The Importance Of Foster Care In The Healthcare System

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When we think about healthcare and the barriers within our healthcare system, we often tend to think of language barriers, cultural barriers, or even those who do not have access to healthcare. As I sat down to think about a topic, I tried to choose an area that I am passionate about. That subject is foster care, and its barriers within our healthcare system. Between 30% and 80% of children and adolescents in a foster setting, have some existing medical condition whether it be acute or chronic medical health issues. These could include physical, emotional, and even mental problems that are not being properly screened or treated. Not to mention the bouncing around from home to home presents a multitude of problems. Some of these children don’t have medical files and they also lack of communication with any health care provider. …show more content…
Even though the number of children in foster care is decreasing their health problems, especially mental health issues are steadily on the rise. These children often come with histories of physical and mental abuse inflicted upon themselves or witnessed it in their home. In fact, according to Moira Szilagyi (2015), a professor of pediatrics at UCLA, “more than 70 percent of these children have a documented history of child abuse or neglect, and 80 percent have been exposed to significant violence, including domestic violence. Almost all are further traumatized by being removed from their families.” The problem is that these children are not receiving the care that they need because they are not being properly screened or assessed in a timely