Identifying The Problem
Protection of the institution of family and childhood in health matters should be a priority task of the state. At the current moment, several financial and non-financial barriers may prevent low-income families from seeking health care for themselves and their children and from receiving a good education. Children from low-income families continue to suffer because cost-effective child health measures do not reach them. In 2020, more than 4 million children under the age of 19, which is about 5.6% of all children — were uninsured for an entire calendar year, according to a US Census report, and changes in uninsured status over the past two years have affected children living beyond the poverty line, more (Bunch & Bandekar, 2021). An effective initiative is needed to expand access to health and education services and ensure the protection of families and children.
Economic principles
Well-being is determined by many factors: material well-being, the percentage of children living in relative income poverty, households without work, and reports of deprivation. Health and safety, educational well-being, and family and peer relationships are also measured. Economic factors are an important part of understanding the issue of child and family well-being. Currently, the childcare sector is an important and underfunded part of the American economy. Parents of young children devote a large amount of their total childcare income. Children benefit enormously from high-quality childcare facilities that nurture and support their healthy development while laying the foundation for the community’s future success by supporting children’s early learning skills. The great potential economic return on investment in early childhood education and early childhood care is obvious, especially for children from low-income families.
The Economic Impact on the Issue
The key concepts related to the economic well-being of individuals, families, or households are the financial resources they have to maintain their material living conditions and their ability to control these resources and needs. Individual circumstances and lifestyles influence people’s well-being. Income can be used to support current people’s consumption, such as food, clothing, housing, leisure, and education. Income can also be saved and invested in increasing wealth, supporting future consumption. Some low-income people have significant wealth to maintain consumption levels above their current income by converting some of their wealth into income. Other people can have high incomes and relatively low consumption if they pay off debt or save and invest. People with low wealth reserves may experience financial hardship during times of need, such as a period of declining income or significant unexpected expenses.
Socioeconomic Factors
Socio-economic status, low educational accessibility, and low income are associated with poor health among adults and children, such as poor self-reported health, mortality, the prevalence of chronic diseases, and psychosomatic symptoms. Inequality between population groups continues to grow, although general well-being and living conditions have improved in recent decades. The problem of low access to education for children from low-income families widens this gap. Minimizing health inequalities between population groups should be the goal of health policy. An association between parental socio-economic factors and health has also been demonstrated among children. For example, low parental education, unemployment, and low income are associated with poor health and an increased prevalence of chronic illness and psychosomatic symptoms. In addition, the presence of multiple parental socio-economic risk factors can have a cumulative effect on children’s poor health.
Health care Organizations
Two healthcare organizations were selected to help with the implementation of the program, with goals similar to those of the project. NICHQ has a single mission: to bring about radical and sustainable change in the complex health problems that children and their families face (NICHQ, 2022). The organization has earned a reputation as a national leader in improving the well-being of children and their families. The organization works with states, communities, public health agencies, hospitals, and families to improve children’s health. By building partnerships, encouraging collaboration, and providing data-driven technical assistance, NICHQ supports the various stakeholders who influence the systems that underpin children’s health. CHA has been providing for the needs of children, youth, and their families for several years. CHA was created as a partnership between concerned parents and healthcare professionals who saw the negative impact of hospitalization on their children, young people, and families and wanted to do something about it (CHA, 2022). CHA provides information programs that raise parental awareness of important health topics.
The Current Economic and Legal Landscape
An ambitious approach to developing policies and related public budgets is one of the elements of building a more equitable and sustainable economy and society. Results-based budgeting ensures early recovery and intervention and harm prevention in the first place, creating a context in which children and families thrive. Ensuring children’s well-being and human rights at an early age is critical to human rights and later life outcomes, but it also matters financially. At the moment, certain laws protect children’s right to education and health care. Support measures are multifaceted and come in the form of services to meet additional needs, from income tax relief to increased social security spending and increased criminal justice spending to increased demand for emergency services. However, the actual implementation of these measures does not cover the entire population. Governments must act on two levels: equip the people to thrive and eliminate the need for intervention by removing the root causes.
Proposed Policy
New policies and practices should be developed to protect the well-being of children and families. Evidence of the need to introduce such a program is that each new generation is different from the previous one, so strategies must be flexible and adaptive. The main goals to which it is proposed to pay attention are education and health care. It is necessary to ensure the highest quality of these services and to make sure that these essential benefits are available to every family. There is a need for public investment in the training of teachers and parents’ education to develop new curricula to create a correct and educational environment for all educational institutions. The system should focus on the needs and rights of children to train teachers who are oriented toward meeting these needs. Children and families need advocacy in the field of health. State support can be used to finance organizations that offer children’s rehabilitation programs and provide support to families.
Operational Strategies
A project to improve the well-being of children and families requires a competent manager who collects and analyzes the necessary information on the project and controls the plan’s implementation. State support and the support of private investors is the main driving force behind this project. To appeal to stakeholders and prove the need and effectiveness of changes, it is required to:
- analyze the existing data concerning children and families education and health problems;
- identify the most problematic industries and identify vulnerable segments of the population;
- develop a step-by-step program for implementing improvements for a year, five, or ten years.
- enlist support from educational and health institutions by getting to know their needs and problems;
- address the full proposed program to the stakeholders, emphasizing the future positive impact;
- offer assistance in evaluating the effectiveness of the developed strategies in practice.
The Role of Healthcare Organizations
Healthcare organizations can provide significant support at all stages of program implementation. When addressing organizations, it is necessary to emphasize the long-term importance of the project for improving the collective health of children and providing a comfortable environment for medical services. In addition, it is necessary to highlight the possibility of obtaining funding for the development of new programs that can significantly improve the organization’s reputation. Medical organizations are important in this regard since they are invited to introduce new methods in the field of healthcare to improve the situation of children and families. In addition, they already have experience in improving health care and can share the effectiveness of certain innovations. Close work is needed with organizations that are already contributing to this problem. In addition, organizations regularly encounter barriers and can communicate to stakeholders the need to overcome them.
The Possible Improvements to the Health care System
An initiative program aimed to improve the well-being of children and families in the field of healthcare will improve the overall American healthcare system. First of all, due to state support, it will be possible to reduce the cost of services provided, thereby ensuring their availability. Accessibility can also be achieved by organizing free lectures and webinars for parents to help educate them to improve children’s well-being. Free screening programs and awareness-raising among children about the importance of health issues can be organized. In addition, with financial support, it is possible to expand organizations and open branches, thereby serving families from hard-to-reach regions. The program can be a major step in reorienting the entire system to realize the importance of ensuring children’s well-being for the country’s future.
Proposed Policy and the Socioeconomic Factors
The proposed program is informed about the socio-economic factors affecting public health. Socio-economic factors show that the well-being of children is influenced by the income of parents and society as a whole, family environment, access to education, and health care. The proposed program proposes to ensure joint leveling of the consequences of the negative impact of these factors. The program is not able to increase the income of families, but it proposes to make the critical systems: education and health care, more accessible to all community members. Access to health care and education for all members of society will contribute to preserving a childhood environment in which worthy people will be brought up. Socioeconomic factors will always be present in society; however, protecting the population from their negative consequences is necessary.
Potential Socioeconomic Barriers, Solutions and Required Supports
The main barrier to implementing the proposed program to improve the education and health system may be the reluctance of the authorities to reallocate the budget for funding. Another barrier may be the reluctance of organizations to reshape their policies to ensure that services are accessible to the underprivileged part of the population. Distrust of the low-income population and unawareness of the importance of increasing the availability of services among marginalized groups can become a social barrier. The only possible solution to these problems should be a convincing presentation of the project and proof of its effectiveness for the government, charitable foundations, and healthcare organizations. Without the support of these stakeholders, the successful implementation of the project will not be possible. Not only is financial assistance important, but also raising awareness of the program at the state level, advertising in the social environment, and informing the population of the importance of participating in it.
Proposition for the Major Health care Organizations
The proposal for health organizations should primarily address the core mission of these organizations, which is to provide protection to children. Organizations need to be convinced that their goals and the proposed program are moving in the same direction and have as their aim the creation of a comfortable environment for children and families. Since the organizations already aim to help children and families, it will not be necessary to prove the need for the proposed program. It is required to emphasize the advantages that the company will receive from participating in the project. It is worth mentioning the potential advertising of organizations involved in the program, the possibility of opening new branches, and increasing reputation. An important plus will be the financial support of organizations, allowing organizations to develop their projects.
Call to Action
Children are the future of the country, which needs help and support. The number of children who do not have access to good education and health services is growing, and this situation needs to be changed urgently. Providing a comfortable environment for growing up is the duty of any state. Many children from low-income families and societies may not become worthy community members without affordable health care and education. Caring for children should become a priority, both for the state and for every member of society. Equal opportunities for all children are what modern society should strive for. The money spent on increasing the availability of basic services will pay off in full. Children raised in a comfortable and accessible environment will contribute to the country’s development in the future, becoming sought-after specialists. The formation of an advanced future society will be the main result of this program.
References
Bunch, L.N., & Bandekar, A.U. (2021). Changes in Children’s Health Coverage Varied by Poverty Status From 2018 to 2020. United States Census Bureau. Web.
Children’s Hospital Association. (2022). Champions for Children’s’ Health. CHA. Web.
National Institute for Children’s Health Quality (2022). Achieving Better Health Outcomes for Children. NICHQ. Web.