Introduction
Many Americans live in communities that are vulnerable both in the rural and urban areas. These communities regard their hospitals as being very important as they are always their only source of healthcare services. There have been vast transformations taking place in the healthcare industries which threaten these small hospitals. As a result, most Americans risk losing opportunities, resources as well as services provided by these hospitals. This means that the country needs to set up various comprehensive strategies to reinvent the healthcare service delivery and payments, which allows the vulnerable populations to make their own choices depending on their requirements (Bhatt & Bathija, 2018).
Description of the Population and Vulnerability
Vulnerability arises when an individual is unable to protect their rights and interests independently. In this case, children are a vulnerable population due to various factors. First, children lack enough knowledge and the capacity to make decisions and to participate in researches that help improve their rights. Unlike adults, children are highly dependent on adults for guidance and decision making. Without pediatric research, children are unable to access effective interventions. All these vulnerabilities have increased regulations that promote the protection and care of children (Garza, 2013).
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Biologically, children are in a crucial state of a human being's growth, whereby cells are multiplying faster, and their organ systems are developing rapidly. Concerning their weight, children drink more water and ingest more food. When children are exposed to certain toxins in the environment, they would likely develop irreversible health conditions in their adulthood; this is because children have systems that are vulnerable to damage as compared to older people. Children closely interact with unhealthy conditions in the ground, especially when playing by touching dirt, thus susceptible to diseases.
Unique Health Concerns of Children
Children are exposed to many health conditions. According to research, about 20% of American children are exposed to chronic problems such as respiratory allergies, eczema, ear infections, asthma, speech defects, as well as skin allergies (Edmunds & Coye, 1998). With such painful experiences, children are likely to perform poorly both at home and in school. Affected children require frequent visits to healthcare facilities and might, at times, required hospitalization when the condition worsens. As compared to healthy children, affected children spend almost three times more in hospital expenses such as purchasing medication.
In addition to the 20%, about 10% of American children deal with one or more than one severe chronic conditions such as HIV and Aids, sickle cell anemia, congenital heart defects, diabetes, defects of the neural tube. This group of children has expenditures that are almost 80% higher than those of other children ( Edmunds & Coye, 1998).
Unique Ways Children Use the Healthcare System
Every child out there deserves high-quality healthcare services that improve their lives and cater to all their individual medical needs. This will not only boost their immunity but also help them to achieve excellent outcomes in various aspects. All children require assistance from the people surrounding them.
Children have unique ways to access the healthcare system. There are various healthcare services offered in community-based organizations and schools that reach as many sick children as possible. These services include the treatment of both their physical and mental health as well as early detection and treatment of chronic illnesses. Apart from that, children are also able to access services and programs that have been integrated through increased coordination within and across the healthcare sector, to achieve positive outcomes ( Houtrow, Valliere & Byers, 2018).
Allowing children to access a variety of quality healthcare is essential for the child as it promotes the child's health while preventing diseases from infecting them. Furthermore, it also reduces cases of disabilities, allows all Americans to be equal when it comes to receiving healthcare services, and finally reduces premature death (Access to Health Services, n.d.).
Actions Taken to Meet Children’s Needs
Healthcare professionals in the country have set aside strategies to improve the healthcare system for children to get the best services. Although they have little say in the implementation of child protection regulations, they spend most of their time trying to figure out new methods to improve the general health of children in the community. At local levels, these professionals advocate for children's right to quality and accessible health services. In this case, therefore, it means that populations with a considerable number of disadvantaged children tend to have more vigorous activities as compared to a neighborhood with adequate healthcare services (O’Hare, Devakumar & Allen, 2016).
Recommendations
The government should provide enough funds to cater for children in families that require healthcare services. The government should also protect children from engaging in activities that might risk their health and slow down their education. The government should also set laws that advise against vulnerable child care, abuse, violence, and neglect ( Muntarbhorn, 2017).
Conclusion
Some children fail to enjoy their rights due to several factors that affect them. For instance, orphaned or disabled children are more likely to experience inadequate health services due to their inability to express themselves or lack of adults representing them. They are, therefore, likely to be abused, exposed to violence, mistreated, and forced to work while being denied their fundamental rights . Children, especially those with health conditions and those separated from their parents, are most vulnerable. Additionally, children with chronic illnesses are more susceptible than any other group of vulnerable people ( Gracey, 2007).
References
Access to Health Services. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://www.healthypeople.gov/2020/topics-objectives/topic/Access-to-Health-Services
Bhatt, J., & Bathija, P. (2018). Ensuring Access to Quality Health Care in Vulnerable Communities. Academic Medicine , 93 (9), 1271–1275. DOI: 10.1097/acm.0000000000002254
Garza, A. (2013). A Security Take on Safeguarding Children: Pediatric Medical Countermeasure Research. Biosecurity and Bioterrorism: Biodefense Strategy, Practice, and Science , 11 (2), 138–141. doi: 10.1089/bsp.2013.8430
Gracey, M. (2007). Orphaned and vulnerable to infection, undernutrition and early death: Increasing threats to infants and children. Acta Paediatrica , 93 (1), 8–9. doi: 10.1111/j.1651-2227.2004.tb00665.x
Muntarbhorn, V. (2017). The Convention on the Rights of the Child: 25 Years and Beyond. The United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child . doi: 10.1163/9789004295056_003
O’Hare, B. A.-M., Devakumar, D., & Allen, S. (2016). Using international human rights law to improve child health in low-income countries: A framework for healthcare professionals. BMC International Health and Human Rights , 16 (1). doi: 10.1186/s12914-016-0083-1
