hca430 week 5 assignment

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Ashford University *

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Medicine

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Feb 20, 2024

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1 Vulnerable Mothers and Children Week 5 Vulnerable Mothers and Children Week 5 Assignment Nikki Spears HCA415: Community and Public Health Instructor Quida Davis University of Arizona Global Campus May 24, 2021

2 Vulnerable Mothers and Children Week 5 While there are many vulnerable populations that need assistance, we have the opportunity to help vulnerable mothers in children in our local community. These women and children are often vulnerable due to low income. Areas with many low-income families are often the areas needing resources the most but receiving the least. Vulnerable children and mothers currently have nothing available locally, and if they have no means of transportation, the likelihood they will reach out for assistance is slim. The result can be devasting for these women, but also their children who are relying on them. Vulnerable mothers and children need a variety of resources available to them, including healthcare. Many mothers we would be serving would be young, low-income so they most likely have not had adequate medical care, such as ultrasounds, testing to ensure the health of the baby, and prenatal vitamins. Burkholder and Nash (2013) mention that women living in low- income areas are less likely to get proper prenatal care, which can be very detrimental. We need to provide a way to bring medical services to these areas. In our program, one of the major areas we would focus on is helping the mothers get proper insurance for them and their child so they can see doctors as needed. We can also provide a medical transport service for mothers and children who do not have a way to get to their medical appointments. According to the Illinois Department of Public Health, in 2018 Madison county nearly 5 percent of births were teen births, but many neighboring counties had even higher percentages. With the nearest center for resources being so far away, the number could easily rise. The counties around me also have minimal access to resources because there is only one center typically in “small” counties. Even small counties are large for people with no transportation. It is our duty to ensure each citizen has an equal opportunity to receive medical care, and this program that I will present will help do that. City-data (2021) explains that 28.1 percent of the

3 Vulnerable Mothers and Children Week 5 people in Madison county are living below the poverty level as of 2019. Statewide, only 11.5 percent of people are living below the poverty level, which shows Madison county has a large number of people living in poverty. The program our community is missing is a transitional housing program for young, low- income mothers and pregnant women. The program, called ‘A Mother’s Hope’, would help in all areas one would need, such as medical assistance, assistance to receive benefits, GED classes, and many others. A Mother’s Hope would help the women apply for state aid, such as SNAP benefits, and Medicaid insurance. The program would employ one or two people who know how to work with the state welfare system to help mothers get benefits needed, such as help with the application process which can be difficult. There will also be staff available to take the women to their medical appointments, as well as the children. This program would be set up into houses, which will house up to six women at a time. It is meant to be a short-term, transitional program to help these women become independent. As the program begins gaining revenue, we can work on expanding and opening more homes. Each house will have a room for each mother and her children (due to space, only up to two children can live in this housing center, until further development). There will be a large community bathroom with toilets and sinks, and three shower rooms with a bathtub/shower combo for the mothers and children to share. The staff would do the grocery shopping to stock the community kitchen, however women can also purchase their own things as they can afford. The remaining areas of the house would include a large room for childcare (when the mothers are working or taking classes) which they will not have to pay for, along with another large room for GED and parenting classes, group discussions, and activities. The staff will also assist the women with putting together a resume and teach them how to prepare to search for a job. The work program, GED program,

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4 Vulnerable Mothers and Children Week 5 parenting classes, and day care can also be utilized by those in the community who are living on their own but needing additional assistance. This program would benefit many children and mothers in the community. This program will provide treatment by providing resources needed. Unfortunately, there is a stigma around those living in poverty, especially if they are single mothers. Many people assume the mother was irresponsible and had a child without thinking or think they are taking advantage of welfare. Because of the stigma around welfare, there may be a sense of shame when individuals reach out for help. This also creates a barrier causing people to be afraid to receive assistance due to the ridicule they will face from the community. Many people think young women are not capable to being good mothers because they are not grown enough to take care of themselves, let alone a child. There should be stricter restrictions for receiving state welfare so those who are receiving it are not frowned upon in society. There is also difficulty receiving medical treatment at times, because if the women is using state insurance, she will have to a find a doctor that accepts the insurance which is getting increasingly more difficult. Many doctors do not want to accept Medicaid out of fear of not receiving payment for their services when they can use that appointment time for someone who is paying. Many times, when a woman finds a doctor that takes Medicaid, they are not local. This program would easily work along with Planned Parenthood. Planned Parenthood provides medical services and family planning services for those who cannot afford these services typically. Planned Parenthood could direct mothers to our services when suggesting resources for low-income, young mothers facing pregnancy alone with minimal support. We would also be able to team up with the health departments. When people reach out to the health department, they would be able to suggest the services we provide. Because we will focus on

5 Vulnerable Mothers and Children Week 5 low-income areas, we will help many women who have not had access to care like this otherwise. It will provide a sense of relief for the community. Of course, anytime a new program is developed, the biggest factor is how to fund said program. We know Illinois is in debt, however that is because the money is not being used appropriately. We should be able to get this program funded by the state because this should be implemented statewide. There needs to be resources available, the women and especially the children depend on us as a community to assist them. Another possible way to fund the program would be going to the county board and proposing to add this program in the upcoming budget. We can provide numerous reasons this kind of resource would benefit the community tremendously. The more we assist people to get on their feet as long as they are willing to provide the effort, the less poverty and low-income areas we have. Another possibility would be researching people who donate to charities in the community, and pleading with them to donate to help fund A Mother’s Hope. The investors would be able to oversee what the program is doing, the benefits we are providing, and future goals and they would be able to have input on major financial decisions for the program. Because of the state being in so much debt, this program may begin slowly, but once we get going, we will be able to prove why the community should invest in this and we will be able to expand. As you have read above, A Mother’s Hope is crucial to this community. We have many low-income areas lacking resources, and we need to change that. A program like this will be challenging to get started, but the benefits will be well worth the fight. If we pull together as a team, we will make a change. These children deserve our help.

6 Vulnerable Mothers and Children Week 5 Resources: Burkholder, D. M., & Nash, N. B. (2013). Special populations in health care. Jones & Bartlett Learning. Retrieved from https://content.ashford.com Dph.illinois.gov. (2021). Retrieved 24 May 2021, from http://dph.illinois.gov/sites/default/files/Teen%20births%20by%20county%202018.pdf. Madison, Illinois (IL) poverty rate data - information about poor and low-income residents living in this city . City-data.com. (2021). Retrieved 24 May 2021, from http://www.city- data.com/poverty/poverty-Madison-Illinois.html#:~:text=nationwide%2C %201.8%20percent%20for%20Illinois%20and%201.1%20percent,of %2011.5%25%20across%20the%20entire%20state%20of%20Illinois.

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