A Population Health Approach to Health Disparities for Nurses: Care of Vulnerable Populations

by Faye Gary EdD,MS, RN, FAAN (Editor), Marilyn Lotas PhD, RN, FAAN (Editor)

Overview

Distinguished by abundant patient and health provider narratives highlighting the impact of health disparities on health outcomes worldwide, this scholarly yet practical text prepares RN-BSN, DNP, and PhD students to work toward improving community health for a variety of underserved and vulnerable populations. Grounded in the population health approach addressed in the American Association of Colleges of Nursing (AACN) Essentials, the text delivers practical steps nurses can take to address population health goals, including the improvement of quality of care, access to healthcare, outcomes, and cost management. The resource is also unique in its reflection of the interconnected points of view of the patient, the provider, and the health system. Written by lawyers, physicians, social workers, statisticians and economists, psychologists, ethicists, finance experts, population health specialists, anthropologists, and nurses, the text emphasizes an interdisciplinary approach to learning and all components of healthcare-delivery of care, policy, research, and teaching. It examines demographic differences, chronic and acute health conditions, and the health needs of the unserved/underserved across the life cycle. The book emphasizes the importance of understanding the social determinants of health and discusses ways to address health disparities through changes in public policy, attitudes, beliefs, education, research, and advocacy. Objectives, discussion questions, and exercises facilitate group discussion about best practices.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780826185037
Publisher:	Springer Publishing Company
Publication date:	11/04/2022
Pages:	542
Product dimensions:	7.00(w) x 10.00(h) x (d)

About the Author

Raised in the Jim Crow south and deeply influenced by segregation and discrimination in every facet of her existence, Dr. Faye A. Gary, EdD, MS, RN, FAAN, has dedicated her life to eradicating health disparities among vulnerable populations.

Dr. Gary is a Distinguished University Professor and the Medical Mutual of Ohio and Kent W. Clapp Endowed Chair and Professor of Nursing at the Frances Payne Bolton School of Nursing with a secondary appointment in the Department of Psychiatry at the Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine in Cleveland, Ohio. She is also a Distinguished Service Professor Emerita at the University of Florida.

The recipient of numerous awards and honors, Dr. Gary has helped develop and oversee research and training grants totaling more than $24 million. She is the visionary behind the Provost Scholars Program established in 2013. This innovative project pairs secondary students with Case Western Reserve University mentors and tutors.

Dr. Gary was appointed to serve on several federal committees, including the National Advisory Committees on Rural Health, the National Institute of Mental Health, and the National Institute of Minority Health and Health Disparities. She was the executive consultant of the SAMHSA Minority Fellowship Program at the American Nurses Association. As a W. K. Kellogg Fellow, she has collaborated with fellows from across the nation. She was a member of the board of directors of Mental Health America. She has served on the Task Force on Ethics and Professional Conduct for the United Nations Commission on Refugees. She has functioned as a consultant to Ministries of Health and other organizations across six continents. Most recently, she has been elected to serve on the board of directors of the International Network of Doctoral Education in Nursing.

A relentless innovator, trailblazer, and impactful scholar with a career spanning a half-century, Dr. Gary's practice, research, scholarship, and prolific publication history have shaped and extended well beyond the field of psychiatric nursing and behavioral health in local and global communities. Informing health policy related to child and adolescent mental health, health disparities, domestic violence, and social justice is the foundation of her legacy.

Dr. Marilyn J. Lotas, PhD, RN, FAAN, received her BSN and MEd in Clinical Psychology from Wayne State University and her MSN in Psychiatric Nursing and PhD in Nursing with concentrations in Family Functioning and Child Development from the University of Michigan. She completed two years of post-doctoral education at the University of Pennsylvania as a Robert Wood Johnson Clinical Nurse Scholar focusing on environmental factors influencing the development of preterm infants. At the University of Texas Health Science Center in Houston, she served as Professor, Assistant Dean and Department Chair of Target Populations. She established a Neonatal Nurse Practitioner Program which was implemented in Houston and in the Texas Lower Rio Grande Valley, an economically depressed, medically underserved area. At Emory University she served as Professor, the Alberta Dozier Williamson Chair in Nursing and the Director of the Office of Research Administration. While there she took leadership in successfully getting approval and funding for a PhD program. From 2000-2020 she served on the faculty of the Frances Payne Bolton School of Nursing as an Associate Professor, Associate Dean for Undergraduate Nursing, and Program Director of the BSN. Within the BSN program, she established a Semester Abroad program encompassing sites on six continents and including two-way exchanges with universities in Hong Kong, Wuhan China, and the American Virgin Islands. She re-designed the community health content in the curriculum with courses beginning in the Freshman year and culminating in the Senior year with coursework on Global Health and a 300 hour capstone practicum including sites in Cleveland, other areas of the US and internationally through the Semester Abroad Program. She established a 17 year partnership with the Cleveland Metropolitan School District School Nurses directing projects related to childhood obesity, childhood hypertension and established a lead screening program to address the high rates of lead poisoning in Cleveland's children. From 2011-2012 she held a Senior Fulbright Fellowship at the Lebanese American University working with a newly established School of Nursing. She has consulted widely in the Middle East. She serves on the Editorial Board of Neonatal Network and reviews for multiple journals.

Table of Contents

Chapter 1. Social Context for Health Care

Chapter 2. Definition and History of Population Health

Chapter 3. Health Policy and Finance across Health Systems

Chapter 4. Major Public Health Issues

Chapter 5. Epidemiology and Health Disparities

Chapter 6. Social Determinants of Health

Chapter 7. Health Literacy: Insights for Action

Chapter 8. Access to Health Care

Chapter 9. Social-Ecological Approach to the Prevention and Mitigation of Child Maltreatment During a Time of Social Disruption

Chapter 10. Mental Health as the Basis of All Health

Chapter 11. Endemic Stress and Racism

Chapter 12. Navigating the Ethical and Legal Challenges of Health Disparities

Chapter 13. Race, Ethnicity, and Population Health

Chapter 14. Marginalized Populations: Examining Vulnerability and Health Inequities Through the Framework of Caste

Chapter 15. Self care, Health Literacy and Management of the Diabetic Patient

Chapter 16. Intersection among Sociocultural Environmental Issues in Adulthood and Childhood Cardiovascular Disease and Hypertension

Chapter 17. Population Health in Rural and Urban Communities

Chapter 18. Historical Trauma and Indigenous Health

Chapter 19. Environmental Health: Neighborhoods and Communities

Chapter 20. Adverse Childhood Experiences: What is an Ounce of Prevention Worth?

Chapter 21. Disturbing Maternal and Child Health Outcomes among Vulnerable Populations

Chapter 22. Lead Poisoning in Children: The Burden of Illness in Marginalized Populations

Chapter 23. Socioeconomic Determinants and Cancer Disparity

Chapter 24. Women and HIV/AIDS in the Kingdom of Eswatini

Chapter 25. Global and Local Poverty and Its Long-Term Impact on Health

Editorial Reviews

Reviewer: Lisa Roberts, DrPH, MSN, FNP-BC, FAANP, FAAN (Loma Linda University)
Description: This book covers the multifaceted nature of health disparities and health equity from a multidisciplinary perspective, drawing on history, data, and evidence. A framework built upon the social ecological model and life course theory guides the readers to understand the complexities of addressing health disparities, as well as solutions proposed by experts. The book is organized in three sections introducing the subject matter of health disparities, expanding on factors impacting vulnerable populations, and exemplars. The chapters include learning objectives, case studies, figures, information boxes, discussion questions, and lists of additional resources. Online resources currently consist of the digital version of the text. While the front matter indicates instructor resources online to include an instructor's manual, and chapter-based PowerPoint presentations, these were not available for review at this time.
Purpose: According to the authors' preface, the purpose of the book is to discuss population inequities and health disparities using a scholarly approach to examine the social determinants of health through three linked phenomena: healthcare systems, healthcare providers, and patients/consumers. Furthermore, the challenges, opportunities, and progress made are acknowledged, while highlighting the need for more robust efforts and solutions. Keeping the patient at the forefront, the authors hope to inspire and embolden readers to take action in the form of advocacy, transformative healthcare systems, improved workforce diversification, and decision-making, not only in the U.S., but globally. These worthwhile objectives are very well met by the book and ebook.
Audience: While this book specifically addresses nurses engaged in research, clinical practice, and advocacy (for health policies as well as patients), it is appropriate for students and practitioners of other disciplines concerned with caring for and protecting vulnerable populations. The book meets the needs of the intended audience by presenting a comprehensive viewpoint of inequities and the impact on vulnerable people. The editors are credible authorities on the topic who are recognized experts with appropriate credentials and years of experience and notable publications. The multidisciplinary contributing authors represent varied institutions and organizations, with unique perspectives from across the U.S. as well as global experiences.
Features: In discussing the thorny issue of inequity and health disparities, the authors do not shy away from acknowledging painful history, systemic problems, and responses which fall short; strengths such as innovations and health science progress are also noted. The population health approach with an intersectional lens is suggested as not only essential, but potentially transformational in addressing such complex challenges. A strong case is made for universal health care, the need to address systemic racism, policies to address the social determinants of health, and efforts to reduce healthcare costs. Exemplars engage the readers with real-world illustrations of the complexities faced by vulnerable people. Lessons learned from history, previous solutions posited and evaluation of resource usage, and the public health response during the COVID-19 crisis point to the importance of aiming to support well-being for all.
Assessment: Overall, this is a high-quality book that provides a comprehensive, scholarly approach to health population inequities and health disparities, which will be useful to the intended audience. It provides an up-to-date assessment and is geared to healthcare professionals who are ready to act on the behalf of vulnerable populations. It is comparable to Caring for the Vulnerable: Perspectives in Nursing Theory, Practice, and Research, 5th Edition, De Chesnay and Anderson (Jones and Bartlett Learning, 2019).

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