Case Study: Homelessness: Homeless Minority
As a community health nurse in an inner-city health center, you are increasingly aware that the homeless population in your city appears to be the forgotten aggregate. Your community health center provides primary care to a culturally diverse and indigent population. As a nurse, you believe that the homeless population within your city has numerous health needs Beyond the basic requirements, many homeless people have mental and substance abuse problems, a deficiency in life skills, and poor family support, and most of all lack access to child health services.
The homeless population has all of the usual health problems you would expect in the general population in addition to other problems resulting from their homeless lifestyle Although there are several glaring concerns, you plan to focus your attention first on securing immunizations for the homeless infants and secondly, to obtain formula for them.
Reflective Questions
In planning health services tor this special population, what facts do you need to know?
What barriers to accessing health care for minority infants confront the homeless family?
How can you overcome some of the barriers in developing your plan for health care?
Discussion
1. In planning health services tor this special population, what Facts do you need to know? The following are some of the first questions that should be ask*J
· How many homeless minority infants are in this aggregate?
· Where are they?
· How can they access health care in the city?