Introduction
The traditional way of improving the community health level is organizing health fairs and providing educational interventions for the people of concern. However, recent research shows that there are significant correlations between community self-reported health and the unemployment rate of a community (Bambra & Eikemo, 2018). Unemployment affects mental health, increases suicide, and other causes of mortality rates provoke long-term illnesses, and are associated with a higher prevalence of risky health behavior (Bambra & Eikemo, 2018). The present paper provides reasons for giving up traditional health interventions for joining and supporting the initiative to increase job openings to increase the community’s County Health Rankings.
Impact on Mental Health
The initiative to increase the number of job offerings instead of spending money on health fairs and educational programs can positively affect the mental well-being of the community. According to Strandh, Winefield, Nilsson, and Hammarström (2014), job loss is connected to with deteriorating mental health in all age groups. Moreover, the longer a person stays unemployed, the more adverse are the consequences of the matter.
The common impacts of staying with a job for an extended period are apathy, risky behavior, suicide, and depression (Bambra & Eikemo, 2018). The risk of suicide among unemployed men is almost two times higher if compared to the employed population (Strandh et al., 2014). While some of the consequences of the matter tend to develop throughout patients’ lives, most of the adverse effects do not linger after re-employment (Strandh et al., 2014). Therefore, the dedication of the hospital board towards increasing the number of job openings can let the community member avoid the long-term mental problems induced by unemployment.
Long-Term Illness and Unemployment
In addition to problems with mental health, unemployed people have an increased chance of acquiring chronic illnesses. According to Bambra and Eikemo (2018), the risk of reporting chronic illnesses is 1.5-2.5 times higher depending on the number of times a person was left without a job, and the unemployment period duration. Apart from emotional reasons for the matter, there also is an objective explanation of the emergence of long-term illnesses.
Financial hardships after a job loss usually lead to deprivation in infrastructure, educational and labor market opportunities, and availability of healthy foods (Brydsten, Gustafsson, Hammarström, & San Sebastian, 2017). Moreover, unemployment is commonly associated with losing health insurance that can negatively affect reported health. People experiencing money problems spend less on their well-being avoiding costly preventative procedures and treatment (Bambra & Eikemo, 2018). In short, providing people with high-security jobs in a hospital will decrease the number of people with chronic illnesses.
Unhealthy habits, such as smoking, alcohol abuse, and drug addiction, are also common consequences of unemployment. According to Bambra and Eikemo (2018), people left without jobs for three years are 2.11 times more likely to have problems with tobacco smoking, and 2.15 times more inclined to start drinking alcohol. These behavioral trends may lead to acquiring long-term illnesses. In brief, hospitals can help their patients’ avoid harmful habits by offering more jobs.
Conclusion
The traditional community health interventions remain an effective tool for improving the well-being status of the area. At the same time, a cost-effective dedication to providing an extended number of employment offerings on hospital grounds can be more beneficial for people’s mental health. Moreover, additional jobs will help the community to avoid unhealthy behavior and long-term illnesses. Therefore, it may be concluded that the biggest driver of poor health in an area is unemployment, and joining and supporting an initiative to increase job openings is more efficient than holding health fairs or ordering educational lecture series.
References
Bambra, C., & Eikemo, T. (2018). Insecurity, unemployment, and health: A social epidemiological perspective. In U. Kehe & E. van Hooft, The Oxford Handbook of Job Loss and Job Search (pp. 111-116). New York, NY: Oxford University Press.
Brydsten, A., Gustafsson, P., Hammarström, A., & San Sebastian, M. (2017). Does contextual unemployment matter for health status across the life course? A longitudinal multilevel study exploring the link between neighbourhood unemployment and functional somatic symptoms. Health & Place, 43, 113-120. Web.
Strandh, M., Winefield, A., Nilsson, K., & Hammarström, A. (2014). Unemployment and mental health scarring during the life course. The European Journal of Public Health, 24(3), 440-445. Web.