Module 6 Vulnerable Population Health Discussion
Module 6 Vulnerable Population Health Discussion
Please respond to the following discussion posts.
Module 6 Discussion Forum 1 Vulnerable population
Posted by Bogdan
The core safety net providers are healthcare providers that we rely on when there is no one else to turn. These providers include doctors in public hospitals, the health department on different levels. On a smaller, local level usually, some providers will provide charity care to their community.
The safety net services provide medical, dental care to individuals that are unable to receive care due to their social, economic or immigration status. These people “fall into cracks” of the largely inefficient American healthcare system. The largest representatives of these populations are the uninsured (approximately 44 million people), low income, people that live in areas of the scarcity of medical personnel, minorities, and immigrants (Lewin & Altman, 2000).
Over the last few decades, the resources allocated for safety net providers have been on a decline. More and more professionals end up relying on donations or provide their services completely free of charge. This alarming trend cannot continue indefinitely and will eventually result in a collapse of the health safety net system (Lewin & Altman, 2000).
The Alachua county citizens are among the geographically advantaged people for healthcare because it is a home county for the University of Florida and UF Shands Hospital & Academic Medical Center. These healthcare institutions provide adequate care to the vulnerable residents ranging from medical and dental to mental health services (Alachua County Safety Net Collaborative, n.d.).
References:
Alachua County Safety Net Collaborative. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://care.med.ufl.edu/snc/
Lewin, M. E., & Altman, S. H. (2000). Americas health care safety net: Intact but endangered. Washington, D.C.: National Academy Press.
Module 6 Discussion 1_ Vulnerable population
Posted by Crystal
Safety net health care consists of dentists and physicians who provide care to indigent, uninsured, Medicaid patients. Most of these providers are employed by community health care centers or federally qualified health centers.These health centers can provide the low-cost care because the state and federal government help to fill the gap in payment of services.In my rural town, the community health center offers a broad range of services consisting of: primary care, dental care, In my rural town, the community health center offers a broad range of services consisting of primary care, dental care, chiropractic, podiatry, mothers-infants-children, GME residents, and behavioral health.One of the major gaps is adult dentistry.Fortunately, the community health center offers a sliding fee program to help the uninsured with the costs of dental.Another notable gap is dental specialty care.There are only a few specialists who are contracted with Medicaid HMO’s.The University of Florida accepts a wide range of patients however they lost their Sunshine contract this year.Finding pedodontists who offer higher levels of sedation is rare.Patients often must travel hours away from home.Thus, resulting in dental neglect and not having the work administered due to the cost of transportation.
Module 6 Discussion 2Vulnerable population
Posted by Sara
Culture of Health to me means where everyone in communities and government across the board work together to create an environment that supports all people (regardless of race, income, status) while helping to enable everyone to lead healthier lives.In order for this to happen and be successful everyone needs to be on the same page. Like the article mentioned building a culture of health would go beyond just the doctors offices and hospitals it would pan out into our communities and churches; promoting health amongst our families, friends and neighbors for generations to come (Lavizzo-Mourey, 2014).
When I think of a Culture of Health what comes to my mind is my church. The church that I attend, the congregation and the pastor are amazing people who bring assistance and resources to the diverse communities in the city. The church works with the local Department of Health; educating people in the community on health and wellness; providing medical and dental services to families in need, promoting the importance of nutrition. They also educate individuals on spiritual wellness and the significance of being spiritually, and emotionally fit. How all of these combined help people to lead healthier lives all the way around.
Lavizzo-Mourey, R. (2014) Building a Culture of Health.https://www.rwjf.org/content/dam/files/rwjf-web-fi…
Module 6 Discussion 1 HPV Community Health
Posted by Melanie
The Human Papillomavirus (HPV) puts women of all races, income levels, educational levels at an increased risk for cervical cancer, but specifically in women with lower socioeconomic status (Wong & Do, 2012). Studies have shown that lower socioeconomic status leads to lack of insurance and in turn leads to lower vaccination rates for HPV (Wong & Do, 2012). Lower vaccination rates are the reason that these women are at an increased risk for HPV and a higher risk for cancer (Wong & Do, 2012). The study Are there socioeconomic disparities in women having discussions on human papillomavirus vaccine with health care providers? (2012) did not find a correlation between socioeconomic status in those that had conversations with their doctors about the HPV vaccine and those that didn’t. This means that women of all socioeconomic classes that have a primary care doctor are just as likely to inquire about the vaccine.
References
Wong, K. Y., & Do, Y. K. (2012). Are there socioeconomic disparities in women having
discussions on human papillomavirus vaccine with health care providers?
BMC’s Women’s Health, 12, 33-39. DOI: 10.1186/1472-6874-12-33
Module 6 Discussion 1 Community HealthLiterature Review – Health Disparities
Posted by Kadry
The population of a country experiences disparities in the health status of individuals who belong to diverse groups, due to the effects of an array of elements, such as cultural background, ethnicity, race, and socioeconomic status. The infant mortality rate in the United States has large discrepancies that are influenced by factors that include access to health care, coverage from health insurance, as well as the influences of resilience and social support (Speights et al., 2017). The number of deaths that occur in infants who are from a Black racial background, opposed to the mortality of white infants, may be closely-related to the level of education received by the parents, which may lead them to being ignorant of proper precautionary measures involved with caring for the newborn child.Even further, many from the Black racial group reside within communities where it is commonplace to engage in early pregnancies, which results in many babies being severely impacted by health risks, given that parents are typically unable to access and afford the cost of medical care for the infants. As such, acknowledging the differences that exist among individuals from varying backgrounds, the infant mortality rate is higher in some groups of people, which may be due to level of education, financial status, as well as access to critical health and/or medical care services.
References
Speights, J. S. B., Goldfarb, S. S., Wells, B. A., Beitsch, L., Levine, R. S., & Rust, G. (2017). State-level progress in reducing the black-white infant mortality gap, united states, 1999-2013. American Journal of Public Health, 107(5), 775-782. doi:10.2105/AJPH.2017.303689
Module 6 Discussion 2 Community HealthMake it Equal!
Posted by Brianna
There are many factors that come into play when considering health issues amongst different cultures and ethnicities. As the class has learned, education, healthcare insurance and programs, access to care, income, dietary habits, and other behaviors affect an individual’s health. After reading much material on health disparities for low income households, it makes sense that a lot these families are minorities, and their health issues are unavoidable. According to the YouTube clip published by the Health Equity Institute, social, economic, and environmental issues are the greatest threat to minority culture health, because they have less income and education, they wind up living in neighborhoods with more crime, violence, pollutants from freeways and power plants, and less access to health food stores (2014). As Americans we need to step up and consider cultural competence and design better healthcare programs for minorities. Providing bi-lingual human service workers will display cultural sensitivity to a group in need, while it makes those experiencing hardship, truly understand options, programs, and resources to get medical treatment.
Institute, H. E. (2014, December 02). Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZPVwgnp3dAc
Module 6 Discussion 2 Community HealthHealth Inequities
Posted by Kadry
People of diverse cultural backgrounds and racial groups have varying experiences in the pursuit of accessing health care, given that a number of factors affect the degree and level of efficiency with which medical attention is received. Major elements contributing to disparities in the delivery of health care include age, class, gender, immigration status, race, religion, as well as sexual orientation (Health Equity Institute, 2014). Essentially, a large number of people from the minority groups are subject to unjust treatment, acknowledging that educational institutions, such as schools, may create an unhealthy environment that leads to individuals being unable to excel and make consistent progress, which has negative impacts at the employment level in being able to earn substantially and care for basic needs. Even further, individuals from the minority groups may experience difficulties seeking health care, given that clinics and hospitals may have medical practitioners who know and speak only the common language, which creates a language barrier that makes administering health care a challenging task. Therefore, considering the impacts of the level of education and competence in the common language, minority groups experience major inequities in health care, which demands involvement of relevant governmental agencies taking on the responsibility of devising strategies that contribute to advancement in the delivery of medical care to individuals from all backgrounds.
References
Health Equity Institute. (2014, December 2). What is health equity [Video file]. Retrieved from