An Exploratory Investigation of Genetics Health Services in Virginia

Abstract

Health care efficacy ranges over multiple influential components, not confined only to personal details such as demographics, but also more external variables such as socioeconomic status or area of residence. The impact also influences specified health care services like genetics, creating concern for public health due to the varied impact residents experience because of factors out of their control. This investigation assesses the current state of both general health care services and genetics services for residents within Virginia, a state that contains numerous subpopulations of interest. This study utilized census data and date from the County Health Rankins & Roadmaps to assess the split of urban and rural counties, which have incredibly different needs due to these variables. Analysis of information like area of residence, mean household income, and proportion of residents uninsured can inform providers where mitigation efforts could be best tailored towards. This is only amplified when specified health care recipients can be surveyed about their experiences and perceptions of care, permitting individual-level feedback as was done within this study. County-level data showed that urban residents tend to have higher mean household income and have a higher probability of being insured than their rural counterparts. A survey of Virginia residents regarding genetic services was also developed and distributed. Respondents stated lack of educational resources, long wait times for preliminary appointments, and dissatisfaction with mental/emotional support, showing there are numerous avenues for improvement. Though these trends reflect a bleak status of health services, opportunities within telehealth and family-to-family support networks provide exciting chances to enact change. However, this must be paired with cohesive and coherent effort from health care providers to minimize barriers and help those currently disadvantaged

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