Objectives for Your Strategic Plan

Situational analysis

Weltee Wolo

Rasmussen College

Author Note

This paper is being submitted on October 28, 2017 Nichole Crais’s

Healthcare Management Capstone H490/HSA4922 course

Situational analysis

Oral and dental problems are common to many children especially for those under the age of 13 years, and it is crucial to come up with a health program that will help minimize or do away with this problem. An effective health program will require health professionals to gauge and analyze factors that are affecting children under the age of 13 and establish effective strategies. There are current and existing trends in the health sector or in the outside world that have either direct or indirect effect on oral and dental health programs. This trends and factors are what contribute to the strengths, weaknesses, threats, and opportunities that have an impact on the children under 13 years population.

Children under the age of 13 years have access to outreach dental care that is provided by dental universities and dental schools around the community as well as those outside the community. There has been an estimated 93 to 96 percent increase in the number of children covered by either private or public health insurance plans (Cohen, Martinez, & Zammitti, 2016). The insurance cover makes it easier to reach more children and improve their oral and dental care. Most children in the community have access to water with high levels of fluorine and fluorine supplements this makes it easier to boost their oral and dental hygiene once a health program is introduced. There is high dental care and qualified dental providers in the state, therefore, children have access to them whenever they may require them. Health professionals are more interested in oral health care as they have seen its importance, especially in children. Another strength is that the problem of dental and oral health care has risen in the community. Thus people are recognizing the problem and are ready to initiate methods to improve dental and oral health.

There weaknesses are affecting children under 13 years despite the strengths mentioned. The workforce issues contribute greatly to weaknesses in this population. Most children under 13 years come from low-income families, and the health providers in charge are not enough, and there is “maldistribution” of the providers. Most dentists in the community prefer serving adults rather than children thus creating a demand for pediatric dentists. The oral and dental problem affecting 13 years old and below is also due to lack of information or knowledge on the importance of oral health and the ways to prevent or minimize oral health issues. There is need therefore to raise public awareness of food choices that are healthy and the need for fluorine supplements. Dental education that is offered lacks diversity and demands for empathy training this takes part in deteriorating oral health.

Threats that are affecting the oral and dental health care of children under the age of 13 are prevalent. The oral health system in the community is limited and non-integrated this has led to an opposition between dentists and Medicaid a situation that paralysis oral health care. The attitude that the society has towards oral health is wanting in policy makers, and this has led and continues to result in poor funding of the oral health sector. Prevailing poor financial support of oral health by the state government has led to poor oral health funding in the community.

Opportunities that are present for children under the age of 13 years include the increase in the total proportion of insurance coverage thus increasing the number of children that will have an insurance cover whether private or public. There is a rise in the awareness of the community members on the extent of the oral health problem and thus creating the need to set up more oral health initiatives to curb the problem (Hughes, & Ng, 2003). The initiatives are also aimed at educating people on proper oral and dental health and ways to improve it. High economic growth in another factor that will assist in facilitating better health care and in this case contribute to oral health care.

References

Cohen, R. A., Martinez, M. E., & Zammitti, E. P. (2016). Health insurance coverage: Early release of estimates from the National Health Interview Survey, 2015. National Center for Health Statistics. Available from: http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/nhis/earlyrelease/insur201605.pdf

Hughes, D. C., & Ng, S. (2003). Reducing health disparities among children. The Future of Children, 13(1), 152-167. Available at: http://www.jstor.org/stable/10.2307/1602645