National Initiatives and Their Meaning for the Local Community
National healthcare initiatives offer a variety of solutions for some of the pressing issues in New York City. It is estimated that around 30% of adults remain physically inactive in the past 30 days (“Metric detail for physical Inactivity in 2017,” n.d.). The habit of being physically inactive often takes its roots from a young age. National Youth Sports Strategy aims to provide youngsters with access to sports. The supporting tool is the Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) have developed BAM! Body and Mind classroom resources for teachers (“Body and mind classroom resources for teachers,” n.d.). These classes motivate children to stay active, healthy and prepare them for an independent life.
Another healthcare issue that is closely connected to the one mentioned above is cardiovascular diseases. According to the official data, 227.2 deaths per 100 000 population happen due to cardiovascular diseases (“Metric detail for cardiovascular diseases deaths in 2017,” n.d.). Global Burden Disease program estimates that Ischemic heart disease was the cause of 18% of deaths in 2017 (“GBD compare,” n.d.). Million Hearts 2022 initiative has set the goal to prevent 1 million heart attacks and strokes within five years (“Million Hearts,” n.d.). The priority areas within the initiative are undiagnosed hypertension, cholesterol management, and tobacco use. This clear-cut approach will ensure the development of evidence-based tools for tackling heart diseases.
Preventive services play a crucial role in implementing healthcare strategies. In 2016, only 27.7% of New York’s adults older than 65 years received preventive services (“Metric detail for preventive services in 2016,” n.d.). The lack of preventive healthcare leads to the late detection of Alzheimer’s disease and other dementias. National Plan to Address Alzheimer’s disease is developed to treat and prevent the spread of the disease by 2025 (“National plans to address Alzheimer’s disease,” 2019). The general trend of the aging population proves the need to consolidate efforts to grapple with dementia.
Strategies to Involve Local Policymakers to Advocate for Change
Local policymakers should pay more attention to the employment of the National Youth Sports Strategy. A city-wide strategy to increase the participation of youth in sports will encourage the regular physical activity of kids and their families. Activities can be organized at school levels or district levels to ensure universal access to sports facilities for youngsters. New York City policymakers have to align the local strategy for determining early and presymptomatic stages of Alzheimer’s disease. Tools that track the onset of the disease have been developed through The Alzheimer’s Disease Neuroimaging Initiative (ADNI).
I would suggest focusing on the national healthcare goals to engage policymakers to implement some of the initiatives. These goals are the reduction of morbidity of Alzheimer’s disease, improvement of cardiovascular health life, and enhancement of the quality of life through daily activity. National goals and targets would stimulate local policymakers to take action. Moreover, the evidence-based approach which national goals follow will encourage politicians to set measurable objectives.
Tweet That Describes how the Global Burden of Disease is Impacting the Community
Deaths from cardiovascular diseases skyrocketed in 2017. Still, almost 30% of New Yorkers were physically inactive in the past 30 days.
Analysis of the Meeting of Dr. Riley and Congressman Aiken
First of all, Dr. Riley chose the right approach when she started by giving a real example of a homeless person. That person lost a job due to the lack of transportation infrastructure, and Dr. Riley stressed this out. However, it would be better to support the information with more evidence, like figures of the number of people that lacked access to transportation routes. While speaking about nurse practitioners, she again did not mention real data to highlight the results. In my opinion, it is necessary to support the evidence with figures and visualizations. In terms of further communication, it would be more efficient to have a schedule of the next meetings and a precise action plan.
References
BAM! Body and mind classroom resources for teachers. (n.d.). Web.
GBD compare. (n.d.). Web.
Million Hearts. (n.d.). Web.
Metric detail for cardiovascular diseases deaths in 2017. (n.d.). Web.
Metric detail for physical inactivity in 2017. (n.d.). Web.
Metric detail for preventive services in 2016. (n.d.). Web.
National plans to address Alzheimer’s disease. (2019). Web.