Summary: Cultural Disparities In Health Care

The health nurse can be a great advocate in identifying both the current and future needs of the parent and baby. Many community services are available to assist with nutritional needs, prenatal care services, and future childcare needs (Kaakinen, Coehlo, Steele, Tabacco, & Hanson, 2014). I myself was once a young pregnant mother who required assistance. Working a part-time minimum wage job while pregnant with my first child and attending nursing school full-time, I struggled financially. Before the time of healthcare reform, first-time pregnant mothers did not receive governmental assistance for health insurance or prenatal care. The community service that aided me during that time was the Women, Infant, and Children (WIC) program. Without the assistance of those wonderful nurses and program, I would have suffered from times of inability to buy food for myself while pregnant and would have also struggled to buy formula for my newborn. Not only was the food assistance godsend, the practical and applicable knowledge I gained from the nurse educators was

Although the United States is a leader in healthcare innovation and spends more money on health care than any other industrialized nation, not all people in the United State benefit equally from this progress as a health care disparity exists between racial and ethnic minorities and white Americans. Health care disparity is defined as “a particular type of health difference that is closely linked with social or economic disadvantage…adversely affecting groups of people who have systematically experienced greater social and/or economic obstacles to health and/or clean environment based on their racial or ethnic group; religion; socioeconomic status; gender; age; mental health; cognitive, sensory or physical disability; sexual orientation or gender identity; geographic location; or other characteristics historically linked to discrimination or exclusion” (National Partnership for Action to End Health Disparities [NPAEHD], 2011, p. 3). Overwhelming evidence shows that racial and ethnic minorities receive inferior quality health care compared to white Americans, and multiple factors contribute to these disparities, including geography, lack of access to adequate health coverage, communication difficulties between patients and providers, cultural barriers, and lack of access to providers (American College of Physicians,

As the society acknowledges the importance of human rights and dignity, the issues among the poverty, homeless, violence victims are now more considered. Although there are difference in roles between nurses from acute care, intensive care, and emergency settings nurses, community nurses engage those issues to become advocates for social justice. Health care nurses collaborate to identify strategies for incorporating social justice aims into their work environment (Johnstone, 2011). As a public nurses, there has been many researches to address vulnerability, diversity, health literacy, health care access, health care disparities and issues of particular populations such as ethnic and racial minority health, gay and lesbian health and the health of children, women and older adults (Johnstone, 2011). For example, affordable health care 2010 was implied for equitable delivery of healthcare for all individuals in United States. Although there are pro and cons on success of the system, it was aimed to promote the justice of human need to have least of health care when necessary. Among with the issues of inequality and unfairness of worldwide insurance system, this act was to provide fair access to health care. To achieve the aims of a just, accessible, affordable health care system for all, public health nurses make an effort to engage the professional advocacy.

This paper will explore a community health concern from a population focused nursing perspective. The health concern will be a relevant and validated health concern for the community indicated. The relevancy was determined by the Health People 2020 (HP2020) health indicators and the validation of the concern was compared to past objectives being met and current objectives working forward, and the gap in satisfying the target goals set forth ("2020 Topics & Objectives – Objectives A-Z | Healthy People 2020," 2015). A major force in the community of concern is the Kern County Public Health

Stanhope, M., & Lancaster, J. (2012). Public health nursing: Population-centered health care in the community (8th ed.). Maryland Heights, MO: Mosby Elsev

There were many new regulations put in place by the Department of Health and Human Services as well as the Centers for Disease Control and other government agencies. These included changes in how medical students were educated to care for minority patients and in how doctors were expected to treat all patients. Even with all the attention and concern paid to this issue, health disparities continue to exist and in some cases to increase. Research shows that disparities continue to exist today even when people have a good income and health insurance ( http://www.ncsl.org/research/health/health-disparities-overview.aspx). Some of the differences between minorities are in areas of infant deaths, life expectancy and number of chronic diseases. The research shows that black babies are one to three

3.What would some challenges and benefits be for community health nurses in providing care for different communities? For similar communities? For the same community? What are some possible solutions to the

I agree with you ,barrier always interfere the people health. As a nurses We need to educate each other to be culturally competent to address the medical needs of poor people, and also socially and politically competent to address the social context that keeps poor people poor from one generation to the next. Educate the poor people they are less likely to have adequate knowledge about threats to your health and to the health of family member. They are less likely to receive medical care from providers who are sensitive to your needs, who understand your living conditions, and who comprehend your personal and cultural perspectives on health and illness. It is our responsibility as nurses to be our patients advocate. Educate to homeless populations

As a registered nurse, it is our job to provide the utmost quality of care to individuals of all races, genders, and ages. Often times older adults face many factors that affect their health, especially those living in a rural or remote area. From a lack of health services to poor personal health practices, little to no social support networks and a potentially poor physical environment the list goes one. McGibbon, Etowa & McPherson (2008), explains that it is often a challenge to connect seniors to adequate heath-care resources due to a variety of determinants of health including, both the lack of transportation and their financial status. As a result, nurses must take on a wide range of roles, of which health education and promotion prove to be most important when working to minimize the impact of the social determinants of health (Whitehead, 2006).

Public health nurses can utilize outreach to help make health care more assessable to the communities they serve by implementing health education and counseling in areas the population congregate, for example: schools, community centers, churches and workplaces. Comprehensive services and

In an effort to promote the health needs within a community, a successful community health nurse (CHN) must focus on the entire population. In order to accomplish this task, the CHN utilizes a scientific approach to determine the priority population focused health needs for the community. According to Nies & McEwen (2011), a population focus involving an assessment of the community is a primary tool utilized in order to develop planning, interventions, and evaluations for the community at large. The purpose of this paper is to determine a priority

Nies, M. A., & McEwen, M. (2015). Community/Public health nursing: Promoting the health of populations (6th ed.). St. Louis, MO: Saunders/Elsevier.

As a Nurse Practitioner, working in an underserved community, most of the patients I see live in community housing also known as the projects. Some are heavy drug users, while others are at high risks for contracting different STDS due to having unprotected sex with many partners. Many of the patients lack health education and are not aware of their health issues. One common issue that is brought up during their appointments is the lack of communication by the health provider, many often complain that the doctor did not thoroughly explain their illness to them in way that they can comprehend. Other patients have also expressed their dislike for some practitioners because the care seems rushed and they sometime disregard their concerns. In order

Population health nurses can first be aware that there is an issue. After understanding the importance of helping the uninsured population the nurse should begin to search for available resources for the community. This portion of the vulnerable population may not be familiar with some of the available insurance options. The nurse can have clinics set up and, funded by donations from drug companies and hospitals to administer vaccinations, offer free screenings, and give coupons for medication, while offering prevention information.

The public health nurse has been called the leader in making improvements in the quality of health care for individuals, families, populations and communities (Stanhope & Lancaster, 2014). As it has been stated nurses from around the world collaborate with one another and found that their population centered nursing share more similarities than differences (Stanhope & Lancaster, 2014). Nurses who work outside of an institutional setting has been referred to as public health nurses, visiting nurses, community nurses and/or home health nurses. The purpose of this paper is to examine the history on public health and community health nursing and to discuss what affects they have on the profession of nursing.