7. What are the agencies of the Public Health Service and what functions do they perform?

The agencies of the Public Health Service are:

1) Health Administration – regulates health care to the people

2) Centers for Diseases Control and Prevention – are responsible for preventing diseases,premature death and disability.

3) The Food and Drug Administration – certifies the safety of food, effectiveness of drugs and medical product.

4) The Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality – supports research designed to improve the outcomes and quality of health care , reduce its , address patient safety and medical errors, and broaden access to effective services.

5) The Agency of Toxic Substances and Disease Registry – regulates hazardous spills of toxic substances.

8. What are the problems of health care system in the usa? What are the emerging problems of the American population?

There’re such problems of health care system in the USA as : the great cost of medical care and a great number of people who can’t pay for it. US health care system has great difficulties adapting to emerging health problems such as AIDS, medical care of mental patient, and to the needs of growing segments of population – the elderly ,single parent families , and cultural , ethnic and racial minorities.

9. What are the challenges confronting the healthcare?

At least five major challenges confront health care system in the USA. The most fundamental(the first) is how to shift from providing health care to producing health.The second is to focus on providing cost-effective information system ,which can monitor the costs and effectiveness of health services. The third is to control health care expenditures.The fourth is to cope with resistance to fundamental challenges from within the health care sector. The fifth is to transfer the resources liberated from health care to other sectors that can contribute to health.

10. What types of medical institutions are there in the communities?Define them.

The most familiar health care institution is the hospital. Hospitals provide care for the sick and injured. The emergency units in hospitals are also becoming more important as all-purpose treatment centres. Other institutions provide health care in addition to hospitals. Nursing (or convalescent) homes provide care for the sick and for convalescing patients. They are becoming increasingly popular, particularly for the elderly,prenatal clinics for pregnant woman, well-baby clinics for new mothers and their babies, and mental health clinics for those who need periodic psychiatric at- tention, among others.

10. What is the difference between general and specialized hospitals?What conditions may be managed in these types of hospitals?

The most familiar is the general, or community, hospital, where patients of all ages with all kinds of illness and medical conditions are treated. These hospitals provide a variety of services, including general and specialized medicine, general and specialized surgery, and obstetrics, to meet the general medical needs of the community. Patients with acute problems stay there for only a short term, seven days on the average. Other hospitals provide more specialized care and called specialized hospitals. These hospitals treat patients with chronic illness, such as tuberculosis, requiring long-term care, or patients of one age group, like children. Specialty hospitals also include rehabilitation and psychiatric ones.