Underserved Populations

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

As a medical assistant at a nonprofit clinic in Washington, D.C. I have seen firsthand how rampant diseases such as hypertension and diabetes are in disadvantaged communities. I am not naive enough to believe that such diseases can one day be fully eradicated from disadvantaged communities, but I do think that we can try harder to reduce them. I want to join a network of people who share my vision of improving preventive medicine in disadvantaged communities and for that reason I am choosing to pursue a career in osteopathic

The United States of America is the place known to many as the land of the free, home of the brave, and the place to start a better life. With any place that has good qualities, some have not so good qualities. The homeless population in the United States is at a staggering high, and many individuals are suffering because many lack employment/financial resources, housing resources, support from family and friends, and others negligence; such as natural disasters or fires. Homeless individuals may have no other choice than to live on the streets, trains, and alley ways to name a few places where homeless people seek shelter. The history of homelessness, social problems, demographics, common clinical

I have been given many opportunities to help others and make an impact in Johnson City through organizations like the Family Medicine Interest Group at ETSU, serving as the coordinator for student involvement in free clinics. I have also been able to make an impact through medicine in Cleveland, TN by way of the Good Samaritan Clinic. This is a free clinic in downtown Cleveland that I have been volunteering at for the past seven years. I have also been directly involved in the start-up of the Just Care clinic in Mountain City, TN, a medical student ran free clinic in rural Appalachia. I was also been able to spend time in rural Guatemala with a medical team from my undergraduate university helping diagnose, treat, and care for patients whom receive little to no regular healthcare. From my own first hand experiences in both Guatemala and my time spent in the Just Care and Good Samaritan Clinics, I have seen the impact that an inadequate health care system can have on a population. I hope to use my medical and public health training in areas that do not have adequate access to health

I know that the first steps for me to become a leader in my field is to enter practice and gain experience as an FNP working in primary care with underserved populations before moving forward towards health administration or academia. I am determined to combine clinical care, research, and health policy to enable underserved populations to have more control over their own health and well-being. As a FNP, I would have the broadest base of knowledge and ability to treat patients at all ages and

While in public accounting, I acted as the Interim Finance Director for the Ponca Tribe of Nebraska based out of Niobrara, which is a position that took years to fill due to the remote nature of the community. I audit tribal entities across the country in less populated areas including Popular, Montana; Zuni, New Mexico; and Needles, California. Furthermore, when taking a two-year hiatus from public accounting I worked as the Finance Director for a community health clinic, which serves uninsured and underinsured individuals focusing on those at 200% of the poverty level or less. The clinics are located in communities with health professional shortage area (HPSA) designations, which mean there are too few primary care, dental, and mental health providers and services compared to the number of individuals residing in the

Healthy communities depend on the promotion of collaboration between health care providers, equitable utilization of health care resources and access to care for disease prevention. The Affordable Care Act (ACA) has increased access to insurance, but has not necessarily contributed to increased access to care (Lane et al., 2012). Limited access to health care and insurance, along with socioeconomic status, ethnicity, race, gender, sexual identity, and age contribute to health care disparities in the United States ("Disparities," 2014). The Appalachian Region has many factors that increase the risk of health disparities among this population, including poverty, unemployment, limited access to care,

One of the most vulnerable populations frequently encountered by everyday individuals are the mentally ill. Mental illness is not a condition that manifests physically, but can cause a person to change their physical appearance due to specific behaviors. It is not uncommon for a large number of the homeless population to possess one kind of mental illness that contributed to their housing condition. This population may partake in at risk behavior, jeopardizing their long-term health, and reducing their life expectancy. The mentally ill are an underserved population that can be hard to reach, physically and mentally. Their illness comes with shame due to the stigma attached to the illness and due to the lack of education. Nurses are now trying

For example, for more than two years I worked in admitting and as a scribe in the Emergency Department of St. Joseph Medical Center in Bellingham, WA. Downtown Bellingham is considered a Medically Underserved Area by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services due to the growing homeless population. Many of these individuals struggle to establish with a primary care provider and instead seek frequent treatment through the emergency department.

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.

A team of researchers from The George Washington University in conjunction with key leaders – evaluated the Detroit area to assess the state-of-healthcare deliverance to those in need. The problem was presented in a clear and concise manner: The uninsured and poor had limited to no access to the care they needed. Many resorted to the Emergency Department (40% of admissions were non-emergent), leading to overcrowding in the hospital. Those that are part of the safety net are providers of the poor and vulnerable populations: hospital systems, clinics, volunteers, primary care workers, and prevention workers that are there to prevent the overflow and influx that we see in the assessment. We will be addressing our main stakeholders, the

As a future physician, I want to provide the necessary health care and guidance to children of low-income families, both here in the United States and in developing nations. Current advances in technology and medicine have allowed a vast majority of diseases to be treated, prevented, and even cured; yet, it is a grave reality that many individuals still do not have these innovations available to them. Ultimately, my goal is to act as a link between

In this assignment I will select a vulnerable population sub-group and consider how social science contributes to understanding the social problems encountered by this group. I will do this by firstly explaining and identifying and locating the chosen sub group within the broader societal context. Next by explaining why the chosen sub group is considered to be vulnerable with reference to relevant theory and research based evidence. Then I will be identifying and explaining the role of relevant agencies, both non-governmental organisations and governmental in relation to welfare provision for the chosen sub group. Finally I will discussing the role of social science in informing public health and welfare practice in relation to the chosen

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.

One of the most appealing aspects of becoming a public health professional is the wide range of careers available to choose from. My career goals coincide with the range of opportunities; however, ultimately I want to work with an organization similar to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta. I want to focus on the social and medical aspects of disease, and examine the disproportionate rates of disease and disability among minorities. I also want to help prevent the spread of infectious diseases such as HIV/AIDS that is rapidly destroying so many countries. My passion to help others around me has sparked a desire to work with clinics around the world in order to promote change in the treatment and prevention of devastating diseases like HIV/AIDS.