NURS FPX 4015 Assessment 4
[Student Name]
Capella University
[Prof. Name]
Professor’s Name
August 2025
NURS FPX 4015 Assessment 4: Introduction
Hello and greetings. I am [Your Name], and today I will discuss the specific health issues of people who are homeless or people with housing insecurity. Caring for Special Populations highlights the potential methods of providing culturally competent nursing care to improve the health of this vulnerable group.
NURS FPX 4015 assessment 4 highlights that housing insecurity, including the lack of a stable, adequate, and affordable home, increases the probability of eviction, overcrowding, or homelessness. People in this predicament may live in temporary shelters, motels, or with friends and relatives due to unemployment. Others move often, and some are subjected to unsafe living conditions that aggravate chronic stress and adversely impact health consequences.
Caring for vulnerable populations highlights that housing insecurity takes a disproportionate toll on individuals such as people with disabilities, low-income groups, and marginalized communities, further contributing to socioeconomic disparities. The National Low Income Housing Coalition (2023) reported that nearly 11 million households, or 25 percent of renters have issues with housing affordability. Such financial pressures usually leave people in jeopardy of foreclosure or the inability to pay rent.
Caring for vulnerable populations highlights that housing insecurity takes a disproportionate toll on individuals such as people with disabilities, low-income groups, and marginalized communities, further contributing to socioeconomic disparities. The National Low Income Housing Coalition (2023) reported that nearly 11 million households, or 25 percent of renters have issues with housing affordability. Such financial pressures usually leave people in jeopardy of foreclosure or the inability to pay rent.
Healthcare Challenges Among Housing-Insecure Populations
People with the problem of housing insecurity tend to postpone the use of healthcare services: they are not always financially stable, do not have insurance, and have reduced access to transportation. These obstacles pose a threat to long-term conditions of hypertension, diabetes, and respiratory supplements, commonly related to poor living conditions and poor diet (Fitzpatrick & Willis, 2021). NURS FPX 4015 assessment 4 highlights that mental health cases are common among individuals experiencing depression and anxiety. Health care for special populations highlights that financial pressure and unstable housing conditions often contribute to nonadherence to medication, avoidable hospitalizations, and increased emergency department visits. To fix these
differences, there must be the inclusion of the Social Determinants of Health (SDOH) in the care models. These barriers are able to be addressed with community-based interventions (e.g. mobile health programs, mental health counseling, housing construction). NURS FPX 4015 assessment 4 emphasizes that trauma-informed care should be used in healthcare to ensure that treatment is sensitive to the complex experiences of this population. Care of special populations emphasizes that to enhance access to health care, it is important to implement policy initiatives, including the expansion of Medicaid availability and the strengthening of community support programs (Willison et al., 2021).
Cultural Values and Beliefs in Care Delivery
Cultural Values and Beliefs in Care Delivery
The major first action towards offering culturally considerate nursing services to individuals who are insecure with regards to housing is understanding their peculiarities and priorities. Many individuals will focus on mere existence, with minimal healthcare consideration being done at the cost of people accumulating untreated chronic ailments and being diagnosed late. The concept of special population highlights that improving access to preventive and acute care by providing services at shelters and community centers can be achieved through mobile health clinics (Rennert et al., 2024). Lack of trust in healthcare systems is not unusual among this group of people and this is usually due to discrimination or bad previous experiences. As Hernandez et al. (2021) note, when it comes to nursing, establishing trust is a responsibility that should be achieved via respectful, nonjudgmental communications and trauma- informed practices. NURS FPX 4015 assessment 4 highlights that training in cultural competence prepares nurses to identify and acknowledge different backgrounds, making patient interactions and responses to care plans more effective.
Healthcare Disparities Faced by Homeless Populations
Caring for Special Populations highlights that one of the biggest causes of increased health disparities in individuals with housing instability involves their financial background, the
lack of continuity in the care they receive, and social stigmatization. Most of them do not have primary providers and end up going to emergency departments even when it is a preventable condition. NURS FPX 4015 assessment 4 highlights that the resultant outcomes include the aggravation of chronic diseases, an increase in the number of hospitalizations, and a heightened risk to mortality (Garcia et al., 2024). Low access to vaccination and screening also increase the exposure to the risk of infectious diseases.
This group of people is multifaceted and will demand appropriate strategies:
Pediatric care gaps and interruptions in education are common in families that have children.
Older homeless people find it difficult to ably handle chronic illnesses.
Veterans are more vulnerable to mental health disorder and substance use.
Homelessness caused by rejection by their families can also result in vulnerability to violence and exploitation among the LGBTQ + youth (Miller, 2021).
NURS FPX 4015 assessment 4 emphasizes that mobile clinics and trauma-informed nursing practices are key elements in overcoming obstacles and establishing trust. A good case is the Boston Health Care for the Homeless Program (2024) program that combines medical, mental health and substance use treatment into shelters of facilities and street outreach programs.
Strategies for Delivering Culturally Competent Nursing Care
Cultural competence is what makes sure that the individuals with diverse backgrounds, as emphasized in the concept of special population, become the recipients of respectful, personal, and fair treatment in terms of healthcare. The major strategies are:
1.Personal reflection and training recognize individual bias and comprehend how cultural values enforce perception of health.
2.Identification of cultural practices like What are they? Take note of the alternative treatment, food circumferences, and spiritual traditions.
Caring for special groups emphasizes culturally sensitive communication like engage translators, avoid medical terms, and use visual aids (Deering, 2024).
Shared decision-making incorporates family members and community leaders in planning of care.
Getting rid of socioeconomic obstacles can be addressed by offering flexible schedules and using mobile clinics
Professional development persists in educating yourself on cultural competence to enhance patient engagement (Hernandez et al., 2021).
Conclusion
NURS FPX 4015 assessment 4 emphasizes that managing housing-insecure populations requires a comprehensive, culturally competent approach that incorporates social determinants of health, trauma-responsive care, and community-based interventions. It is essential that mobile health outreaches, policy changes, and comprehensive networks of support alleviate those disparities. Nurses can also greatly contribute to the health improvement of this underserved population by caring for special people, installing trust, reducing the obstacles to treatment, and respecting the values of their culture.
References
Anthonj, C., Mingoti Poague, K. I. H., Fleming, L., & Stanglow, S. (2024). Invisible struggles: WASH insecurity and implications of extreme weather among urban homeless in high-income countries – A systematic scoping review. International Journal of Hygiene and Environmental Health, 255, 114285. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijheh.2023.114285
Boston Health Care for the Homeless Program. (2024). Street team. https://www.bhchp.org/services/street-team/
Deering, M. (2024, May 3). Cultural competence in nursing. NurseJournal. https://nursejournal.org/resources/cultural-competence-in-nursing/
Fitzpatrick, K. M., & Willis, D. E. (2021). Homeless and hungry: Food insecurity in the land of plenty. Food Security, 13(1). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12571-020-01115-x
Garcia, C., Doran, K., & Kushel, M. (2024). Homelessness and health: Factors, evidence, innovations that work, and policy recommendations. Health Affairs, 43(2), 164–171. https://doi.org/10.1377/hlthaff.2023.01049
Hernandez, N. C., Leal, L. M. R., & Brito, M. J. M. (2021). Building culturally competent compassion in nurses caring for vulnerable populations. Journal of Holistic Nursing, 40(4), 089801012110627. https://doi.org/10.1177/08980101211062708
Miller, L. (2021). Statistics on veterans and substance abuse. Veteranaddiction.org. https://veteranaddiction.org/resources/veteran-statistics/
National Low Income Housing Coalition. (2023). A shortage of affordable homes. https://nlihc.org/sites/default/files/gap/Gap-Report_2023.pdf
Rennert, L., Gezer, F., Jayawardena, I., Howard, K. A., Bennett, K. J., Litwin, A. H., & Sease, K. K. (2024). Mobile health clinics for distribution of vaccinations to underserved communities during health emergencies: A COVID-19 case study. Public Health in Practice, 8, 100550. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.puhip.2024.100550
Grants for the Benefit of Homeless Individuals (GBHI). (2023). Samhsa.gov. https://www.samhsa.gov/communities/homelessness-programs-resources/grants/gbhi
The Queens Nursing Institute. (2022). Homeless and inclusion health nursing case studies raising awareness and understanding of homeless and inclusion health nursing and demonstrating the value of this specialist role (2). https://qni.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2022/10/HIH-Case-Studies-2022.pdf
Willison, C. E., Lillvis, D., Mauri, A., & Singer, P. M. (2021). Technically accessible, practically ineligible: The effects of Medicaid expansion implementation on chronic homelessness. Journal of Health Politics, Policy and Law, 46(6). https://doi.org/10.1215/03616878-9349142
