Emergency department Visits Hospitalization and emergency department (ED) visits are indicative of poorly controlled chronic diseases and a lack of access to routine preventive care. Poorly controlled diabetes can lead to severe or life-threatening complications such as heart and blood vessel disease, nerve damage, kidney damage, eye damage and blindness, foot damage and lower extremity amputation, hearing impairment, skin conditions, and Alzheimer’s disease. Stress and trauma can be a pathway to chronic diseases and can prohibit seeking care for chronic diseases until emergency care is needed. ED visits for adult and pediatric asthma are indicative of increased exposure to environmental contaminants that can trigger asthma as well as poorly managed asthma. Asthma The rate of asthma related emergency department (ED) visits among youth (18 and younger) and adults is disproportionately high in UCMCSA compared to the rest of the city. UCMCSA zip codes 60637 (252.4 per 10,000) and 60636 (243.6 per 10,000) have the highest rate of asthma ED visits among youth compared to the Chicago rate of 92.6 per 10,000. Asthma-related ED visits among adults is highest in zip codes 60621 (203.6 per 10,000) and 60636 (196.8 per 10,00) compared to the Chicago rate of 62.5 per 10,000.
Community Health Needs Assessment 2018–2019
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UChicago Medicine