Community Health Care

What is Community Health Care?

Community health care is the maintenance and restoration of health occurring in a community. It involves people whose vocation is health care, but focuses on people with other jobs who deliberately take responsibility for their health and for that of those around them. Business people, police officers, and garbage collectors all need to be involved!

 

Population/community health can be approached according to the determinants of health and according to a policy framework. Sanitation and food security appear far more important that medical care in a lot of cases.

 

Community health care benefits through the growth and development of a community in every way possible.

Community health addresses issues that affect local populations. Public health has a broader reach, impacting society. Should health care be community driven? It is important for health care trainees and providers (HCTs and HCPs) to be in the community, connecting with what is really happening with people. Trainees ideally should go out in teams, focusing on things like obesity and smoking.

 

Donna Smith works with Cancer Care Nova Scotia and is involved in province-wide equipping of lay educators. These educators cover topics ranging from breast cancer to healthy living in their own communities. Amazing!

 

 

 

 

Community Health Organizations

As community health involves geographically distinct groups, community health organizations will not necessarily be applicable to everyone. Different lists are required for different areas.

Community organizations are very much in touch with emotional and function impacts of disease.

Community organizations need to link with primary health care, systemically and locally.

They can also do research.

Nova Scotia community health organizations

 

 

Support Groups

 

Support groups can be both encouraging and frustrating. They often start off well, with much enthusiasm and benefits, but over time can turn into doctor bashing cliques...

Then, they can lie dormant for a time before being reborn, like the phoenix.