A health crisis is a significant negative change in your mental or physical health, or the availability of healthcare services. It can be caused by a disease, natural disaster or other unexpected event.
Health crises are also the result of long-standing health problems, such as chronic diseases and social inequality. These can be difficult to solve, but progress is possible with a combination of global and local solutions.
Infectious diseases such as Ebola and pandemics may capture the media spotlight, but non-communicable diseases like heart disease, diabetes and cancer continue to increase worldwide. Poor diets and sedentary lifestyles are contributing factors. In addition, climate change influences the spread of diseases by increasing the frequency and severity of heatwaves and extreme weather events, which can damage infrastructure and disrupt access to healthcare facilities.
These challenges create health crises in communities that are already struggling. Those at greatest risk include communities of color, individuals with disabilities and those with low incomes. Healthcare professionals are under increasing stress, experiencing burnout and even violence at alarming rates. They are overwhelmed by a surge of patients, longer hours and shortages of supplies and protective equipment. Insufficient funding is a major obstacle to implementing effective health crises management strategies, including the use of crisis teams that can help people with complex needs. These teams reduce demand on licensed providers by allowing them to provide some services outside of their scope of practice. This model can only work in states that expand Medicaid and provide adequate funding to these programs.