About Public Health in Plain Language

Barriers to Healthcare

Staying healthy isn't always easy. Many people with disabilities face challenges that have little to do with their actual health, such as:

Transportation: Not having a way to get to the doctor.

Financial Stress: Not being able to afford care or healthy food.

Building Design: Offices or equipment that are hard to use.

Biases: Sometimes, doctors or nurses may not understand how to provide the best care for someone with a disability.

COVID-19

The COVID-19 pandemic made these problems even worse. People with disabilities were more likely to get very sick or even die from the virus compared to people without disabilities.

The Public Health Team is working to provide extra support for people with disabilities since COVID-19. They use teamwork methods, called "communities of practice" (groups that learn together) and "action learning" (solving real problems in real-time)—to help people improve health care in five main areas:

Mental Health: Helping people deal with stress, anxiety, and depression.

Chronic Diseases: Better managing long-term health conditions like diabetes or heart disease.

Caregiver Support: Reducing the pressure on families and local healthcare workers.

Home Care Services: Fixing gaps in the services people receive at home or in their community.

Disaster Planning: Making sure people with disabilities are better prepared for future emergencies.