Health Care Hall of Fame Museum Essay

Submitted By Sandy-Epting
Words: 965
Pages: 4

Health Care Hall of Fame Museum
Sandy Epting
HCS/235
04/19/2015
Brenda Young

Health Care Hall of Fame Museum
The purpose of this paper is to give the reader a clear look at five main exhibits relating to the development of health and health care in the United States, the challenges we face as a nation and some of the obstacles we have to overcome. Vaccinations
In the past century great progress has been made with vaccinations and the eradication of many childhood diseases. We no longer fear diseases like measles, mumps, chicken, pox, whooping cough, tetanus and diphtheria. In order to maintain this status we must continue with strict immunization policies. In the past decade new vaccines have been implemented and have saved many lives regarding hepatitis B, influenza and pneumonia (United States Health Care System). We still have individuals in the U.S. that carry the beliefs vaccines are not good, they can cause autism, therefore they refuse to allow their child to get vaccinated. Research is constantly be done and there are no studies that have given validity to these beliefs. Obesity Obesity in our youth is on the rise, it has doubled in children and quadrupled in adolescents over the past thirty years. In 1980 children between the ages of 6 and 11 that were obese was 7%, by 2012 the number had increased to 18%, meaning one third of children and adolescents were overweight or obese (Centers for Disease). With these numbers, this generation is on the road to extinction, we may ask ourselves what has changed, and what we can do now to turn this around. Obesity is caused by eating more food than the body can use for energy, we must educate our children, encourage healthier eating habits, and more physical activity. Engage them in meal decisions and grocery shopping, help them to be a part of getting healthy, don’t force them, in doing so we are setting them up to fail. The long term effects of obesity include diabetes type 2, heart disease, high cholesterol and kidney disease to name a few. Look for different ways to make favorite meals healthy, keep healthy snacks on hand remember the future of our country is counting on us. Health Care Health care is one of the fastest growing industries in America. An estimated 22% of new jobs over the next decade will be in health care services, physicians, nurses, hospitals, long term care facilities, pharmaceutical industries, and management as well as ancillary staff. Not only are there more seniors, they’re also living longer. In the past century, life expectancy has increased by nearly 30 years (USHCS). Men born in 1900 could expect to live until age 48, women could expect to live 51, however their life expectancy had also jumped considerably, and by 2030, and the average person is expected to live to ages between 82 and 85 (Matthews, 2013). This increases our demands on healthcare, quality of life becomes a major issue, and people are seeking preventative health care, and are more interested in a healthy lifestyle. As our growing populations continue to grow we need to keep encourage continued education in order to meet the health care needs. Medications As we take a look back on the leading cause of death over the past decade, the top one still remains heart disease, one would ask why, with all the technology at hand, how can this remain unchanged? One answer to this question could it be noncompliance to their medication, or the belief that in taking medication, it will do more harm than good to their body. In some cases the uncertainty of the side effects outweigh the potential benefits. Once a negative message has been put into place it is hard to eliminate that thought process. We need to understand what their beliefs are, and why they