- Paragraph one: Describe your assigned vulnerable population and what characteristics create vulnerability. What are the key disparities faced by your group?
- Paragraph two: Reflect on the impact of the disparities faced by your assigned vulnerable population in accessing and interacting with healthcare. What specific challenges and barriers might the identified population experience?
- Paragraph three: Consider intervention strategies to improve health outcomes for your assigned vulnerable population. How can nurses implement these strategies in clinical practice?
- References: Provide complete references for all citations.
Peer response – response to the peer below
Unhoused Persons Transcultural Nursing Discussion
T.P – “Unhoused persons face many variables which make them a vulnerable population. Homelessness negatively impacts physical and mental health, life expectancy, quality of life, and access to healthcare. Key disparities faced by the homeless population are limited access to preventative care, higher rates of substance use disorders, increased exposure to environmental hazards and diseases, lack of affordable and safe housing options, economic and educational disparities (United States Interagency Council on Homelessness, n.d.).
The impact of these disparities tends to compound the issue of this population obtaining access and continued interaction with healthcare. Because the homeless do not have a physical address, and may struggle to maintain phone service, it can be difficult to make contact with a homeless patient for appointment reminders or important changes to treatments and medications. Transportation is also an issue within this population. In my clinic we have many patients who are late due to walking, and unable to come to appointments during inclement weather.
Intervention strategies for this population would be influencing local and government policy to provide innovative solutions for housing. Healthcare facilities may also partner with housing providers to raise funding. Healthcare facilities can also provide screening for these issues and utilize social workers to help capture data and connect patients at risk for homelessness with resources within the community (Garcia et al., 2024). I have found that our social worker in the clinic is a wealth of resources and often has several suggestions for money-saving programs to obtain food, medications, and medical care. I also try to stay abreast of new outreach programs within my community, and maintain awareness of eligibility criteria so that I can recommend resources myself when I notice someone might benefit from them. Volunteering is also another way we can serve our homeless population, and this is something almost anyone in the community can do to give back.”
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