HCA430 Special Populations

Factors Affecting Vulnerability and Assessment of Needs

This week’s second discussion forum will focus on two selected groups:

• Vulnerable mothers and children
• People affected by alcohol and substance abuse

Review the video segments titled “Premature Babies: Risks and Costs” (Vulnerable Mothers and Children group) and “Social Cost of Alcohol Abuse” (People Affected by Alcohol and Substance Abuse group) through the Films On Demand database or in the textbook.

• For each segment, select three specific factors from Chapter 2 (e.g., age, gender, culture, ethnicity, education, and income) that are present.
• Reflecting on your experiences and knowledge gained in previous courses, discuss how these factors relate to the group’s vulnerability.  
• Based on the selected factors, assess the health care needs that can be inferred for each group. Discuss which approach(es) to care from Chapter 4, Section 4.1 (i.e., preventive, treatment, or long term), might help address them.

Your initial contribution should be 250 to 300 words in length. Your research and claims must be supported by your course text and at least one other scholarly source. Use proper APA formatting for in-text citations and references as outlined in the Ashford Writing Center.