Question

Compare and contrast the ways that state and local governments can work with health care organizations to foster integration between primary care and public health.

Additionally, discuss the importance of linking primary care and public health and some of the challenges in doing so.

Answer 1

ANSWER :

Comparison and Contrasting of the Ways

The local and state governments can collabrate and with several health care organizations in various ways to foster integration between the public health and primary care. The first way is the coordination through which state and local governments can work with health care organizations. In this, state and local governments can make policy to provide benefits to the people on the basis of primary care and public health benefits (NCBI, 2012). On the other side, health care organization can implement this policy after proper discussion with the state and local government in which they can ask for the facilities for the latest technology. The coordination is different between state and local government and health care organization because of different necessity.

            Further, the second way is the establishment of the infrastructure for easy access of the patients. State and local government can assure to provide financial help to the health care organizations for establishment of hospitals. On the other side, health care organizations can implement the policies in a different way between primary care and public health on the ground on the basis of getting help for state and local government (NCBI, 2012). It can be beneficial for both state and local government and health care organization because of providing better treatment facilities.

            The third way that state and local governments can work with health care organizations to foster integration between primary care and public health is the health system improvement. In this, it is mandatory for the state and local government and health care organization to take committed responsibility towards better health care process either it is primary care or public health (NCBI, 2012). Here, governments can provide insurance facilities and free medicines and treatment to the people and health care organizations can follow all this process for the people at any cost. However, in most of the circumstances, health care organizations avoid to follow this way because of increasing costs and burden of health system improvement according to the state and local government policies.

Importance of Linking Primary Care and Public Health and Challenges

            The linking primary care and public health generally improve the social health outcomes due to better coordination and collaboration. Further, linking primary care and public health clearly articulate the roles and functions in the entire health care system for betterment of the individuals. Moreover, it can also be seen that primary care and public health linkage inform a forward-looking policy approach in the health care organizations for a long-time (Ciliska et al., 2005). Addition to this, linking of primary care and public health make an environment of health promotion and prevention of disease and injury of the individuals effectively.

            On the other side, there are some challenges during linking primary care and public health that can be seen as lack of shared language and understanding of each other roles (Ciliska et al., 2005). The integration of the primary care and public health usually come around different practices culture that increase the situation of competing priorities and tension between health promotion and illness care.     

References:

Ciliska, et al. (2005). Public Health and Primary Care Challenges and Strategies for Collaboration. Retrieved from: http://www.health.gov.on.ca/en/common/ministry/publications/reports/capacity_review06/phealth_pcare.pdf

NCBI (2012). Primary Care and Public Health: Exploring Integration to Improve Population Health. Retrieved from: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK201597/