There are many factors that influence the health of vulnerable populations. The first example is the ability to access healthcare. Many populations do not have health insurance, the means to pay for care, or even located near health care services. A second example is location where these populations live. Communities that are surrounded by air that is not clean, do not have yards to exercise in, or do not live close to grocery stores to buy healthy foods all have an increased likelihood of not being in good health. Historical forces can also prevent communities from trusting health care providers. For example, African Americans may be hesitant about contacting health services due to past unethical studies done on their population like the Tuskegee study.
A way to improve the health of these vulnerable populations include equality, equity, and justice. Equality is the assumption that every person will benefit from the same supports, and that everyone deserves equal treatment. Some parts of equality may be beneficial for these populations, but not all. Equity means that each population gets the supports that they need. This idea shows that different communities need different supports to allow for a healthy community. Lastly, justice means that the root causes of the inequity were addressed. Although there is not much an individual can do about justice, we as healthcare workers can provide better care through the understanding of these concepts.
