Robert Hendricks - trends in Phoenix Arizona

Dr. Ken Snyder is a dentist at the St. Vincent DePaul’s dental clinic in the Phoenix, Arizona. I contacted him and we were able to talk about the current health trends in Phoenix.

1. The first item discussed is a large concern for not only the Phoenix area but the nation as a whole, obesity. This has become part of the health world these days. This is a serious condition because it leads to chronic diseases and immobility after many years of obesity. A special focus needs to be placed here because by lowering the obesity rate there will be less chronic illnesses and can even lead to longer healthier lives in the people of the Phoenix area. Some have been brought up to help prevent obesity but there is still a long ways to go.

2. As the obesity rate in the Phoenix area increases so does the rate of diabetes. Diabetes is a very serious chronic disease that has become ever more prominent in the Phoenix area. When left untreated it can destroy organs and will be the death of the people who are affected. However it can be prevented for the most part by promoting healthy living among the children and instilling the habit of a healthy lifestyle while young. There is also a stigmatism that go along with diabetes that makes life hard because everyone that has not been informed about the disease try to treat people with the disease very differently. After being diagnosed with diabetes thanks to modern medicine that person is able to do just about as much as anyone else.

3. As the recession progressed in the Arizona many companies and families had to opt out of health insurance because of the lack of money. This problem prevents people from receiving preventive health care and they will only go to the doctor to cure a disease. An annual checkup is recommended by all doctors to check the body is in tip top conditions. This will also catch diseases in their early states which can be treated easier and the people affected have a high chance of surviving. This is becoming a pressing issue with the youth also because of the need for vaccinations.

4. As the largest populations of the residents of Arizona, the baby boomers, are growing older a lack of health care has been created for the elderly. The elderly have special needs and need special training to be able to take care of them. There has been a shortage of physicians to be able to take care of them. As more and more begin to need to special care the shortage will not become any better.

5. As was stated before there has been a decline of health insurance and as a result many people are reverting to Emergency Rooms as their places of primary care. Some might say that this is not so bad because people are able to get the care needed however, with the overuse of the Emergency Rooms there is an increase of costs that are spread to everyone else. Also, the staff in an emergency room is highly trained and is ready to take care of people who have seen trauma and seeing patients for a cold is a misuse of their skill. Many people are also going to emergency rooms with dental problems and the staff there is not trained for these types of issues. Again prevention is better than caring a disease and an emergency room is not set up to be able to prevent a disease.