Vulnerable Populations in our Own Communities
Shi, Stevens, Faed, & Tsai (2008) maintain that an individual’s personal surroundings play a role in their access to material and social resources essential to wellbeing, which in turn play a role in their level of vulnerability and risk of negative outcomes. Their contention is that the lack of access to these resources may reduce the level of health-promoting behaviors while increasing the incidence of risk behaviors (2008), which in turn increase risk exposures and vulnerability to poor health outcomes.
Think about this in relationship to your own community.
In your post of 150 to 175 words:
First, identify a “vulnerable population” in your community and list several factors that might play a role in making them vulnerable or at risk. For example, you might identify what resources they lack access to and how this increases risk for certain negative outcomes. Explain how their surroundings serve as barriers to healthy behaviors/lifestyles or increase the incidence of risk behaviors. Then, reflect upon how vulnerable groups are viewed or treated in your community, and how community members’ own values play a role in how one views, treats or responds to members of vulnerable groups. Do you think this adds another challenge to a community’s willingness to prioritize services for vulnerable populations.
Requirements: 150 words
In my community the uninsured have been shown to be vulnerable to health care access and quality, specially in the dental field (I am a dental hygienist) Most people that do not have insurance and indeed have severe dental problems including infection, and severe bone loss can sometimes not afford the cost for treatment.
I will like to add this
research on vulnerable populations focuses on a number of subpopulations, including, but not limited to the following:
- the uninsured
- elderly
- impoverished/indigent
- children (including abused, neglected, foster care, victims of bullying, suicidal teens, incarcerated, etc.)
- the chronically ill
- physically disabled
- mentally ill
- terminally ill
- homeless
- victims of domestic violence
- substance dependent
- people diagnosed HIV positive/AIDS
- illiterate/under-educated
- those who lack access to health care
- Unemployed/underemployed
- incarcerated individuals (particularly those who suffer from mental illness and individuals re-entering our communities)
- refugees and immigrants
- immigrants and families who have a language barrier
