NR586NP Week 2 Assignment Concept Map Summary Template

• NR586NP Week 2 Assignment Concept Map Summary Template

Concept Map Summary

• Provide a succinct description of the vulnerable population identified.

The vulnerable population represented in the concept map is homeless persons. That is, homelessness is living in a state of not having a consistent, routine, and decent night lodging. Since group members lack stable housing, they are socially isolated, and they often have no access to the required resources, including healthcare and social services (Omerov et al., 2019). The homeless are vulnerable to aggravating health disparities due to stress, the potential of developing physical and mental health issues and increased chances of experiencing various kinds of trauma.

• Discuss a minimum of three variables that place the population at risk.

Three essential variables put the homeless population at a high risk of health problems. The former, however, is that the absence of stable housing is in itself a significant risk factor. Since the homeless do not have a permanent residence, it is highly probable that environmental risks like exposure to harsh weather, lack of cleanliness and overcrowded shelters are affecting them. All this may lead to infectious and health issues. Second, there is low accessibility to health care services, where the population is unable to receive preventive care and treatment of existing diseases.

Most of the homeless individuals lack health insurance and can not access health facilities conveniently, and stereotypes and discrimination lead to the inability of the homeless individuals to access healthcare facilities to seek their assistance. Thirdly are the poverty and unemployment. The homeless people who do not have the financial means to access the basics, such as healthcare, healthy foods, and safe living environments, cannot be healthy. These are cycles that are interconnected, such that people are unable to overcome the pain that they experience.

• Describe the identified health risk(s) or disparity that the population is at risk of experiencing. 

The homeless individuals are exposed to numerous health issues and inequalities. The homeless people are frequently depressed, anxious, and have post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), usually because of living in the street or shelters, or because of the previous trauma and social isolation (Roze et al., 2020). Chronic health issues, including hypertension, diabetes and respiratory diseases, are also caused by the absence of routine access to medical care and preventive treatments.

Along with this is also substance abuse that is common in this population since most of these individuals use drugs or alcohol as a form of coping mechanism for the traumatic, stressful and depressing life that they lead. Mental health disorders, chronic illnesses, and substance abuse pose a daunting challenge to the enhancement of the overall health and stability of the homeless.

• Explain how the Concept Map portrays the relationships between each element presented.

A concept map was shown to illustrate the connection between numerous factors that cause the health disparities that homeless men and women experience. The middle one is the absence of stable homes because homeless individuals have to have a stable home in order to obtain healthcare services. They have no definite home and cannot possess one, and are confronted with missed appointments (and, thus, untreated ailments) that may be present. It, in its turn, aggravates mental health and physical health issues and, by extension, access to healthcare services.

Poverty and unemployment are also indicated in the concept map as the factors that lead to homelessness and health disparities as a result of homelessness. Poor health has been perpetuated by socioeconomic factors that keep the poor in poverty, unable to access or even lack access to a healthy living environment (Beech et al., 2021). In such a way, the concept map presents the factors in a vicious circle of vulnerability very well.

• Provide an in-text citation from one scholarly source to support your writing.

 (Beech et al., 2021)

(Omerov et al., 2019)

(Roze et al., 2020)

Intervention Proposal

• Identify one national population health goal or objective related to the identified risk or disparity, such as Healthy People 2030 or another national initiative. 

Among the national health goals applicable to Healthy People 2030 is that the percentage of individuals with mental health ailments who are treated should rise. This is directly linked to the fact that homeless persons are over 15 times more prone to unaddressed mental health problems, such as depression, anxiety and PTSD. However, homelessness itself may complicate things, making it more likely that an individual’s stress and instability of being homeless will lead them into mental illness, so that they will never receive the necessary help.

It is clear that there is a necessity to raise the percentage of homeless people who receive mental health services to decrease this disparity in health and hence enhance well-being (Martin et al., 2020). In line with this strategy, we as a society can also strive to ensure that the homeless are given the mental health care they badly need and reduce the burden of untreated mental illnesses on this vulnerable population.

• Propose one strategy for the advanced practice nurse to collaborate at the local, state, or national level to advocate for the health of the vulnerable population and advance the identified Healthy People 2030 goal or objective. 

The Homeless Advocating the Health of Homeless People and the Healthy People 2030 objective of health care can be advanced by the promotion of the mobile health care services offered by the advanced practice nurse (APN) with local, state and national stakeholders towards developing the mobile health care services tailored specifically to the mental health needs. The screenings, counselling, and treatment services available in these mobile units would particularly assist in the delivery of care in areas with huge concentrations of the homeless, such as shelters, encampments, and outreach services.

It will be paramount that the APN organise such efforts to help with a physical health screening and referrals to other providers, and enhance the mental health of their clients with the help of the mobile service. Moreover, the APN is also able to lobby for policy-level funding and resources to expand such services to more homeless individuals to ensure that they can access care in mental health (Mantler et al., 2018). This objective will be achieved by making sure that the homeless population can obtain the mental healthcare they need without lacking access because they can access conventional healthcare facilities, which is the goal of the Healthy People 2030.

• Identify the stakeholders with whom the advanced practice nurse could collaborate. 

The enhanced practice nurse might collaborate with some key stakeholders who are of high significance to the implementation of the suggested strategy. The former are the local health care providers and the community clinics, as they have access to medical supplies, healthcare personnel, and room to fit the mobile healthcare unit. Social worker case managers would become important collaborators to facilitate access to services among homeless persons, mitigating greater social determinants of health, and continuity of care. Government agencies at both the local and state levels would provide more access to mental health support for the homeless through the assistance of funding and policy changes.

Other nonprofits that we are interested in working with include shelters and advocacy organisations addressing homelessness, since they have a direct interaction with this population, and they can be of assistance with outreach and engagement. Lastly, the design and implementation of the mental health services can undergo expert advice by the public health officials and mental health professionals, so that they can be adjusted to the unique features of homelessness (Schiffler et al., 2023). This group of stakeholders will enable the APN to develop a more intense and more effective intervention to assist in achieving better health and well-being among the homeless population.

• Provide an in-text citation from two scholarly sources to support your writing.

(Martin et al., 2020)

(Mantler et al., 2018)

(Schiffler et al., 2023)