How Healthcare Works, LLC

Following a discussion with some fellow community members, wondering whether or not a housing division was Section 8 or public housing, I decided to do some research on the subject. Having never used either public housing or Section 8 housing as an adult, I was only somewhat familiar with the criteria and how it worked. What is Public Housing? Public housing is a program designed for individuals of very low income.  Eligibility amounts are determined from state to state.  In Missouri, the very low-income limit for a household of three is $27,150, low income is $43,400, and 30% of the median is $18,100.  In the Kansas City metro, 30% median is $19,700.  That is, all sources of income for the home may not exceed $19,700 in that area for someone to qualify for low-income public housing.  For example, a retail employee who earns $9 per hour and works full time with two children in the home and who also receives $500 a month for child support would have an available income of $24,72

On 9/11, many of us reminisce about where we were on that fateful day 15 years ago. I was in my car, driving to my internship at University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics, and I had just started my second year of graduate school. As I sat in my little Pontiac, I could hardly believe what I was hearing. The first tower had been hit by an airplane.  That must have been a mistake.  Maybe it wasn't real. Then, as I parked my car, and arrived to my office, I heard the sounds of radios and televisions playing the tragedy out. People in the office were frantically calling their friends and loved ones in New York, wondering, hoping, and praying they were not at the Twin Towers that day. Later that day, I was walking to class past the now destructed old College of Public Health  building. New construction plans were in progress, and a pile of rubble lay in front of the building.  As I walked by, I thought to myself, this is a small scale of what those in New York City are walking by tod

Public health can be found in many aspects of your daily life. When you first wake up in the morning, you may use the bathroom. You flush the toilet and use your city's sanitation system. Sanitation is a public health accomplishment. When you finish using the bathroom, you wash your hands. You do this because you were educated to do so through public health education efforts. Those efforts taught you that washing your hands after using the bathroom helps to reduce the spread of disease. Then, you brush your teeth. The water you use may be fluoridated, as well as your toothpaste, another public health effort. As your pull your milk out of the refrigerator, you notice that it is has a "use by" date on it. That is another public health guideline to keep your food fresh and safe. While eating your breakfast, you sit and read the food label on the box. The food label is another public health effort that lets consumers know what is in their food. After breakfast, you get

Several years ago, I was involved in a food distribution program. The program was a cooperative program between the church I attended, an elementary school, and a local food shortage distribution organization. During the time I volunteered with this program, I discovered that several misconceptions exist about the Supplemental Nutrition Assistant Program (SNAP) and eligibility criteria.  Many of the individuals who worked with the program had never received SNAP benefits, myself and my household included, so they were unaware of some of the issues associated with SNAP benefits. History Behind Food Stamps Food stamps got their start during the Great Depression.  The program was initially established in 1933 to distribute excess food supply from farmers to hunger relief programs. In 1939, the Food Stamps Plan, as it was called, was created under the New Deal.  Low income individuals would purchase food stamps to purchase food and other necessary household items. At the end of World

Most healthcare organizations are based on hierarchical systems. That means that each person is ranked within the healthcare organization based on their own particular skill sets or abilities. Even within professions, such as nursing, a hierarchy exists. This hierarchy is determined by the positions themselves and also by levels of education and experience. State licensing requirements also establish assignments based on abilities, training and expertise and scope of practice. For example, the nursing profession has its own hierarchy. This is based on level of training and experience. Certified nursing assistants (CNAs)  report to nurses.The nurse may be a licensed practical nurse (LPN) or a registered nurse (RN). The LPN has approximately 18 months training, whereas an RN has to two to four years of training. An LPN often reports directly to an RN. Within the RN's, there is also a hierarchy.  Registered nurses may either hold an Associates Degree in Nursing (ADN) or a Bachelor

One way to continuously address and potentially mitigate diversity and workforce challenges is by establishing equity.  Naturally, there is no way to create equity in every area for every person. However, policies and procedures and hiring practices should demonstrate the organization's core values that are equitably applied to all employees. 1. Creating diverse staff and leadership. In a 2001 report by the Office of Minority Health, National Standards for Culturally and Linguistically Appropriate Services (CLAS) were identified. CLAS standard 2 was to "recruit, retain, and promote"..."diverse staff and leadership that are representative of the demographic characteristics of the service area." In order to accomplish this goal, employers should create a diverse staff at all levels that is a general representation of the population in its geographic service area. For example, according to the 2010 U.S. Census, in the Kansas City, MO, area, the population is 59

After several years of high unemployment and essentially an employer's market for healthcare organizations, the tables have turned, and employers are facing low unemployment and workforce shortages.  The workforce shortages include some of the same issues already present, such as in nursing, and some new shortage areas, such as in behavioral health and social work. Employees are now becoming more in demand to fill empty positions, and employers are seeing themselves moving from a high supply of applicants to a low supply of applicants and from price makers to price takers. In order to combat the workforce shortage, healthcare organizations must address the long time looming concerns and complaints of those already in their employ and those wishing to be employed by their organization.  Here are some suggestions to do so: 1. Treat all applicants like potential employees/customers/patients. Every applicant who walks into a healthcare organization could be a potential hire. As