Underserved Community Case Study

Low-income families comprise a large percentage of America’s social class. These families may struggle to meet their basic needs such as food, water, electricity, and transportation all of which can impact the families health status and change the level of priority they give to complying to their health treatments. “The health disparities between poor people and those with higher incomes are almost universal for all dimensions of health” (Friedman et al. 2003, p.229). As a nurse we must try to help close the gap between these health disparities through patient advocacy, community outreach, resource availability, and health education. Nurse’s play a crucial role in the health of our community and the families that reside within, which is why social status is such an important element of the health

The United States is comprised of many cultures within a culture. America is composed of a variety of people who all have different beliefs and traditions, as well as their own unique set of beliefs regarding their healthcare practices. One such group is the Hispanic Americans who have their own very diverse cultural group. As individuals, they are just like anybody else in any other culture. However, it is worthwhile for a nurse caring for someone from this culture to know what their distinct cultural beliefs are. People belonging to a Hispanic cultural group are highly attached to the beliefs and values of their culture and follow them in every aspect of their life (Gallo, 2003). Interestingly, their cultural beliefs even influence the

Hart and Mareno (2013) wrote in their article, Cultural challenges, and barriers through the voices of nurses, nurses are being tested in today 's healthcare environment to provide culturally competent care to their patients which consist of a diverse population. Nurses, according to Hart

There is limited healthcare services and literature that is culturally and linguistically appropriate for culturally diverse populations. These barriers have been shown over the years to threaten how effective care is for these populations. The healthcare system depends on nurses to facilitate services, care plans and educate patients on various health issues.

The impact of policy change can also be seen on the local or community level, disparity in access to health care is seen in many communities. In 1985 , The Report of the Secretary’s Task force on Black and Minority Health in the United States , took a close look at health disparities among blacks, Hispanic, Asian / Pacific Islander and Native American Indians . This disparity led to an 80% excess of mortality these groups due to such diseases as cancer, diabetes, cardiovascular disease, infant mortality, chemical dependency and unintentional injury. A good example of policy change includes nursing taking an active role in breaking that link with social economic status and health status in healthcare Mason, Leavitt & Chaffee (2014). Nurses should education patients about resources in community to assist with prevent of diseases , they can , take leadership roles in emergency preparedness

The United States is a multi-ethnic nation. In fact, according to the national census survey results, there are more than twelve races including whites, black Americans, American Indians, Chicanos (Mexican Americans) among many others in the US. With such a rich ethnic diversity, it calls for an equally rich ethnically diverse nursing workforce. An ethnically diverse workforce will, among other things, prove decisive in providing the best medical attention possible, increase efficiency in obtaining and disseminating crucial information and provide patients with options on the ways to attend to them (Huston, 2010). Furthermore, it will be important in enabling the nurses on call to undertake their duties with greater zeal due to the many options

Immigrants, low income single parents, and families living below the level of poverty are examples of vulnerable populations (Anderson and McFarlane, 2011). These populations are at a great risk for harm in society (Anderson and McFarlane, 2011). Vulnerability leads to alienation, helplessness or powerlessness which are all opposite to empowerment (Anderson and McFarlane, 2011). However, community health nurses utilizing a population-focused approach to planning, delivering and evaluating nursing care are in the unique position to be able to make a difference and transform communities through empowerment. As part of the curriculum for the Canseco School of Nursing program at Texas A&M International University, five baccalaureate nursing students

Nurse leaders can partner with the local government, churches, schools and community groups to create programs that reduce health disparities. For example, a program geared towards promoting wellness and a healthy lifestyle in the community will be beneficial for all, including the uninsured minority groups. As a nurse practitioner, my plan would be to create a program to bridge the gap in care of the uninsured elderly immigrants, specifically those with diabetes in the city of Jacksonville. Research has shown that “ focusing on wellness and education programs as an approach for increasing the peoples’ understanding in making the connection between health status and lifestyle decreased mortality and morbidity rates in minorities

Racial and ethnic diversity within the United States has grown rapidly over the last several years and is expected to continue to grow. According to Pardasani & Bandyopadhyay (2014), "racial/ethnic minorities, now roughly one-third of the U.S. population, are expected to become the majority in 2042, with the nation projected to be 54 percent non Caucasian" (p. 90). Nurses are caring for patients who come from diverse racial, ethnic, religious and socioeconomic backgrounds in health care settings across the United States. Therefore, it is the nurse 's responsibility to provide culturally competent care to patients, in turn providing high quality care. According to deChesnay and Anderson (2016), cultural competence is a way of providing care that takes into account cultural differences between the nurse and the patient, while meeting the health needs of the patient" (p. 33). It 's an ongoing process for nurses, which involves accepting and respecting cultural differences and not letting your own personal views and beliefs influence how you care for your patients. There are many ways to provide culturally competent care to patients, especially those from vulnerable populations. According to Douglas et al. (2014), guidelines for providing culturally competent nursing care include having knowledge of cultures, obtaining education and training in culturally competent care, performing critical self-reflection, providing cross cultural communication, advocating for patients

There are others who are in the same situation who are not getting the care they need due to their race, socioeconomic status, age, and georgraphic location (Paquin, 2011). Both Paquin and Buettner agree that nursing organizations and all nurses need to come together for the purpose of defining what social justice advocacy is in detail so that it can be implemented into practice (Buettner-Schmidt & Lobo, 2012) (Paquin, 2011). This will help us start to remove the obstacles of us achieving equality for all (Paquin, 2011). Therefore aiding in the prevention of health disparities versus tertiary treatment of health

Nursing is a field that is predicted to expand over the years. It takes a special type of person to become a nurse. Nurses are deem to be patient, advocate, caring, and dependable. Although nursing continues to advance, diversity is yet to be address in order to tackle the issue of health disparities and maintain health equity. The term nurse is mostly construe as a Caucasian women rather than an international black female. There is a lot more diverse population which contributed to the advancement of nursing rather than just one race or ethnicity. Rosseter (2015) states, nurses who have been in the field for years perceived a strong connection between culturally competent workforces and the quality to give socially skilled patient care. In

Delivering culturally sensitive care is an important focus throughout healthcare institutions in the US and for this reason it is gaining attention within the nursing profession since nurses are crucial when it comes to the delivery of health care. This is because they can have a great influence on unequal treatment thereby enhancing the culturally congruent care within the health care institutions they operate from (Wesley & Dobal, 2009). The Joint Commission on Accreditation of Health Care Organizations (JCAHO)

Many people felt that the Obamacare mandate forced them to pay more for health care with no added benefit. In actuality, it took benefits from those already with insurance coverage and require them to pay more in premiums and out of pocket.

Stanton is a city located in western Orange County, California. The population was 38,186 at the 2010 census, up from 37,403 at the 2000 census. The city was incorporated in 1956 and operates under the Council-Manager form of government, providing a full range of municipal services. Stanton is bounded by Cypress on the west, Anaheim on the north, and east, and Garden Grove on the east and south. In addition to the patrol and investigative administrations offered specifically from Stanton Police Services, the Sheriff's Department additionally gives road and local opiates concealment programs, a Gang Enforcement Team (GET), a mounted unit, a Special Weapons and Tactics (SWAT) group, the Hazardous Devices (BOMB) Squad, prisoner transactions,

In every profession, there are underlying key aspects as to how that profession functions. Moreover, in the nursing profession there are processes used to facilitate quality care, as well as models to show the aspects of how we address this care. Likewise, Cultural aspects are deemed a high priority in establishing greater quality care, and are considered within each aspect of the Giger and DavidHizar Transcultural Model.