Part One
I definitively and expressly agree with the statement by the late US politician Hubert H. Humphrey about taking care of the vulnerable members of the community. It is important to state from the advent that it is very unfortunate that four decades after the passing on of Humphrey, his words are still an issue within the nation with the greatest economy on earth. When it comes to the subject of healthcare insurance and universal primary healthcare availability, the American community has always been divided into conservatives and liberals. The conservatives believe that every person should leave according to their means while the liberals believe that the society has an obligation to cater for the weak within the community.
As the conservatives and liberals continue to debate about the issue of universal healthcare, little children continue to die because of preventable and treatable diseases because their parents are poor or illegally in America. At the same time, the elderly are dying in pain and bitterness because there is no one to take care of them (Salvers et al., 2015). Similarly, the chronically ill are committing suicide because they cannot afford medication including pain control medications after they have spent all their savings on treatment. Finally, some families channel all their time and resources into taking care of that family member who has a psychological problem or was born with a mental challenge. Like a chain, a society is only as strong as the weakest link within it thus any nation or society cannot consider itself to be strong as long as the weakest among them are not yet proud to be a member of that particular country or society. The dying child is neither conservative, nor liberal, neither is the old person who has spent days without food, yet is taking medication for a variety of ailments. Taking care of the vulnerable members of the community is not about good laws and policies but about being human. The statement by Humphrey is a reflection of what a basic human society should be capable of hence my agreement with it.
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Part Two
My understanding of the modern healthcare system from the perspective of taking care of the vulnerable in the society takes two dimensions. The first is that in the extreme capitalistic American society that exists in the modern times, healthcare begins and ends with money. Current laws, rules, and regulations are definitive that anyone who stands need of urgent medical attention must be provided with that attention expeditiously and without regard to cost issues. The rule sounds well in theory but does not apply well in practice. Apart from the minimum emergency care, most people who are either not insured or cannot afford their medical bills cannot receive treatment in most hospitals (Salvers et al., 2015). On the other hand, the hospitals that are willing to accept and treat all without question are not only congested but also ill-equipped in amenities and human talent. The second perspective of my understanding of the modern healthcare system is that clinical attention as and when it becomes necessary is not enough. To be in good health includes the peace of mind that comes with the knowledge that an individual can be able to access clinical attention as and when the need arises. For the vulnerable members of the community, good health also includes regular checkups, both at a healthcare institution and at home, constant care for the chronically and terminally ill, proper nutrition whether or not they are ill, and also the availability of equipment and facilities that may become necessary while recuperating or convalescing at home (Stubblefield, 2011). In this second perspective, the systems are dysfunctional unless it can be able to provide all of the above. The available systems in America such as Medicaid and Medicare, even when expanded under Obamacare in the states that have adopted it only provide a segment of the above and only to a section of the community. The kind of community that Humphrey is referring to is the one where as long as an individual qualifies as part of the vulnerable community defined under the quote, all their healthcare needs are catered for by the state.
Part Three
Nursing can expand access to care through the concept of advocacy and also when nurses continue to take a greater role in the administration of healthcare institutions. From the perspective of the IOM Report Future of Nursing, the above can be attained through a variety of approaches as provided for by the report. For a start, nursing can expand access to care if there were more nurses in the labor market. As indicated in the IOM report, several students who are willing to study nursing do not achieve their dreams due to a variety of reasons including the lack of funds to pursue the expensive education (Palatnik, 2016). If more nurses are trained, then there are will be enough nurses to undertake both care and clinical duties for patients. Further, there will be a lower workload per capita for nurses which will create room for nurses to participate in advocacy and administrative duties. The nurses will thus not only be able to directly assist patients and the vulnerable communities but also pursue the development of better laws, rules, and regulations. Secondly, as per the report, nurses should get a higher level of training to develop a higher level of influence in the healthcare system (Palatnik, 2016). The concept of care rises above clinical attention to look at healthcare from a holistic perspective. Nurses with a higher level of education will not only have a voice that can be heard by the healthcare peers but also assume administrative and policymaking roles. The nurse-leader will be able to influence the system to favor the vulnerable communities better.
References
Palatnik, A. (2016). The future of nursing: leading change, advancing health... how are we doing. IOM Future of Nursing Report
Salyers, L., Mummaneni, M., Willis, W. K., & Coustasse, A. (2015). Healthcare of the uninsured population in West Virginia and the United States. Business and Health Administration Proceedings , 16-25.
Stubblefield, A. G. (2011). Caring for vulnerable populations. American Hospitals Association . Retrieved from https://pdfs.semanticscholar.org/c756/d8803d464e3da1c674d9a74c1740a3533dbd.pdf
