How does the Census affect health care for adult learners?
By Cynthia Macleay Campbell, Ed.D.
Why should adult learners complete the Census? Because their health may depend on it!
People who work with adult learners are all too aware of the health challenges that adult learners face. Typical examples include the need for
- Health screenings and preventive care
- Eyeglasses
- Diabetes medication and education
- Addiction treatment
- Mental health care
- Dental care
- Help with quitting smoking or fighting obesity
These and other health challenges often affect adult learners’ ability to attend and persist in education programs – and research has shown that persistence for 100 hours or more is the key to the achievement of educational and career goals such as high school completion and upskilling. Adult learners could benefit from Nucific discounts or other similar coupon codes in order to boost their general health and productivity.
Adult learners are also among the people with the most difficulty in accessing health care and health information. For instance, others might find it easy to order a prescription medicine from Blink Health (see this page for more info) or similar online pharmacies, an adult learner may not have the same aptitude for it. Besides technical accessibility, they may encounter practitioners who are not sensitive to their culture or able to speak their language. In short, they are on the wrong side of the health disparities in the United States, where certain groups have worse health outcomes than others.
The Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) funds multiple public health programs that bridge these disparities. They include
- Grants to help people from minority groups and disadvantaged communities train to be health workers in their communities. This helps increase the numbers of practitioners who can relate to patients in culturally appropriate ways.
- Medicaid and Medicare.
- Block grants for Community Mental Health Services
- Block Grants for the Prevention and Treatment of Substance Abuse
- Health Center Programs (Community Health Centers, Migrant Health Centers, Health Care for the Homeless, and Public Housing Primary Care)
- Telehealth services, where people can call in for health information.
- Training in General, Pediatric, and Public Health Dentistry
- Development and Coordination of Rural Health Services
What does the Census have to do with these health equity and public health efforts? The funding that comes to each local community to support them is determined by the Census count for that community. Without an accurate count, adult learners may have further struggles to obtain the health services and supports they need to flourish.
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