Health Services, Organization, and Policies​
PHC5515
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This course instilled an understanding of American health policy and the policymaking process, including problems, policies, programs, issues, interests, institutions, organizations, financing, and delivery of health services, the ACA, and reform agendas.
Moreover, this class facilitated a nuanced understanding of the core function of public health and explained the social, political, and economic determinants of health, as well as how they affect health system performance in terms of access, cost, and quality. This class also evaluated the political feasibility of a health policy reform proposal and discussed how structural bias, social inequalities, and racism undermine health and create challenges to achieving health equity at both organizational and community levels.
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Papers
Comparing Systems: German and Italian Healthcare System and Reform for the U.S.
Florida State University
PHC6110: Comparative Health
This paper compares the healthcare systems in Italy and Germany in terms of cost, quality, access, and innovation. Italy administers a tax-funded National Health Service (Servizio Sanitario Nazionale), providing universal coverage at comparatively affordable rates, although encountering difficulties concerning regional inequities and resource distribution. In contrast, Germany utilizes a multi-payer social health insurance system (Gesetzliche Krankenversicherunf ) that offers extensive coverage and high-quality care but at a higher cost. This paper examines potential improvements for the U.S. healthcare system, which is experiencing high costs and disparities in access and care. This paper identifies strategies to enhance affordability, efficiency, quality, and innovation in the U.S. healthcare landscape by examining the policies and structures of the Italian and German healthcare systems.
Tuberculosis in U.S. Prisons: Risks, Realities, and Responses
Florida State University
PHC5001: Public Health Epidemiology
Tuberculosis (TB) remains a persistent and often overlooked public health crisis within the U.S. prison system. Prison populations face heightened vulnerability to TB due to overcrowded facilities, inadequate access to healthcare, and a mix of structural and social determinants. This paper examines the historical trajectory of TB in prisons, from early 20th-century outbreaks to its resurgence during the HIV/AIDS crisis and the current landscape. By analyzing the conditions that promote TB transmission, such as poor ventilation, understaffed and undertrained medical personnel, and insufficient infection protocols, it becomes evident that structural inequalities and mass incarceration heighten risk. Addressing TB in U.S. prisons is not merely a matter of inmate health; it is a crucial public health imperative.
The U.S. Healthcare System: Problems, Causes, and Potential Solutions
Florida State University
PHC5155: Health Services, Organization, and Policies
This paper assesses how organizational, financing, social and political influences affect U.S. health system performance in terms of access, cost, and quality. This paper identifies multiple policies that have attempted to fix issues in the U.S. healthcare system and proposes several policy solutions to fix persisting issues faced in the U.S.
Presentations
Tuberculosis in U.S. Prisons: Risks, Realities, and Responses Presentation
Florida State University
PHC5001: Public Health Epidemiology
This presentation is an overview of my paper discussing tuberculosis in U.S. prisons. This presentation examines the severity of TB and trends of mass incarceration in the United States. It also discusses the historical trajectory of TB in prisons, from early 20th-century outbreaks to its resurgence during the HIV/AIDS crisis and the current landscape. By analyzing the conditions that promote TB transmission, such as poor ventilation, understaffed and undertrained medical personnel, and insufficient infection protocols, it becomes evident that structural inequalities and mass incarceration heighten risk.
Environmental Pthalate Exposure and Preterm Birth
Florida State University
PHC5001: Public Health Epidemiology
This presentation is an overview of the Ferguson et al. (2014) Environmental Phthalate Exposure and Preterm Birth. This presentation examines the definition of phthalate and the common products they are found in. This presentation goes over the methods and results of the nested case-control study that examines the relationship between phthalate exposure during pregnancy and preterm birth. This presentation also discussed related literature to phalate exposure and potential solutions.
Goals of Healthcare
Florida State University
PHC5155: Health Services, Organization, and Policies
This presentation is an overview of the major goals of healthcare as discussed in Chapter 5 in The U.S. Healthcare Ecosystem. This presentation discussed two frameworks for analyzing the function of a healthcare system in terms of costs, quality, and access.