Life Course Approach to Health and Development
Public Health aims to promote the well-being of individuals and encourage healthy lifestyles, prevent disease, illness and injury. Science suggests that your current health is usually the results of previous life experiences.
Benton-Franklin Health District utilizes the Life-Course Theory to approach interventions for improved health. This means matching our efforts to the needs of people at different stages in their lives. Each stage is an opportunity to gain or lose health. From the beginning, a child that is cared for, stimulated, appropriately nourished and protected from risk has better life chances, enhanced brain development and improved health outcomes.
Knowing how to increase protective factors and identify and decrease risk factors supports the long-term health and development of the whole person.
Patient Centered Medical Home
To support positive health outcomes throughout the life course, public health supports a patient centered medical home model of care. This model of care is best described as primary care delivery that is:
• Patient-centered
• Comprehensive
• Coordinated
• Accessible
• Focused on quality & safety
A patience centered medical home is a place where patients are treated with respect, dignity, and compassion, and enable strong and trusting relationships with providers and staff. Above all, the medical home is not a final destination instead, it is a model for achieving primary care excellence so that care is received in the right place, at the right time, and in the manner that best suits a patient's needs.
Helpful Links:
• Patient-Centered Medical Home information for children in Washington
• Patient-Centered Primary Care Collaborative