Tables of Contents What Do We Mean by Social Issues in Healthcare?How Are Social Factors Affecting Access to Healthcare in the U.S.?How Health Policy Issues Shape Our Healthcare ExperienceReal-Time Social Issues in Healthcare: COVID-19, Racism, and Other Current Epidemiology IssuesHospital Mortality Rates: End-of-Life Social Issues in HealthcareFuture Social Issues in Healthcare As soon as we enter this world, society begins to shape our lives. Social issues in healthcare influence every aspect of our well-being, from our physical and mental health to the treatment we receive from doctors. We cannot escape the values of society, nor histories of oppression and subjugation, […]

Young people who commit a crime in the U.S. risk entering the largest prison system in the world. Almost 1.5 million people were imprisoned in the U.S. at the end of 2018, according to data released by the Bureau of Justice Statistics (BJS) in 2020. Between 1978 and 2018, the U.S. prison population jumped by more than 375%. More recently, prison populations in the U.S. have fallen slightly. There have been small declines each year since 2010, including a 1.6% decline from 2017 to 2018, according to the BJS. However, the U.S. still has the largest incarcerated population in the […]

Human services is a diverse, far-reaching field driven by a singular goal: to help meet people’s basic needs. Social services is a subset of human services, and its primary mission is to create a more equitable society by enhancing the well-being of individuals in need. Social services workers often target the underrepresented, disadvantaged, and underserved — such as homeless and poverty-stricken populations. Both human and social services professionals ultimately aim to help people. Entering the human services and social services fields requires a distinct desire to serve and a profound empathy for other human beings. This article will examine the […]

In a 2015 Pew Research survey, one in three parents expressed concerns over their children’s use of the internet, social media, and cellphones. Despite a generally held belief that kids are comfortable with social media and surfing the web, they are young and still learning. Stepping in and teaching kids how to safely navigate the web may not only address concerns, but also deter risky or inappropriate behavior. While the way a parent monitors their child’s social media activity is ultimately up to them, there are a few suggestions and pieces of information that can go along way. Below is […]

Children and adolescents rely on their parents, caretakers, and other trusted adults to ensure they are safe, happy, and supported. They are among the most vulnerable members of society, and that leaves them open to mistreatment by the people who are supposed to care for them. Child abuse is a monumental issue that affects millions of people throughout the country. According to the 2017 Child Maltreatment Report, nearly 700,000 children are abused — and almost 2,000 die — as a result of abuse in the United States each year. Because they are susceptible to maltreatment, ensuring the safety and welfare […]

Humanity is more connected than ever before. Travel has made the world feel smaller, as modern planes ferry hundreds of people to the opposite side of the globe in less than a day. The internet — and the ability to chat in high-definition video — allows us to interact with one another and connect with people we perhaps would have never met under different circumstances. This has also allowed us to rally around causes we care about, raising awareness and helping to change society for the better. Equity in society has become a major point of focus. The #MeToo and […]