Analyzing HRSA Data
Health Resources and Service Administration (HRSA) website provides extensive data regarding programs, services, and other health care initiatives, sorting information by geography: HHS regions, states, congressional districts, counties, and ZIP codes. HRSA’s activities in Clark County, Nevada involve awarded grants and details such as their amount, distribution, grantee names, and programs. For example, in 2017, the total financial assistance of $177,777.00 was granted to the Board of Regents of Nevada System of Higher Education in terms of the Nurse Faculty Loan Program (E01) (“Data portal results,” n.d., para. 2). It seems that such comprehensive information contributes to the transparency of health care services and presents great potential for their improvement.
HRSA’s Fact Sheets tool allows considering the nationwide data and comparing it with that of counties, states, and districts. The paramount difference between the mentioned areas is that data sets focus specifically on one or another region as indicated by the report title. For example, compared to Clark County, NV data that identified such shortage needs as medically underserved populations and health professional shortage areas (HPSA), nationwide issues outline the disciplines that require precise attention.
The nationwide data identifies the following shortage areas: primary care, mental health, and dental health (“HRSA fact sheets,” n.d.). Accordingly, the comparison of the mentioned county data with states and districts shows that the latter is more specific as they target particular areas with their needs. While Nevada data sets include the counties of this state, then the nationwide report reflects health issues that are critical on the scale of the whole country.
HRSA Resources in Miami-Dade County, Florida
The search for Miami-Dade County, FL reveals that this area has particular health-related issues. One may note, for example, that the total number and amount of grants are higher than that of Clark County, namely, 48 grants and $178,313,029 (“Data by geography – Miami-Dade County, FL,” 2018). At the same time, both counties have all the details regarding grants. As for health care and other services, these counties differ significantly: there are 239 Health Center Service Delivery and Look-Alike Sites in Miami and 19 in Clark County as well as 109 National Health Service Corps (NHSC) and 33, respectively. The number of the National Health Service Corps (NHSC) Full Time Equivalents is twice more in Miami than in Clark – 31.25 and 14.90 (“Data by geography – Miami-Dade County, FL,” 2018).
In Florida, there are 315 Ryan White HIV/AIDS providers (21 clinics) supported by HRSA program resources, while 18 providers (three clinics) are available in Miami (“Data by geography – Florida,” 2018). Among other resources targeting HIV/AIDS, there are Big Bend Hotline, AIDS Healthcare Foundation, Able Pharmacy, et cetera in Florida. In its turn, Miami offers such services as Food for Life Network, Legal Services of Greater Miami, Public Health Trust of Miami-Dade County, and so on (“Data by geography – Miami-Dade County, FL,” 2018).
This data warehouse is useful to me as a professional nurse to collect and analyze necessary data. It can also be used for studying health problems and comparing them on the state or national levels. I would like to emphasize that HRSA tools are easy-to-use and comprehensive as they provide not only data sets but also maps, public health programs, and scholarship opportunities. Most importantly, HRSA keeps all the data updated, thus ensuring its relevance to modern public health needs.
References
Data by geography – Florida. (2018). Web.
Data by geography – Miami-Dade County, FL. (2018). Web.
Data portal results. (2018). Web.
HRSA fact sheets. (2017). Web.