Vulnerable Population: Drug Use in Adolescents in Pleasant Valley, NY I live in the small community of Pleasant Valley, New York. Pleasant Valley is in central Dutchess County and is a suburban-rural community north of New York City. Pleasant Valley is a quiet 3 stoplight town consisting of residential areas as well as farms. The town is quaint and its name reflects it. However, in recent years, drug use by adolescents is on the rise. Pleasant Valley has had a member of the community die from heroin overdose as well as multiple arrests for possession and distribution of illegal drugs. These drugs consist of heroin, cocaine, prescription drugs and marijuana. Knowing these drugs are available in this small community puts its residence at risk. The U.S. Census Bureau lists persons under 18 years of age 23.2% of Pleasant Valley’s population. This is almost one-fourth of the community. The purpose of this paper is to identify and assess this vulnerable population. According to Nies and McEwen (2015), “the primary concern of community health nurses is to improve the health of the community” (pg. 92). Education is the first step in raising awareness about the …show more content…
The topic is talked about but quietly and behind closed doors. No one wants to admit that it is their problem. The stigma attached to drug use needs to be eradicated and instead be discussed openly and often. Recognizing it as an illness, identifying risk factors, educating and communicating are strategies needed to combat this health problem. The Health People 2020 objective SA-2.4 works to “Increase the proportion of high school seniors never using substances—Illicit drugs.” Educating adolescents, families and the community about the risks and consequences associated with illegal drug use makes objective SA-2.4
Just like you said, immigrants are definitely a vulnerable population for numerous reasons, or cumulative risks that they might have. In this particular scenario, this immigrant is already presenting symptoms of a very serious disease, has no access to healthcare, is being abused by his employer, and lives with other five people in a crowded living space. Without a doubt, and according to Stanhope, and Lancaster (2010) he does fit the criteria for vulnerable population. I also liked your considerations when providing care for this patient. It is very important that we assess their English fluency to make sure that we can properly educate and treat this patient, and that he understands his treatment. A patient with tuberculosis needs
Three decades from now, T.L.O., a student at a New Jersey High School was caught smoking in a school restroom, and was brought to the assistant principal’s office. The 14-years-old teenager denied smoking, so the assistant principal persisted in searching her purse and found cigarettes, and rolling paper which is associated with marijuana (T.L.O. vs. New Jersey). Nothing has changed since then. If you look a little closer, you can see teenagers lying around doing drugs here and there. They are no longer determined to succeed in life; instead all they can think about is where the next supply of cocaine will come from. What has our future come to? Research done by scientists and other professionals provide evidence that substance abuse by teenagers is an ever-growing problem due to teen’s poor judgement, it’s irreparable damage, and inability to compete with drug addiction.
There are options that the family doesn’t know about, starting with out patient mental health for Clifford, this could also include going with the whole family so that Clifford can feel more comfortable about his depression. This will also give Clifford time and help in explaining to his family why he feels this way and what they can do as a family to have less stress. There is also a family health care assisted living
Stanhope and Lancaster (2008) define vulnerable populations as “those defined at a greater risk for poor health status and health care access”(p.712). The role of a public health nurse in contrast to a vulnerable population is to establish interventions to help break the cycle of vulnerability thus aiding to eliminate health disparities within the population. The term “risk” helps public health nurses establish a person probability of something happening to them. This epidemiological term is used with the triangle of host, agent and environment in contrast to ones health within a population. The author will discuss vulnerability as discovered within a community based on surveying the community and establishing risk and interventions on the
Vulnerable population means a group of population that at greater risk of developing health problems due to their less awareness, availability, and access to needed resources to fulfill their healthy wellbeing requirements. Elderly population, pregnant women, homeless person, population with suicide or homicide prone behavior, substance abuser, persons living with infectious diseases such as HIV/AIDS, disable and chronically ill patients fall under vulnerable population group. “vulnerable populations are those with a greater than average risk of developing health problems by virtue of their marginalized sociocultural status, their limited access to economic resources or their personal characteristics such as age and gender”(Chesnay, M. &. Anderson, B. 2012). People with lower incomes and less education tend to be at higher risk for health problems.
Vulnerable population is not limited to a specific disease, race, income, or gender. There are different situations that can cause an individual to be classified into this category. A Vulnerable population can also include the neighborhood where an individual resides because healthcare resources may be limited. The focus of this will include the understanding of how the different biases affect the delivery of healthcare to individuals. It will also include a self-reflection of the learning prior and post about the population. It will identify a character and describe how he or she may be identified in a vulnerable population.
Define the term population at risk and indicate which of the elementary students are not at risk
Most kids at the age of 12 are in Middle School learning about science and math. However, in today’s adolescent life at the age of 12, when kids are barely even an adolescent, they are starting to use heroin. Heroin is increasingly spreading an outbreak throughout Long Island and it has become a widespread addiction that has many side effects. Heroin addiction has caused many overdoses, deaths and arrests. Ten years from now, this epidemic will get worse. There are ways we as a whole can help to recover from this outbreak. Such as treatment centers, education, and spreading awareness of the issue.
Among adolescents aged 12 to 17 years, 9.8 % are estimated to be current users of illicit drugs, with 4.9 % using drugs other than marijuana. Nearly three quarters of students have started to drink alcohol and nearly half (47%) have tried using an illicit drug (not including alcohol or tobacco) by the senior year of high school.” (Hassan, Harris, Sherritt, Van Hook, & Brooks, 2009)
These numbers reveal that teenagers face an apparent exposure to drugs, and have little trouble getting a hold of some if desired. This article concludes that drug use and its consequences are not stressed enough in the current high school curriculum. The statistics prove that more needs to be done to identify and educate students at risk for drug use.
Although some people argue for the legalization of drugs, addiction to these substances has caused a huge increase in violent crimes in the home, at school, and on the street. Many people do not understand why individuals become addicted to drugs or how drugs change the brain to create compulsive drug abuse. They mistakenly view drug abuse and addiction as strictly a social problem and may characterize those who take drugs as morally weak. One very common belief is that drug abusers should be able to just stop taking drugs if they are only willing to change their behavior. This is a false and uneducated belief. Drug abuse may start as a social problem or social escape but one the addiction has taken ahold of a person
It has been discovered that most people who struggle with drug addiction began experimenting with drugs in their teens. Teenage drug abuse is one of the largest problems in society today and the problem grows and larger every year. Drugs are a pervasive force in our culture today. To expect kids not to be influenced by the culture of their time is as unrealistic as believing in the tooth fairy (Bauman 140). Teens may feel pressured by their friends to try drugs, they may have easy access to drugs, they may use drugs to rebel against their family or society, or they may take an illegal drug because they are curious about it or the pleasure that it gives them.
Since 2000, the drug use rate in America has risen to the highest it’s ever been. In a survey done in 2009, 8.7 percent of people age 12 and up said that they used illegal substances within a month of taking the survey, a 9 percent increase since 2008 (Abuse, National Institute on Drug, 2010). This statistic alone is very concerning due to
Today in our modern society, many people believe that teen’s develop a mindset of having a clean system and to stay drug free. However, people are not able to foresee that the drug use in America has rising up tremendously. Studies have shown that drugs can not only have impact on your life, but also have impact on those who surround you and also can led to the absence of adolescence. It leads to bad habits and only brings evil deeds. The possession of drugs and the conspiracy sell is illegal in the Unites States. If arrest and put on trial due to drugs can mean serious jail time. According to the American Psychiatric Association's Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, people are considered to have a substance use disorder. (Live Science) The Live Science states “... people have strong urges to use a substance or can't control their use of it, or if their use impairs them in social situations or leads to risky behavior.” Members of society have needs when a drug is being in place into there normal day routine. The report also states that an estimated 27.1 million people in the U.S. used an illegal drug in the past month. (Live Science) The mass-production, sale and possession of illegal drugs should be banned in the United States.
Teenage drug abuse is an issue that can result from a wide variety of social influences, stressful events, and mental disorders. Drug abuse among adolescents is a troubling issue because it decreases focus, increases the chance of consistency in behavior during adulthood, increases the chances of developing emotional issues, permanently damages the brain, and damages tissues in every system that can lead to death. Previous scientific research has identified that social factors, including the media and peers, play an important role in psychological development and impact the adolescent's decision to start experimenting with substances (Botvin 888). Appropriate solutions for the teenage drug abuse issue already exist, but the only remaining