Underserved Population

The most common of these illnesses are schizophrenia, schizoaffective disorder, bipolar disorder, and depression. Furthermore, based on their condition, these individuals are more likely to be threatened, assaulted, or victimized because of their vulnerability (“How Many People…”). Also, given the condition that they are in, they can’t possibly take care of themselves. A study of 529 homeless people living in Los Angeles found that those who had been previously psychiatrically hospitalized were three times more likely to eat food that was in the garbage (‘Serious Mental Illness and Homelessness’). Additionally, half of the mentally ill homeless population (about ten to twelve percent) also struggle with an addiction as well (‘Mental Illness and Homelessness’). Having both a mental illness and an addiction does nothing but escalate the severity of both problems at the same time. From there, it is nothing but a downward spiral. The sole hope that the mentally ill homeless population has, is if they were to have their own facility. Not only will this provide permanent housing, but it will also ensure they take their medication, assist them in quitting their addiction, give regular medical check-ups, and prevent others from taking advantage of them. Never mind the value that this could potentially cost, aren’t human lives worth more than a

What experiences have you had or activities have you participated in that have prepared you to work with underserved populations?

Homelessness has been a problem for many years in the United States. This misfortune is becoming even a bigger issue due to people losing jobs and having no income. Not having any type of income leads to neglect in the way of just trying to survive. One issue that homeless individuals neglect is their health care. In this literature review, the main theme centers on how vulnerable this population is to not receiving adequate health care. “Meeting the needs of the homeless requires a different approach than that of the general population, thus healthcare providers must be aware of these needs and learn how to facilitate and improve care for homeless individuals” (Seiler & Moss, 2012, p. 305). The homeless population is a group that is sometimes stereotyped for their homeless situation; however, many are in an unfortunate situation that was not chosen by

As nurses, it extremely important for us to have an understanding of mental health so we can decrease the stigma in the healthcare profession. There shouldn’t be a difference between a “psychiatric nurse” and a “general nurse”. Since over 50% of the population suffers from a mental illness, both professions should be equally educated and sensitive towards health care issues.

Mental health in America is a stigmatized topic that affects nearly 20% of the population and around 1 in 4 people will be affected by a mental illness at some point in their life (World Health Organization, 2010). However, due to the stigma behind mental health, people often do not seek treatment. As for the homeless population, the rates are much higher, with 1 in 4 homeless individuals living with a severe mental illness (Jasinski, Wesely, Mustaine, & Wright, 2005). These people and this population struggles to receive adequate healthcare, but with the enactment of the Affordable Care Act (ACA) or better known as ObamaCare, there have been positive change made to help these individuals. However, the ACA is not perfect and there are

Homelessness has been a problem in the United States for well over a hundred years. Major economic downturns have always had a large role in effecting the homeless population. However, the deinstitutionalization of the psychiatric hospitals in America has greatly increased the size of the mentally ill homeless population, particularly in large urban areas. This increase in homelessness among people with

The Family Nurse Practitioner or (FNP) encompasses many areas of practice from clinic to acute care. Many FNPs choose to specialize in clinical areas based on expertise and experience. Other FNPs may choose to practice within a certain population or area based off of scope of practice and degree of independence. As an FNP, I choose to focus my expertise to serve the underserved populations in Colorado, which could be in an outpatient, clinic or acute care setting.

According to one recent study, “more than 1.5 million people experience homelessness in the United States every year” (Doran, 2013, p. 355). Individuals of all ages and from all walks of life face homelessness today. While already facing this one adversity, they also face inadequate health care in a variety of ways. They face specific health problems in higher concentrations than other populations, including mental health disorders and substance abuse (Harkness, 2012). Many also face chronic health conditions such as diabetes or hypertension that go untreated (Harkness, 2012). In addition, access to health care is a barrier with which this population struggles. Healthy People 2020 includes goals to “improve access to comprehensive, quality health care services” and “improve health-related quality of life and well-being for all individuals” (2020 Topics and Objectives, 2010). This paper reviews these goals in light of the homeless population and explores how community nursing can potentially address them.

The following literature combines topics such as nutrition, housing disparities, and social inequality and how they plan in interdependent role in the health of low-income populations. Because low income populations are susceptible to bevy of diseases and health (Bowman 2007) it is important to increase ones nutritional status in order to improve their overall quality of life. A low socio-economic status is associated with poor nutritional intake as “household income is a major [factor] that impacts food choices and nutritional status of individuals” (Bowman 2007). Furthermore, according to Bowman, low-income households are in urgent need for food assistance and nutrition intervention as to prevent contracting heart disease, diabetes, hypertension,

When people are mentally ill, they suffer social stigma, have higher health costs, and are at an increased risk of becoming poor. Every one out of five Americans is diagnosed with a mental illness. That 20 percent of the population can negatively influence the normal stresses of life, working productively and fruitfully, and being able to make a contribution the community. When humankind as a whole cannot recognize that mental illness is a serious issue, there is more harm being done than good. Any kind of mental illness can be caused merely by society, but also can worsen due to humanity not understanding how injustice can make a serious impact. The mental health problems that people face can be limited to society learning about the injustice of these illnesses.

Regardless of the path my future medical career takes, I inevitably see myself working in a large urban city for an extended period of time. While most big cities have equally large numbers of providers, there are often inner city areas that are underserved due to perceived undesirability. The populations here often suffer from conditions that would be avoidable, or better managed if they had constant access to primary care practitioners. The chance to work with underserved populations is one of the reasons I am pursuing a career in medicine, so I envision a future where I am able to run a primary health clinic with other health professionals and provide this necessary preventive primary care to low income patients. My current work with Global

While walking downtown, a homeless man that has been diagnosed with schizophrenia walks around aimlessly, searching for a place to sleep for the night. Once he’s settled into a spot outside for the night, his mental illness begins to act up, causing him to resort to drugs to self-medicate since he doesn’t have access to real medicine. The next day, he’s found dead due to a drug overdose. Since the homeless mentally ill do not have access to proper medication, they often resort to drug abuse and can have a greater chance of participating in a violent crime and being sent to jail. If health care is provided, the homeless could begin looking for jobs and have a greater chance of getting hired, which would result in them being able to afford a

The treatment and prevention of mental illness can be difficult, and as with physical illness, no case or result is the same for everyone. Treatment varies for each illness, as well as for individual client needs and level of severity. With the numerous choices of treatment available today, people around the world have a greater chance at not only preventing or decreasing mental illness, but also the opportunity to enhance their mental health through the public health model of primary, secondary, and tertiary prevention.

It has been reported that the number of people with mental disorder is increasing in our communities at an alarming rate. Environmental and social changes are among the most mentioned causes of the accelerating rate of mental illness in society (Häfner, 1985). Despite the prevalence, about one fifth of the adult population will battle with mental illness every year ("Facts and figures about mental illness," 2014) and the acknowledgement of authorities mental illness is still given less attention then is needed to treat the problem successfully. Health bodies need to be putting more resources into this area as

Many people often have stereotypes or stigmas regarding mental illnesses. There is a general public stigma that is overall expressed by people who may not have full knowledge over the importance of mental health. When referring to the stigma, people will usually say that those with mental illnesses are irresponsible, should be cared for, or should be feared and kept out of the direct community. All of these stigmas having to do with mental illnesses are false. Many people with mental illnesses are able to hold stable jobs, graduate from high school and college, and even live as good neighbors in a community. By creating this stigma, people are adding to the everyday challenges that people with mental illnesses are going through. We should aim to educate and stop the prejudice that is brought about by those who are not fully aware of the importance of mental health.