Healthcare is a fundamental human right, and governments regardless of their capabilities have the responsibility of ensuring citizens access quality healthcare service. The social environment dictates how healthy a given society stays; poor social environments promote poor health while robust social environments promote healthy living. Oral health is just as responsible for ensuring and promoting health like any other health factor. As such, understanding the various nuances that form the health sector and the limiting factors that are in existence goes a long way in ensuring economic, political, and economic development.
Impacts of Access to Healthcare
Accessing healthcare services is a fundamental human right, an aspect that requires governments to direct resources towards the achievements of set goals. Orange county hails as one of the best implementor and provider of healthcare services to its citizens when compared to other counties in California. The impact of the efforts by the county includes improved infant and child health, improved older adult health, reduced cases of obesity and diabetes, and improved control of mental and substance use. The significant impacts, however, are realized in improved accessibility to healthcare, improved oral health, and enhanced social systems, which eventually promotes improved overall healthcare ( Kuhlmann et al., 2015) . More crucially, the dedicated officials and experts who support values and norms that characterize and encourage healthy living are core to any development in the county.
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The social system is the fabric upon which different elements and activities of a person’s life take place. Social determinants of health are the conditions in which one lives and works in without forgetting the play. The term includes quality of drinking water, availability of foods, safety from incidences of crime and violence, free from discrimination and racism and many others. The environments are social, economic and political, hence a disturbance on one element results in ripple effects to other aspects of an individual’s life including their healthcare ( Kuhlmann et al., 2015) . The implementation of the Bay Area Regional Health Inequities Initiative (BARHII) is an illustration of the efforts by governments to move towards resolving complexity in the healthcare from the social determinant’s perspectives.
Oral Health
Like any other health element, oral health is a demonstration of good health, well-being and increased quality of life. According to the definition of the World Health Organization (2003), oral health is, “a state of being free from chronic mouth and facial pain, oral and throat cancer, oral infection and sores, periodontal (gum) disease, tooth decay, tooth loss, and other diseases and disorders that limit an individual’s capacity in biting, chewing, smiling, speaking, and psychosocial wellbeing.” Orange County has not been left behind concerning the matter as witnessed from the establishment of a Local Oral Health Program whose priorities include improved access and utilization of dental services, integration of dental and medical care, increase dental, and coordination of countrywide efforts to improve oral health.
Conclusion
Orange California’s healthcare system is an illustration of an advancing system that aims to provide quality services to patients. In line with the assertions of the World Health Organization, each’s wellbeing is a priority. As such, starting by improving the social environments ensured the social determinants of health remain limited in their negative impact on one’s health. Additionally, by initiating a Local Oral Healthcare Program, the county’s aim to maximize and promote health surpassed most of the neighboring counties. Despite the presented developments, a lot is still to be done hence the call is to ensure collaboration between the government and concerned health practitioners to promote further growth in the sector.
References
Kuhlmann, E., Blank, R. H., Bourgeault, I. L., & Wendt, C. (2015). The Palgrave International Handbook of Healthcare Policy and Governance . London: Palgrave Macmillan UK.
World Health Organization. World Oral Health (2003) . Published 2003. Accessed 26 January, 2019.
