subway systems of the community are pathetic. Traffic itself is bad with illegal parkings, sidewalk disturbances and reroutings. Sanitation is likewise unacceptable at some point as there is no real comprehensive recycling program in the area. (District needs, n. d. ) References Manhattan community district 3.. n. d. Retrieved December 2, 2007, from http://nyc. gov/html/dcp/pdf/lucds/mn3profile. pdf District needs. n. d. Retrieved December 2, 2007, from http://www. nyc. gov/html/mancb3/html/district/needs. shtml

hmos takes the care out of health care Essay -- essays research papers

HMOs Take The ‘Care’ Out Of Health Care.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  In the early 1990s insurance companies, in attempt to control spiraling medical costs, created what would be termed â€Å"health maintenance organizations†, also known as HMOs. What HMOs do is create a team of physicians and medical personnel that the patients agrees to use. Within the contracts both the patient and the doctor sign, limits and restrictions are put on what the hospital will reimburse and what they will or will not provide in order to keep the costs down. At the beginning, these organizations were successful in bringing medical costs down and has made health insurance more affordable than ever. However, the contracts that the HMOs have you sign basically limits the doctor on how he or she can treat their patients, thus putting their job as the physician in the hands of the HMO. As profits began to go up and down these organizations have put more effort into keeping their costs down and have lost sight of actually caring fir the patients they are insuring.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  To prove my thesis in this paper I will discuss how our senior citizens and the chronically ill have been hurt by recent cuts their HMOs have made. I will discuss the many reports of HMO negligence and the issues concerning the patient doctor relationship. I will also go into what actions, or lack thereof, our government has taken in response to HMO woes. All of these points will show that HMOs have lost the concept for caring for their patients including our elders who are one genre that are being hit hard by the actions these HMOs have taken.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  In January of 2001, nearly one million senior citizens were kicked out of their Medicare health plan (â€Å"What’s Behind† 1). Why have so many HMOs dropped these health plans? The reason why is because these Medicare programs are for the elderly only and simply were not profitting, and in response, the insurance companies shut them down. The HMOs claim that federal reimbursement levels were not keeping up with the medical cost inflation forcing them to cut these programs. For instance, in 2001, the government’s reimbursement to the HMOs went up only 2 percent while the insurance company’s costs went up between 11 and 13 percent (par.3). Though the reimbursement level issues may have contributed to the HMOs decision to cut these pro... ...ted high levels of stress associated with dealing the multiple agencies and healthcare providers. Since managed care’s beginning, the way medical care has been provided and delivered as drastically changed, and this trend is more than likely to continue. No one is going to be hit harder by these changes than the families who have children with complex chronic medical conditions. Work Cited Alleger, Irene. â€Å"HMO’s- Business Masquerading as Medical Care.† Towsned Letter for Doctors and Patients 215 (2002): 135. par. 9. Almanac of Policy Issues. â€Å"Universal Health Care Coverage.† March 29, 2005. American Medical Student Association. â€Å"Myths & Facts About Single-Payer Universal Coverage.† Marc.h 29, 2005 Canadian Health Care . â€Å"Canadian Health Care.† March 29,2005. â€Å"HHS:HMO’s Ignore Medical Incompotence.† International Council fpr Health & Human Services 5.21 (2001): 1-2 par. 17. Tuleya, R.J. â€Å"The HMO Dilema.† Nutrition Health Review: The Consumer’s Medical Journal 79 (1999): 3. par. 22. â€Å"What’s Behind the Medicare Woes?† People’s Medical Society Newsletter 19.6 (2001): 1-2 par. 7. Universal Health Care. â€Å"Summary of recommendations Poor Health and Homeless. March 29, 2005.

Arbitration

Arbitration is the process of resolving an argument outside the formal court system.   An arbitrator listens to both parties and determines an agreement that is fairest to both parties.   As a part of the hiring process, many employers are mandating voluntary arbitration agreements between the employee and the company as part of the application process for hiring. These types of arbitration agreements have caused concern from the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission for employee protection.   One famous case arose between the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission and Waffle House.   The rulings from the case by both the Circuit Courts and the Supreme Courts have changed the structure and proceedings for the mandatory arbitration agreements between employees and employers. When an employee of Waffle House was fired after having a seizure during work hours, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission filed legal action against Waffle House. Because the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission was not part of the mandatory arbitration agreement between Waffle House and the employee the case was taken to the courts â€Å"In EEOC v. Waffle House, Inc., the Supreme Court held that an agreement between an employer and an employee to arbitrate employment disputes does not bar the EEOC from pursuing an independent lawsuit on the employee’s behalf and seeking employee—specific judicial relief.† (Labor and Employee Relations, 2002)   The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission filed a complaint that Waffle House was in violation of the Americans with Disabilities Act and sought punitive damages and back pay for the employee. At first glance, one might come to the conclusion that the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission has essentially replaced the arbitration process between employers and employees.   If the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission can file complaints because a representative of the commission had not signed an agreement with the company, it is natural to assume that companies would find such agreements to be futile and worthless.   Now employees can file an arbitration claim and an Equal Employment Opportunity Commission claim against employers. The main purpose of the mandatory arbitration agreements was to keep employee suits out of the court system to save both the employee and the company legal fees.   Under the Supreme Court rulings it would appear that employers are no longer protected and the use of arbitration agreements with employees would potentially increase the possibility of having a suit filed against the company. However, employers know that the number of cases that the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission actually takes to the courts is extremely low in comparison to the number of cases the commission receives annually.   The chances of a case going to litigation is significantly low as long as the employer has examined the wording of the mandatory arbitration agreements and has maintained safe and fair working practices. Even though the Supreme Court left open the statue of limitations on cases filed by the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission and the type of damages that could be sought, mandatory arbitration is still viewed as a cost effective method to settle employee disputes with companies.   â€Å"If the employee failed to mitigate his or her damages, any recovery by the EEOC would be limited accordingly.† (Labor and Employee Relations, 2002) Employers who practice sound business procedures are still protected by the mandatory arbitration agreements because an employee is limited on the types of compensation that can be claimed either by the employee or by the commission on the employee’s behalf.   In addition, many employees that sign the mandatory arbitration agreements are completely unaware of the existence of the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission or that they can file outside of the company’s chosen arbitrator for law suits against the company.   Even though technically employees have two methods to file against an employer, the reality is that most employees are ignorant of the resources at their disposal. The Supreme Court’s decision to allow the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission to represent employees outside of mandatory arbitration has not deterred companies from continuing the practice of these requiring these agreements.   Arbitration remains the most cost effective method to settle employee disputes by avoiding high legal fees for both the company and the employee.   The Supreme Court’s decision resulted in companies practicing more equitable work procedures. In addition, the decision forced companies to examine existing agreements and modify them to be more equitable to the employer.   With the changes in the arbitration agreements, the low percentage of cases taken to court by the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission and the lack of knowledge by employees of the commission’s existence the use of mandatory arbitration agreements to settle employee disputes is still cost effective and on the rise for companies.

Hospital and Appointment Management Purposes

Homework Assignment #2 03/04/13 Please provide your answer after each problem and submit the file with your answers through Angel. Problem #8 from page 145 Using the Crow’s Foot methodology, create an ERD that can be implemented for a medical clinic, using at least the following business rules: a. A patient can make many appointments with one or more doctors in the clinic, and a doctor can accept appointments with many patients. However, each appointment is made with only one doctor and one patient. b. Emergency cases do not require an appointment.However, for appointment management purposes, an emergency is entered in the appointment book as â€Å"unscheduled. † c. If kept, an appointment yields a visit with the doctor specified in the appointment. The visit yields a diagnosis and, when appropriate, treatment. d. With each visit, the patient’s records are updated to provide a medical history e. Each patient visit creates a bill. Each patient visit is billed by o ne doctor, and each doctor can bill many patients. f. Each bill must be paid. However, a bill may be paid in many installments, and a payment may cover more than one bill. . A patient may pay the bill directly, or the bill may be the basis for a claim submitted to an insurance company. h. If the bill is paid by an insurance company, the deductible is submitted to the patient for payment. [pic] Problem #2 from page 173 Given the following business scenario, create a Crow’s Foot ERD using a specialization hierarchy if appropriate. Tiny Hospital keeps information on patients and hospital rooms. The system assigns each patient a patient ID number. In addition, the patient’s name and date of birth are recorded.Some patients are resident patients (they spend at least one night in the hospital) and others are outpatients (they are treated and released). Resident patients are assigned to a room. Each room is identified by a room number. The system also stores the room type (pr ivate or semiprivate), and room fee. Over time, each room will have many patients that stay in it. Each resident patient will stay in only one room. Every room must have had a patient, and every resident patient must have a room. I believe specialization hierarchy is 100 percent not appropriate.Although resident patients are an identi? able type of patient instance, there are not additional attributes that are unique to only that kind or type of patient. Participation in a relationship that is unique to a particular kind or type of instance is not suf? cient justi? cation for a specialization hierarchy. Indicating that only some instances will participate in a relationship is addressed by the optional participation designation. In this module, all resident patients must have a room; however, not all patients are resident patients so room is optional to patient.

Public Health and American Red Cross Essay Example

Public Health and American Red Cross Essay Example Public Health and American Red Cross Paper Public Health and American Red Cross Paper Community Teaching Work Plan Proposal Directions: Develop an educational series proposal for your community using one of the following four topics: 1) Bioterrorism/Disaster 2) Environmental Issues 3) Primary Prevention/Health Promotion 4) Secondary Prevention/Screenings for a Vulnerable Population Planning Before Teaching: Name and Credentials of Teacher: Sheila Sue Erickson RN House Supervisor Estimated Time Teaching Will Last: 20 minutes of speech, 20 minutes of practice, 20 minutes of questions. Location of Teaching: Classroom of Adolescent Unit Research Psychiatric Center 2323 EAST 63RD ST KANSAS CITY, MISSOURI Supplies, Material, Equipment Needed: Printed information and facts about earthquakes and survival from American Red Cross Estimated Cost: $2. 50 for reproduced paper on education Community and Target Aggregate: Adolescent Population of Research Psychiatric Center (13 patients) ages from 14 to 17. Topic: Earthquake Survival and Safety in case of a Disaster Epidemiological Rationale for Topic (statistics related to topic):  © 2014. Grand Canyon University. All Rights Reserved. From the website: Missouri Dept. of Public Safety SEMA State Emergency Management Agency From Dec. 16, 1811 to Feb. 7, 1812, at least three of the largest earthquakes to hit the continental United States rocked Missouri. With fracking going on so close to us it is imperative to educate all on earthquake preparedness. Nursing Diagnosis: Risk for Trauma Knowledge deficit related to environmental safety during an earthquake situation. Alteration in self-care related to trauma of family and the person involved in the situation. Readiness for Learning: Identify the factors that would indicate the readiness to learn for the target aggregate. Include emotional and experiential readiness to learn. This group is in the preplanning stage of readiness to learn. The research performed by the teacher was an assessment of what this population knew prior to any education about the event, the maturity level of the students, the situational factor that they are patients in a mental hospital and the ability to teach this age group without providing further trauma to their lives. Possible issues that could present are children leaving the room, disinterest in the subject, side effects from medication making the children tired and non-responsive. Asking this group to participate in demonstrations will be challenging due to some of the diagnosis that they are experiencing. Children who are attention seeking will dominate the conversation and the teacher needs to be able to redirect the conversation back to topic and give all a chance to learn. Learning Theory to Be Utilized: Explain how the theory will be applied. Teacher will ask who wants to be part of a presentation and learn something new. Teacher will assess with simple questions about what is an Earthquake. Has anyone experienced and earthquake, and who knows what to do in case of such a disaster. Presentation of information that is about the topic from the American Red Cross.  © 2014. Grand Canyon University. All Rights Reserved. Goal: Healthy People 2020 (HP2020) objective(s) utilized as the goal for the teaching. Include the appropriate objective number and rationale for using the selected HP2020 objective (use at least one objective from one of the 24 focus areas). If an HP2020 objective does not support your teaching, explain how your teaching applies to one of the two overarching HP2020 goals. Healthy People 2020 section IV Goal 1: WHAT? Address All Hazards Preparedness as a Public Health Issue. Most emergencies have the potential for serious adverse effects on the health of the public. Being  prepared by educating the public in what to do in case of a specific emergency in order to spare their own life and what to do post event. Training and exercises improve the ability of the public health workforce to respond to emergencies and save their own life. How Does This HP2020 Objective Relate to Alma Ata’s Health for All Global Initiatives (See page 116 in the textbook)? Alma Ata’s globalization of health recognizes that barriers between countries are blurring, that health issues cannot be isolated to one county. Page 114, 128, and page 131 discusses and speaks of the work of the community health nurse that involves  planning and providing health care services to all populations plus education. Develop Behavioral Objectives (Including Domains), Content, and Strategies/Methods: Behavioral Objective and Domain Example – Third-grade students will name one healthy food choice in each of the five food groups by the end of the presentation. (Cognitive Domain) Content (be specific) Example – The Food Pyramid has five food groups which are†¦. Healthy foods from each group are†¦. Unhealthy foods containing a lot of sugar or fat are†¦. Strategies/Methods (label and describe) Example – Interactive poster presentation of the Food Pyramid. After an explanation of the poster and each food category, allow students to place pictures of foods on the correct spot on the pyramid. Also, have the class analyze what a child had for lunch by putting names of foods on the poster and discussing what food group still needs to be eaten throughout day.  © 2014. Grand Canyon University. All Rights Reserved. 1. After the discussion about earthquakes, children will be able to demonstrate how to remain safe during the episode. 1. Discussion about what happens during the earthquake. Preparation for aftershocks. Lack of communication and safety during the critical  period. 1. Information from American Red Cross given as a format for discussion. 2. What to do when you are injured. 2. What to do in the case of aftershocks. 2. Preparation for an earthquake. 3. 3. Lack of communication 3. Storing of essential resources such as food and water. 4. 4. How to be prepared for an earthquake, storage of food and water. 4. Creativity: How was creativity applied in the teaching methods/strategies? The children were allowed to participate with falling boxes as to how they would react to glass breaking and shaking and how they would find a way or place to be safe. Creative discussion  was allowed and the children discussed where they would store food and what food would be considered safe. Question and answer time was allowed as well. Planned Evaluation of Objectives (Outcome Evaluation): Describe what you will measure for each objective and how. 1) Ability to choose a safe place in case of a disaster. Practice allowed. Fake drill to see what reaction is. 2) How to stay safe post-earthquake. 3) Safe food and water storage.  © 2014. Grand Canyon University. All Rights Reserved. 4) Planned Evaluation of Goal: Describe how and when you could evaluate the overall effectiveness of your teaching plan. Come back to the group later in the evening and see how much was retained by the groups. Planned Evaluation of Lesson and Teacher (Process Evaluation): 2 groups will discuss what answers they chose and what would be primary as far as safety. Barriers: What are potential barriers that may arise during teaching and how will those be handled? Children who are certain medication that will be too tired to participate will not be forced. Children that are autistic or do not wish to participate will just observe if they wish. Communication: How will you begin your presentation (hook them in)? How will you end your presentation (go out with a bang)? What nonverbal communication techniques will you employ? Time the reaction times and see if we can beat the one before us by using 2 groups. Information provided by American Red Cross. Ask who would like to participate in a class project that the House Supervisor is studying in school, peaking interest of children that are curious as to why House Supervisor is still in school. Letting children discuss and demonstrate what would save their life or a life of someone close to them.  © 2014. Grand Canyon University. All Rights Reserved.

Invasion of the Zebra Mussels essays

Invasion of the Zebra Mussels essays There has been an incursion into the sovereign territory of the United States of America. The Zebra mussel, an animal much akin to the clam, has colonized nearly every hard surface in the Great Lakes area, and many rivers and streams attached to them. These invaders arrived on ships from England, pumped out through the ballast. Zebra mussels are from a different environment (England), thus they are classified as an exotic species. These pesky animals threaten the entire Great Lakes ecosystem. The invasion has created many problems for the local ecosystem. First of all, Zebra mussels take the food for which native species already compete. Each mussel consumes about a liter of different types of plankton. Small fish lose their food, and their numbers dwindle. Big fish no longer have small fish to eat, and the entire food chain is disrupted. Now that the natives dont have enough food to go around, mortality rates are going up and they are starting to die out. Another problem theyve created is clogging on industrial units. They reproduce en mass and attach themselves to anything they find, including docks, boat ramps, and waste pipes. All the industries in the area now have to worry about scraping these mini-invaders off. Yet another problem theyve created is contaminated drinking water. The intake pipes in Lake Michigan and elsewhere are covered with mussels. Without being removed, they contaminate water and move on to clog up city pipes. Still another problem is their colo nization of rock reefs. With the mussels being several inches deep in places, their waste is poisoning the area and fish that would normally lay their eggs there must look elsewhere for nesting areas. Now natality is down and mortality is up. A final problem they cause is damage to property. By latching onto boats and other floating objects, they can and will damage them. They cause innumerable problems, so now the ...