Nathan Golightly - Community Trends

I interviewed Becca Pacnos, a public health worker at Mountainlands Public Health Center in Provo, Utah. Mountainlands is a non-profit organization that provides primary healthcare that is available to anybody. Ms. Pacnos first explained to me that their patients are primarily Hispanic (approximately 75%). With her help we identified and talked about different patterns she has seen in the patients treated at Mountainlands.

The first pattern is in prenatal care. A large majority of patients do not enter for prenatal care until the third trimester. This is more relevant to the Hispanic population due to their lower socioeconomic status. They see the expenses of prenatal care outweighing the benefits. Ms. Pacnos explained that a large part of public health is to inform the public of the importance of prenatal care. Babies of mothers who do not get prenatal care are three times more likely to have a low birth weight and five times more likely to die than those born to mothers who do get care.

            The second trend in recent years that Ms. Pacnos identified is a trend towards more heart disease and high blood pressure. This has been brought about due to an increasing amount of availability of fast food to the lower class. In history, the poor were more often those that were famished, literally starving. In today’s world, the poor have access to cheap, unhealthy foods. This lifestyle is much more likely to develop heart and coronary problems. As a result, of the large population of Hispanic patients at Mountainlands, a large percent of them are at risk of heart disease. It is public health duty to educate the young of healthy and diverse dieting.

            The third trend that we identified was Public Health’s entrance into the world of media. This can be seen as an effort to inform the young where the message is most likely to reach them. It is the most effective way to provide youth for reasons to be healthy in day-to-day life. Many new campaigns are teaching to cross the boundary with teens to teach them healthy habits. Of these campaigns, Ms. Pacnos pointed to the CDC’s arrival to the prominent video browser, YouTube.

            The fourth trend is in a focus on pre-critical and preventative care. This trend ties into the first pattern of prenatal care. Many patients that come to Mountainlands for care come at the point of greatest need. Often when the status is at its worst. While this is seen as a way to save money, it can be deadly for the patient. Often a simply diagnosis and treatment could have prevented much more serious and progressed disease. Ms. Pacnos emphasized her desire for educating the public on the importance and success of preventative care as opposed to critical care.

            The fifth trend that we identified had to do with the psychological side of public health. Ms. Pacnos explained that many patients who come to Mountainlands for mental health are often too scared to hear back about results. People inherently dislike being told that they have a specific mental condition. For this reason, individuals too often ignore emotional and mental problems that they face. There has been a major decline in the amount of psychiatric patients admitted for care in Mountainlands. Other times, Ms. Pacnos explained, that these mental conditions are seen as less hindering as they might be. This can be both extremely dangerous for the patients involved and those around them. Ms. Pacnos again expressed her desire to raise public awareness for mental health disabilities and the importance of treatment.