Case Study: Health in America

American Community
Student’s Name
Institutional Affiliation
American Community
Health is one factor in contemporary society that depends on multiple factors to be achieved successfully at individual levels. People bear multiple factors and behaviors that combine to determine the quality of their health. Bearing the nature of the discrepancies in healthcare, some of the challenges are external to the individuals. The African American ethnic group is the least healthful community in the US. So many superficial factors have been cited to contribute to the current status of black people’s health. However, the analyses barely delve into pragmatic strategies to bridge the gaps the soonest as possible. In this analysis, the emphasis is put on OJ’s case, who was admitted to a healthcare facility for drug addiction. Analyzing OJ’s case is vital in understanding the spatial aspects and social processes of community development and community organization as influenced by historical, ecological, sociological, political, and economic factors among African Americans.
The Case
OJ is a 43-year-old African American man who was brought to the healthcare facility by passers-by. The patient was brought in unconscious. Upon regaining his consciousness, it was established that OJ is a homeless man without any family member. He worked in a construction company before he was laid off three years ago. Every attempt towards gaining a new job has been futile. OJ lost his home and began living in the streets of Philadelphia. His living soon changed to dependence on well-wishers. It did not take long before indulging in drug abuse with fellow street dwellers. OJ was placed under a treatment regimen in which he stayed for two weeks before he was transferred to Magee Rehabilitation Hospital. OJ’s case is linked to multiple community factors that could revitalize the health of many if changed appropriately.
Health Determining Factors
Various factors in the American community contribute to the quality of health showcased by African Americans. Some of such factors are historical while others are contemporary and bear significant impacts on how healthcare services are skewed within the US. Historically, America has not been a favorable place for the health of African Americans (Weinstein et al., 2017). It is a fact that improving the health of African Americans to the point where it matches the white indices should bear significant impacts in eliminating multiple disabilities within the nation. The first African Americans came to America through slavery. The transport itself was quite inhumane, that it contributed to the injuries and deaths of many blacks. The death rates in the middle passage ranged from 9-35% (Bruce & Hawkins, 2019). Their arrival in the US coincided with physical and social activities that rendered their health valueless. While slavery ended more than 150 years ago, its imprints are still evident in America’s healthcare (Hill, 2016). Blacks have been victims of experiments such as the Tuskegee experiment. They also have limited access to healthcare insurance, spent most of their time jobless, and keep facing racial discrimination. All the above factors drive OJ and many others into the streets to beg for food and shelter.
There are also social factors that drive people into the streets and, eventually, drug addiction. To own a home and take care of a family, an individual must be stable both socially and economically. To most blacks, social factors have not been favorable in their quest for healthcare stability (Weinstein et al., 2017). Factors such as poor access to healthcare facilities and services, exposures to poor environmental factors, increased violence among different groups in the community, and racial discrimination remain among the social factors that impede quality health among blacks. It is also worth remarking that African Americans still lead in the incarceration rates, cases of police bruta...