What are vulnerable populations and how are they served in the health care realm?

What are vulnerable populations and how are they served in the health care realm?

When it comes to healthcare and other socioeconomic resources, vulnerable populations are a group of individuals who are disadvantaged in one way or another. These individuals include ethnic and racial minorities, patients with chronic illnesses, and those who are economically disadvantaged. Individuals with low incomes and those who are homeless are the most vulnerable in the United States. For example, low-income individuals are more likely to suffer from chronic illnesses, which have a negative impact on their overall quality of life. A consequence of this is that individuals with low incomes are disproportionately composed of members of ethnic and racial minorities. Because of their low income, this population has the least amount of coverage and therefore interacts with the healthcare system the least amount (De & Anderson, 2019). Low-income individuals are also at a higher risk of developing co-occurring health conditions, particularly in the area of behavioral health, such as depression and substance abuse, as well as other health complications such as diabetes and obesity. Furthermore, having a low income can result in being homeless and therefore lacking a safe place to live, which increases the likelihood of developing a health-related outcome that is harmful. The homeless are often stigmatized and unwelcome, and as a result, they are less likely to seek medical attention if they develop a health problem.
There are several policies in place in the United States that aim to end homelessness and make it easier for low-income individuals to access essential resources such as healthcare with greater ease.

The United States Department of Health and Human Services has developed five programs aimed specifically at assisting homeless people, as well as fourteen non-targeted or mainstream service delivery programs for the low-income population (Fowler & Farrell, 2017). The State Medicaid-Housing Agency Partnerships, Health Care for the Homeless, Project for Assistance in the Transition from Homelessness, Services in Supportive Housing, and Grants for the Benefit of Homeless Individuals (GBHI) are just a few of the programs that have been targeted to help the homeless. In addition, the GBHI program is a competitively awarded grant program that is intended to assist communities in strengthening and expanding their treatment services, particularly for people who are homeless (Martin, 2015). Applicants must be non-profit or community-based public entities with a mission to provide services and programs such as mental health services, substance abuse treatment, outreach services, immediate entry into treatment, wrap-around services, screening and diagnostic services, case management, relevant housing services, educational services, and primary health services. The grants are awarded for a period of up to 5 years and can be used to fund a variety of services and programs. This program, among others, has made certain that the homeless and low-income individuals have access to services that they otherwise would not have been able to afford due to a lack of financial resources. This program has also had a significant positive impact on their general health and overall quality of life.

Nonetheless, the primary goal of the government should be to end homelessness and close the poverty gap by increasing the number of job opportunities while increasing the minimum wage so that even the lowest paid can afford basic necessities. It is also important for the government to invest in programs that provide free healthcare services to the homeless at their shelters, in order to improve their health and reduce their chances of developing chronic health complications (Samuels, 2017). Finally, educational programs for the homeless and low-income individuals should be strengthened in order to educate them on preventive measures such as lifestyle traits that can help them improve their quality of life and reduce their risk of developing chronic illnesses such as diabetes, which should be emphasized.

What are vulnerable populations and how are they served in the health care realm?

In a 1-2 page Word document, explain about vulnerable populations. You may conduct independent online research to provide information for your response. Please cite in-text sources and references using APA Editorial Format.

What is the definition of a vulnerable population?
What is one example of a vulnerable populations in your own area?
Identify one government Program which has been instituted to help this vulnerable population?
How has this Program assisted this population?
What more do you think might be done to help this population?

Important information for writing discussion questions and participation

Welcome to class

Hello class and welcome to the class and I will be your instructor for this course. This is a -week course and requires a lot of time commitment, organization, and a high level of dedication. Please use the class syllabus to guide you through all the assignments required for the course. I have also attached the classroom policies to this announcement to know your expectations for this course. Please review this document carefully and ask me any questions if you do. You could email me at any time or send me a message via the “message” icon in halo if you need to contact me. I check my email regularly, so you should get a response within 24 hours. If you have not heard from me within 24 hours and need to contact me urgently, please send a follow up text to

I strongly encourage that you do not wait until the very last minute to complete your assignments. Your assignments in weeks 4 and 5 require early planning as you would need to present a teaching plan and interview a community health provider. I advise you look at the requirements for these assignments at the beginning of the course and plan accordingly. I have posted the YouTube link that explains all the class assignments in detail. It is required that you watch this 32-minute video as the assignments from week 3 through 5 require that you follow the instructions to the letter to succeed. Failure to complete these assignments according to instructions might lead to a zero. After watching the video, please schedule a one-on-one with me to discuss your topic for your project by the second week of class. Use this link to schedule a 15-minute session. Please, call me at the time of your appointment on my number. Please note that I will NOT call you.

Please, be advised I do NOT accept any assignments by email. If you are having technical issues with uploading an assignment, contact the technical department and inform me of the issue. If you have any issues that would prevent you from getting your assignments to me by the deadline, please inform me to request a possible extension. Note that working fulltime or overtime is no excuse for late assignments. There is a 5%-point deduction for every day your assignment is late. This only applies to approved extensions. Late assignments will not be accepted.

If you think you would be needing accommodations due to any reasons, please contact the appropriate department to request accommodations.

Plagiarism is highly prohibited. Please ensure you are citing your sources correctly using APA 7th edition. All assignments including discussion posts should be formatted in APA with the appropriate spacing, font, margin, and indents. Any papers not well formatted would be returned back to you, hence, I advise you review APA formatting style. I have attached a sample paper in APA format and will also post sample discussion responses in subsequent announcements.

Your initial discussion post should be a minimum of 200 words and response posts should be a minimum of 150 words. Be advised that I grade based on quality and not necessarily the number of words you post. A minimum of TWO references should be used for your initial post. For your response post, you do not need references as personal experiences would count as response posts. If you however cite anything from the literature for your response post, it is required that you cite your reference. You should include a minimum of THREE references for papers in this course. Please note that references should be no more than 5 years old except recommended as a resource for the class. Furthermore, for each discussion board question, you need ONE initial substantive response and TWO substantive responses to either your classmates or your instructor for a total of THREE responses. There are TWO discussion questions each week, hence, you need a total minimum of SIX discussion posts for each week. I usually post a discussion question each week. You could also respond to these as it would count towards your required SIX discussion posts for the week.

I understand this is a lot of information to cover in 5 weeks, however, the Bible says in Philippians 4:13 that we can do all things through Christ that strengthens us. Even in times like this, we are encouraged by God’s word that we have that ability in us to succeed with His strength. I pray that each and every one of you receives strength for this course and life generally as we navigate through this pandemic that is shaking our world today. Relax and enjoy the course!

Hi Class,

Please read through the following information on writing a Discussion question response and participation posts.

Contact me if you have any questions.

Important information on Writing a Discussion Question

• Your response needs to be a minimum of 150 words (not including your list of references)
• There needs to be at least TWO references with ONE being a peer reviewed professional journal article.
• Include in-text citations in your response
• Do not include quotes—instead summarize and paraphrase the information
• Follow APA-7th edition
• Points will be deducted if the above is not followed

Participation –replies to your classmates or instructor

• A minimum of 6 responses per week, on at least 3 days of the week.
• Each response needs at least ONE reference with citations—best if it is a peer reviewed journal article
• Each response needs to be at least 75 words in length (does not include your list of references)
• Responses need to be substantive by bringing information to the discussion or further enhance the discussion. Responses of “I agree” or “great post” does not count for the word count.
• Follow APA 7th edition
• Points will be deducted if the above is not followed

• Remember to use and follow APA-7th edition for all weekly assignments, discussion questions, and participation points.
• Here are some helpful links
• The is a great resource