Community Health
Issues
Prices of health insurance and prescription drugs continue to skyrocket while the number of uninsured or underinsured continues to climb. Seniors, people on fixed incomes, the working poor, and hard-working Americans who encounter health problems have been hard-hit to the point of economic ruin. Mental health, elder care, child care, youth and family services can be inadequate, duplicative or fragmented. Government spending on social programs that ensure the citizens a basic quality of life has not increased at a rate that can meet the demands. The lack of affordable housing that attracts a diverse community, including young families, is fraying our social fabric. Having basic health and social services in our communities improves our chance for a vibrant economy by meeting our residents’ needs and keeping local dollars in our county.
Goal
- The basic needs of all members of our communities should be met through innovative and consolidated efforts. Citizens, government and local service agencies should work together on local issues that affect health and quality of life.
Actions
- Have a strong voice and advocate at the state and national level for accessible and affordable health care for all.
- Ensure our local hospital offers essential health care options to all ages from prenatal to elderly.
- Support a physicians telemedicine network.
- Provide education for complementary health care and disease prevention.
- Integrate and coordinate efforts among health and human service agencies to create a seamless system of care that improves access and outcomes.
- Advocate for accessible and affordable health care for all in every available forum. Work in partnership with the new hospital administration to create locally based healthcare coverage that would increase services and cut costs while improving the local economy.
- Make the Departments of Public Health, Mental Health, Drug and Alcohol Services, and Tobacco Prevention Program county priorities.
- Support the achievement of existing functioning Family Resource Centers by providing streamlined health and human services in local communities.
- Encourage public/private partnerships to fill the gaps that public funding cannot address.
- Support the goals of Constructing Connections, Calaveras Child Care Council, Our Children Our Community, and other community organizations to broaden the childcare services in the county.
- Make mosquito fish available to all landowners for lakes, ponds, troughs, and other water bodies to reduce the risk of West Nile virus (project currently underway in District 2).
- Ensure housing affordable to all throughout the county.
- Develop and support coordinated community development practices and policies in support of children and families, based on the Our Children Our Community Master Plan.