Special Populations Text: Burkholder, D. M., & Nash, N. B. (2013). Special populations in health care Review your classmate' posts.
Provide a substantive response (minimum of 100 words) to at least two of your peers. Are there any similarities and/or differences between your communities or states?
Do you agree or disagree with your peers' findings on adequacy? Aaron According to our textbook, malignant neoplasms (tumors/cancer) accounts for roughly 37% of the leading causes of death (Burkholder & Nash, 2013, sect. 1.4).
With that in mind and several members of my family, both immediate and extended, having lost their fight with cancer or are fighting it now, I choose cancer as the chronic illness for this post. Local options for assistance in my area (Akron, Ohio) are Stewart's Caring Place and Summa Health System. Stewart's Caring Place is a local non-profit organization that assists those fighting cancer and the families that are helping them. They offer support services, such as group facilities to talk through the issues as well as financial support services that help find monetary resources for those fighting cancer. If someone is interested in the way non-traditional medicine can assist with their fight, Stewart's also has workshops for Reiki, massage and aromatherapy to aid the conventional medical practices to fight cancer.
Summa Health System is the local hospital system that would be the stop for patients fighting cancer. This location is where you would go for chemotherapy, radiation therapy and physician appointments. They also offer educational support as well as counseling for the patient and financial issues that arise with cancer treatments. At one appointment, the patient can see everyone in his or her multidisciplinary team that will be there for every step of their fight.
When one looks for national programs or resources that are available for cancer patients, there is the American Cancer Society and the National Cancer Institute. The American Cancer Society assists with the understanding of everything cancer related. From the risk factors to prevention and treatments options, all of the information one may need is available on their website, as well as many local offices to speak with someone face to face. Some of their local informational group meetings are even held at the above local facilities, so you don't have to go far to find assistance.
Finally, the National Cancer Institute is the leader in cancer research in the US. This is the division of the National Institutes of Health that is dedicated to curing cancer. Through their website, one can find any and everything cancer related. From what cancer is to diagnosis, staging questions one may have, and questions to ask your physician when you visit them. There is also a database of different cancer types for more information on any specific type, and research information to find out what is going on in that area in reference to your cancer situation.
As far as personalized assistance, the NCI helps find NCI-designated cancer centers in your area: for my area, it listed three within a few hours drive that were comprehensive cancer centers. With all of these resources available to someone with just a few clicks, I feel that the continuum of care is available within my community.
The information I would need if I had cancer is available from the national services listed here and the local assistive groups would be able to help me from diagnosis through recovery with any aspect of care I may need.
From financial support and counseling to treatments and social group support, the area I live in has cancer care covered. References: American Cancer Society. (2017).
Special Populations in Health Care [Electronic version]. National Cancer Institute. (NIH). (2017). Cancer Treatment Services. Stewart's Caring Place. (2017).
Attachment:- specific chronic illness or disability.rar