Neighborhood and Built Environment

00:06 Neighborhood and Built Environment it's like the fourth one we're going to talk about.

00:11 And you may wonder how in the world that has anything to do with health? Well guess what, health is more than just physical.

00:19 Health is also mental health.

00:20 So how does that impact someone's mental health when you live in an environment that's not necessarily safe in so many ways.

00:28 So violence that happens.

00:30 And thinking about, again, how we label people.

00:33 Why are those people violent? Many times it's a survival mechanism.

00:38 And people aren't thinking about the impact that's having on the larger community within their own neighborhoods, and also on the outside, people are just thinking about survival.

00:50 And then when we think about mental health and how real that is, so if my mental health is altered to a specific state, then do I really rationalized like everyone else who may not have that degree of mental health deficit.

01:07 So the neighborhoods people live in significantly impact health and well being in so many ways.

01:14 When we think about access, again, if my neighborhood doesn't have one of those federally qualified health centers in it, and I don't have transportation.

01:23 If the bus cost money, and I don't even have money for the bus, then of course, that's going to negatively impact not only my health, but also my well being.

01:32 And it impacts us from a holistic point of view.

01:36 Some of those impact factors in terms of neighborhood and built environment, or racial and ethnic minorities, people with lower incomes their higher rates about of violence, I'm sorry, and unsafe air and water.

01:51 So thinking about that we have examples.

01:53 We think about the Flint, Michigan thing that happened just so recently.

01:58 That is appalling for me personally, because at this time, we have so much knowledge and so many resources.

02:06 How do we let that happen? So what does that require? Can we go and assess neighborhoods across the country? We absolutely can.

02:14 We have lots of funding that we need to prioritize in our own communities in this country.

02:21 And how do we undo that? We undo it by prioritizing, doing those assessments and doing the interventions before those types of issues happen where people do live in environments where something as simple.

02:33 We think, as simple as water is toxic, and the impact that it has on health.

02:39 So is that the only neighborhood? Maybe not.

02:42 We need to think about all kinds of things Lead, we need to think about neighborhoods that are close to chemical plants.

02:49 Im from Louisiana.

02:50 I grew up in an area where there are chemical plants everywhere.

02:54 I used to work oncology and you wonder why so many people who live in those surrounding areas end up with cancer.

03:01 So that's the more funding we can do some research on specific areas.

03:05 And then how do we engage with those chemical plants so that they can do some things to make it safer.

03:12 So people aren't negatively impacted in terms of health.

03:16 And I know I'm veering off with that one, because it's not just according to race and lower income.

03:21 That's humans period.

03:23 So what do we do to make it safer for all humans, but prioritizing the people who are most affected or impacted by these issues? The goal with the neighborhood and built environment determinant of health is to create neighborhoods and environments that promote health and safety.

03:39 So again, while we're gonna prioritize those who are most impacted, we need to think about that broadly, as well.

03:48 But in terms of the determinants of health and what you can do as a health care provider, seek out those grants.

03:56 And think of innovative ways that we can help and partner It all is going to require collaborative effort because it's not.

04:04 The responsibility of one discipline is the responsibility of all humans.

04:09 And it is my personal belief that when we decide to become a healthcare professional in any one of those disciplines, then you decide that you want to prioritize human beings, the care and health of human beings from a holistic perspective.

04:24 So even though you may not be impacted directly, it impacts us all in some ways, either directly or indirectly.

04:33 One of the questions that we need to think about would be what can be done to improve health, safety, and quality of life? Well, guess what it starts with interventions, policy changes at the local state and federal levels that can help to reduce the health and safety risks and promote health.

04:52 So many nurses, that's one of the beauties of being a healthcare professional, not just nursing.

04:58 Many of us are interested in policy. And policy change.

05:03 And we do have to influence and impact these changes on multiple different levels. And we do have to care.

05:10 And sometimes even if you're not interested, if we don't do something to impact policies and laws that have an impact on the determinants of health, then again, we're spinning our wheels.

05:21 So we do have to think of that from a comprehensive perspective as well.

05:26 So if we provide opportunities, something as simple as sidewalks in a community.

05:30 So just thinking about how you as a nurse, or you as a physician, or whatever discipline you decide to be a part of small changes sometimes are some of the things we can do.

05:44 And how do we get sidewalks? We do have to partner with local governments to get those sidewalks in those communities.

05:50 And even how can we involve federal government in that? So simple things. If we talk about walking, walking trails.

06:00 If we think about exercise quality of life, but if it's not safe, then that's a whole another safe in terms of violence.

06:06 That's a whole another issue we have to look at from a whole different perspective.

06:11 But there are so many things we can do, starting from small to large.