Human health and wellbeing are outcomes of a combination of micro and macro environmental factors. Generally, individuals who are highly educated, white, and live in affluent neighborhoods, tend to report positive health outcomes. On the other hand, those with little education and are from minority communities are more likely to experience adversity and hardship. By narrowing the focus on specific communities, one is able to gain a deeper understanding of the impact that the environment has on one’s wellbeing. Fall River, MA is among the communities that are ideal for investigating the relationship between wellbeing and health. Overall, this community lags behind the larger states of Massachusetts and the entire country in terms of such issues as unemployment, education and crime. It would therefore not be surprising if it were to be established that the residents of Fall River experience negative outcomes.
Statistics
Fall River is indeed a complex community. However, extensive, no examination of this community can reveal the true extent of its profile. There are some key statistics that are useful in gaining some understanding of the community. These include crime rates, income levels and unemployment rates. According to the United States Census Bureau (2019), as of 2018, the population of Fall River stood at 89,661. 81.% of this population is white with African Americans forming the largest minority population. Its composition stood at 5.7%. Unemployment and income levels in this city are disappointingly low. Estimates indicate that the city’s annual median household income is $39,328 while the poverty rate stands at 20.2% (“Fall River”, n.d). In what many find to be upsetting and worrying, Fall River has witnessed an increase in its unemployment rate. Recently released figures show that in January 2017, the 9.2% of the city’s workforce was unemployed (O’Connor, 2018). Despite the economic hardships that it grapples with, Fall River has maintained its dedication to education. Its commitment can be seen in its education budget. 19.9% of the amount that the city spends on education comes from local contributions (“Financial Investment”, 2018). The rest of the education budget is funded by aid provided by the state government. It has been noted with concern that Fall River’s investment in education falls short of the minimum level set by the state authorities (“Financial Investment”, 2018). The number and types of schools in Fall River also indicate that the city is struggling to provide adequate education. All of the 16 schools in the city are of the public variety (“Fall River”, n.d). The performance of the schools is indeed disappointing. Compared to the achievement scores for the larger state of Massachusetts, Fall River lags behind (“Fall River”, n.d). There is no question that more needs to be done to improve the city’s education standards.
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Homeownership, healthcare access, crime, marital demography and labor statistics are other insights that shed light on the situation in Fall River. According to the US Census Bureau (2019), only 36.2% of Fall River’s residents own the homes that they live in. The rest of the residents are renters. As is the case with the rest of the US, Fall River has witnessed an encouraging drop in the crime rate. However, there are some particular crimes that have become more prevalent. For example, in 2016, Fall River saw an increase in arsons and robberies (Fraga, 2017). While the decline in crime rate is to be celebrated, one should understand that crime remains a serious problem for Fall River. The following graph represents the trends for a number of crimes in the city.
Healthcare access is another critical component of the Fall River community. Data shows that in the city, individuals grappling with opioid addiction, males, the young and those with little education are among those who face hardships in their quest for healthcare (Stein et al., 2014). This data highlights the glaring disparities in healthcare access among the city’s residents. However, it should be understood that Fall River has made remarkable strides in addressing the inequalities. For example, 95% of the state’s residents have health insurance (“Fall River, MA”, n.d). This is indeed impressive given the many hardships that the city faces. Regarding transport, data shows that most of the residents of Fall River rely on their cars. There is an average of two cars per household in the city. Additionally, it takes residents 23.9 minutes to commute to work (US Census Bureau, 2019). The availability of private transport and the short commute time suggests that it is fairly easy for the Fall River residents to travel to medical institutions from where they obtain healthcare services. In summary, poverty, unemployment, crime, inequality in healthcare access and low investments in education are the main challenges that Fall River faces. On the other hand, the high insurance rate is among the strengths that the city can harness to fuel its growth and the wellbeing of its residents.
Implications
Above, some of the key statistics of Fall River has been outlined. The discussion can now examine what the data implies. It is fair to conclude that combined, the different statistics mean that the people in Fall River should report poor outcomes. According to Donkin et al. (2018), there are various social factors that determine human health. They include education, income, crime, transportation, health insurance, and race, among many others. In general, the factors at play at Fall River have a damaging effect on the health of the city’s residents. For example, as shown above, the city has high unemployment and poverty rates. This means that it must be difficult for the residents to afford quality care (Anakwenze & Zuberi, 2013). Additionally, since crime is a serious problem for the city which also grapples with health access inequalities, it follows that health outcomes are poor. While the profile of the city spells doom for those seeking general health services, individuals who need mental healthcare are particularly disadvantaged. With low educational attainment and grappling with poverty, these individuals are unlikely to have cars. Since the city has not invested much in public transport, it is fair to conclude that Fall River is failing the mentally ill.
In closing, living in Fall River must be difficult. This is because the city has high poverty and unemployment rates. Additionally, all of the city’s public schools are not adequately funded and the city has failed to eliminate barriers to proper healthcare. It is unfortunate and unacceptable that Fall River is representative of the situation in other parts of the US. If the US is to be effective in delivering high quality care and secure the wellbeing of its citizens, it must address the social determinants of health. Instead of waiting for the national government to act, the authorities in Fall River should spearhead the efforts to improve human health.
References
Anakwenze, U., & Zuberi, D. (2013). Mental health and poverty in the inner city. Health & Social Work, 38 (3), 147-57.
Fall River. (n.d). Massachusetts Department of Education. Retrieved September 28, 2019 from http://profiles.doe.mass.edu/general/general.aspx?topNavID=1&leftNavId=100&orgcode=00950000&orgtypecode=5
Donkin, A., Goldblatt, P., Allen, J., Nathanson, V., & Marmot, M. (2018). Global action on the social determinants of health. BMJ Global Health, 3 (suppl 1). doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.1136/bmjgh-2017-000603
Fall River, MA. (n.d). Data USA. Retrieved September 28, 2019 from https://datausa.io/profile/geo/fall-river-ma/
Financial investment. (2018). Southcoast Urban Indicators Project. Retrieved September 28, 2019 from http://southcoastindicators.org/education/financial-investment/
Fraga, B. (2017). FBI crime stats: Fall River violent crime down, but troubling trends emerge. Herald News. Retrieved September 28, 2019 from https://www.heraldnews.com/news/20170929/fbi-crime-stats-fall-river-violent-crime-down-but-troubling-trends-emerge
O’Connor, K. P. (2018). Fall River unemployment rate jumps nearly 3 percentage points. Herald News. Retrieved September 28, 2019 from https://www.heraldnews.com/news/20180314/fall-river-unemployment-rate-jumps-nearly-3-percentage-points
Stein, M. D., Bailey, G. L., Thurmond, P., & Paull, N. (2014). Looking for the uninsured in Massachusetts? Check opioid dependent persons seeking detoxification. Drug and Alcohol Dependency, 136, 166-9.
United States Census Bureau. (2019). Fall River City, Massachusetts. Census Bureau. Retrieved September 28, 2019 from https://www.census.gov/quickfacts/fallrivercitymassachusetts
