Caring for Vulnerable Populations

Caring for Vulnerable Populations

Caring for Vulnerable Populations

Case Choice

The case study chosen for this assignment is the Week 3 Case Study. The case covers an incident of parental child abuse during a routine visit by a community health nurse from the local health department to a case managing assignment on a 15-year old pregnant woman under Medicaid. In this case, physical abuse is evident as Marissa’s mother not only yells at her siblings but also hits them, as a form of discipline. According to Wekerle (2019), physical child abuse is the intentional attempt by a parent or caregiver to cause harm to a child, and its unpredictability, intensity, and duration may have serious health outcomes for the victims (Wekerle, 2019).

Risk Factors

The risk factors that may impact the health outcomes of a child abuse victim in the Week 3 Case Study are divided into child, family, and social risk factors. Childhood trauma is a common risk factor for child abuse, which may lead to the development of post-traumatic stress disorder in victims. Moreover, social isolation and lack of support in the family also increases the risk of developing depressive and anxiety disorders. Finally, stressful life occurrences such as homelessness and unemployment and poor access to health insurance, medical care, social services, and child care also increase the risk of adverse health outcomes for the victims of child abuse and neglect (Wekerle, 2019).

Agency Assessment

As a result, an appropriate agency that can assist the victims of parental physical abuse is AVANCE Inc. It is an agency that offers education and support services to strengthen families from low-income backgrounds. It focuses on community-based interventions that are family-oriented, comprehensive, preventive, and continuous through collaboration and integration services (Craft-Rosenberg & Pehler, 2011). On availability, the agency has local branches throughout the counties and headquartered in San Antonio, Texas. On acceptability, the agency is renowned for its successful interventions across communities in Texas and is accepted as a reliable agency for community-based interventions. On accessibility, AVANCE Inc. has various platforms for reaching its clients, with social media emerging as a powerful l tool in this regard. In terms of pricing, the agency charges comparatively higher prices for its services but delivers high-quality interventions that counterbalance the charges for services.

References

Craft-Rosenberg, M., & Pehler, S.-R. (2011). Encyclopedia of family health. Thousand Oaks,

California: Sage.

Wekerle, C., Wolfe, D. A., Cohen, J. A., Bromberg, D. S., & Murray, L. (2019). Childhood

maltreatment. Boston: Hogrefe.