Community Problem Analysis
The boundaries of this community that I analyze are both geographical and identity boundaries.The population of the community is the individuals who have identified Serious Mental Illness (SMI) diagnosis and live in Brooklyn.
High Inpatient Rate
Brooklyn residents with mental illness are high users of inpatient care.The rate of adult psychiatric hospitalizations in Brooklyn is higher than NYC rates (DOHMH, 2015). Brooklyn residents also use inpatient psychiatric services at a higher rate than the statewide average (5.8 per 10,000 compared to 5.0 per 10,000). Of all inpatient discharges from Brooklyn hospitals, fully 27% involve a patient with a current behavioral health diagnosis, either as the principal diagnosis or as a co-morbidity. (Berger et al., 2011)
Cultural and Language Barriers
Cultural and language barriers are factors that limit access to health services for the individuals who have identified SMI diagnosis. Today, 38% of Brooklyn residents are foreign-born, and they have diverse cultural norms about health and using health care services. More than half (52%) of Brooklyn immigrants are of Latin-American origin. The other large cohorts are 20% from European and 25% from Asian countries. Of residents over 5 years old, almost half (46%) speak a language other than English at home and 25% state they …show more content…
SMI is often associated with diabetes, obesity, cardiovascular disease and asthma. The 2011 OMH Patient Characteristic Study (PCS) found that over half of Brooklyn surveyed had cardiac or metabolic illnesses, and 10.4% of Brooklyn children surveyed had a pulmonary condition (OMH, 2011). Managing these complex co-morbidities and medication regimens is difficult, further complicated by homelessness and poverty that disproportionately impact people with mental
The boundaries of this community that I analyze are both geographical and identity boundaries.The population of the community is the individuals who have identified Serious Mental Illness (SMI) diagnosis and live in Brooklyn.
High Inpatient Rate
Brooklyn residents with mental illness are high users of inpatient care.The rate of adult psychiatric hospitalizations in Brooklyn is higher than NYC rates (DOHMH, 2015). Brooklyn residents also use inpatient psychiatric services at a higher rate than the statewide average (5.8 per 10,000 compared to 5.0 per 10,000). Of all inpatient discharges from Brooklyn hospitals, fully 27% involve a patient with a current behavioral health diagnosis, either as the principal diagnosis or as a co-morbidity. (Berger et al., 2011)
Cultural and Language Barriers
Cultural and language barriers are factors that limit access to health services for the individuals who have identified SMI diagnosis. Today, 38% of Brooklyn residents are foreign-born, and they have diverse cultural norms about health and using health care services. More than half (52%) of Brooklyn immigrants are of Latin-American origin. The other large cohorts are 20% from European and 25% from Asian countries. Of residents over 5 years old, almost half (46%) speak a language other than English at home and 25% state they …show more content…
SMI is often associated with diabetes, obesity, cardiovascular disease and asthma. The 2011 OMH Patient Characteristic Study (PCS) found that over half of Brooklyn surveyed had cardiac or metabolic illnesses, and 10.4% of Brooklyn children surveyed had a pulmonary condition (OMH, 2011). Managing these complex co-morbidities and medication regimens is difficult, further complicated by homelessness and poverty that disproportionately impact people with mental