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Please write a Paragraph answering to this discussion below with your opinion. Please include citations and references in alphabetical order in case of another source.

“A vulnerable population is a group or groups that are
more likely to develop health-related problems, have more difficulty accessing
health care to address those health problems, and are more likely to experience
a poor outcome or shorter life span because of those health conditions” (Maurer
& Smith, 2012, p. 528). People at risk for poor health are not necessarily
classified as vulnerable: vulnerable groups must have aggravating factors that
place them at greater risk
for undergoing poor
health status than the rest of at-risk populations.

According
to Healthy People
2020 (U.S. Department of Health and Human Services [USDHHS], 2010),
groups particularly vulnerable to health risks include the poor,
the homeless, the disabled, the severely mentally ill, the very young, and the
very old.”

Examples
of vulnerable populations in the United States include homeless people, and
particularly homeless veterans and youths; and irregular migrants.

These
people can often not advocate for themselves because of the precarity of the
situation they live in. For instance, homeless people often lack both access to
the knowledge and resources needed to defend their rights. Irregular migrants
are arguably in an even more precarious situation since their lack of papers
and fear of getting caught by authorities forces them to silence. It is thus
very important to advocate on their behalf, making sure they have access to
basic healthcare services and creating programs specifically targeting at their
needs and characteristics. Community nurses are in a position to know the
problems associated with specific service programs. They can advocate by
becoming involved as members of special interest groups, testifying before
governmental agencies, advocating changes from within their current employing
agencies, and providing information to other community groups and
organizations.

For
instance, among the 1.6 million homeless people, at least 10% are veterans.
They have particularly high rates of mental illness (45%) and substance abuse
(70%), and many confront both issues, so it is particularly important to target
those specific needs.

Some
ethical issues that may arise is the need for cultural sensitivity and attention
paid to different backgrounds and languages. This is especially true for
migrants, many of whom have difficulty reading or speaking English. Thus
quality care needs to include interpreter services and to be particularly
sensitive to differences in cultural values and health care practices.

References :

Maurer,
F. A., & Smith, C. M. (2012). Community/publi c health nursing practice: Health
for families and populations (5th ed.). St. Louis,

MO:
Saunders Elsevier. ISBN-13: 9781455707621