In an effort to find solutions for the health care disparity in the nation, a community approach initiative has helped empower minority communities to identify and find solutions to their unique problems. Advanced practice nurses providing healthcare in the community setting are facing highly complex and culturally diverse issues. The only way culturally competent care can be provided is through partnerships within the community to help identify their specific health issues and help develop interventions that are culturally relevant. Health disparities have become more apparent as the U.S. population becomes more culturally diverse and are now a vital area of focus of health care practitioners and researchers (Andrews, Boyle, & Collins, 2020).
Learning objectives for the module:
At the end of this module, the student will be able to:
Evaluate factors that influence the health of diverse groups within communities
Evaluate concepts of community-based practice
Explore community solutions to health disparities
Readings:
Andrews, Boyle, & Collins (2020) Chapter 11
Articles:
DeHaven, M. J., Gimpel, N. A., Gutierrez, D., Kitzman‐Carmichael, H., & Revens, K. (2020). Designing health care: A
community health science solution for reducing health disparities by integrating social determinants and the effects of
place. Journal of Evaluation in Clinical Practice, 26(5), 1564-1572. https://doi.org/10.1111/jep.13366
Topic 1: Defining Community
The term community is often defined as a group of people who live in the same area or a group of people who have common interests, religion, race, or ethnicity. But the definition of community is more complex than that. It’s about people, not a shared geographic location or an organization. The term or feeling of community comes from shared experiences or shared history. Geographic areas such as neighborhoods, schools, and places of worship are environments for communities. The main purpose of communities is to meet common needs. Most people identify in several communities at any given time, based on their nation, neighborhood, religion, race, ethnic background, politics, age, sex, sexual orientation, or other interests. The members of each community must define and determine its parameters.
In order to provide competent health care and eliminate health care disparities, the APN must first identify the specific health care needs within each subgroup. Next, common resources that are available must be identified and community members should be encouraged to participate in the planning and implementation process. These resources may include business and industry, church groups, government, healthcare facilities, volunteer organizations, education, and human service providers.
Topic 2: Community Solutions to Health Care Disparities
Through comprehensive community assessment and empowerment, a process that provides safe environments and an increased level of trust emerge. By overcoming mistrust, partnerships form by using the most effective tools for improving health in communities.
Strategies for reducing healthcare disparities in the community include:
Overcoming mistrust by creating community partnerships. Partnering with minority organizations helps to allay fears, dispel myths and encourage continued research.
Community assessment and education increase the level of understanding in individual communities. Focus groups, discussions with minority groups, and community surveys are strategies used to assess the level of community understanding.
Physician education and access to competent linguistic translators as well as cultural competence of all healthcare providers are vital.
In a continued effort to eliminate health disparities in the U.S., the CDC developed the Racial and Ethnic Approaches to Community Health Program (REACH). Please complete this lecture by reading about REACH at: https://www.cdc.gov/reach/php/about/index.html
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