Health Disparities Research Paper

Addressing Healthcare Disparities in Rural Communities Disparities of any kind are an issue that everyone has been aware of at some point in their lifetimes. Disparities are no foreign concept to rural communities worldwide, with access to healthcare being one of the most significant disparities in these communities, no matter where. Unfortunately, barriers such as accessibility, availability, affordability, and lack of funding prevent some communities from living quality lives. The World Health Organization says, "Universal health coverage is defined.as access to key promotional, preventive, curative, and rehabilitative health services for all at an affordable rate and ensuring equity in access" (Gizaw et al.). Despite these four key factors …show more content…
This is to talk about fewer areas without awareness or possible treatments to help with this. Mental health is an essential but often undervalued aspect of health that some do not take seriously, it seems, because of cultural or social beliefs, lack of educational awareness, or lack of resources pertaining to this. Since mental health treatment is most regarded in a different category than physical health, people in rural areas usually miss out on the opportunity to obtain mental health treatment or even get evaluated of any sort. Substance Abuse There are a few reasons for substance abuse, like stress, trauma, easy access, mental health, and influence. Most of the time, there are no doctors, medications, or rehabilitation centers available to these individuals, which in turn leaves them repeating the same cycle of substance abuse with no intervention. This is an often under-addressed issue that needs more recognition as more and more people die from this problem if they lack the healthcare resources to help combat this grave …show more content…
Although it might be inconvenient in some instances, people who do not have ideal access to healthcare in their areas have no other option but to travel to other cities or countries to obtain needed healthcare. Some reasons that people opt for traveling for healthcare are because it is cheaper, the quality of care is better, and there is specialization in certain services. As this is an innovative way to obtain healthcare by other means, some flaws come with it, one of them being the safety aspect of it as travel risks are posed, which could cause more difficulty to the already existing health condition of the person traveling. One may even end up in a worse condition than before if proper precaution is not taken. Ultimately, it is known that rural communities experience the most significant disparities when it comes to healthcare and access. This leaves many lasting impacts on the communities affected and involved. Many innovations and interventions have been and are being made to help combat this issue. It will be good to see more awareness and attention to these problems faced by those in rural communities, as it will help more people be informed and potentially end this significant problem that costs so many lives

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