Background
This paper examines the city of Miami, Florida, in the context of the lack of emergency care for the low-income population. The City of Miami has 80 zip codes ranging from 331-to 332. The community in question is a social stratum of people with low incomes, which, due to this situation, are often deprived of emergency care. Community health nursing can focus on the problem as a whole, trying to find its roots and not just solving the symptoms by helping people in need. This paper presents data from the community in question, situation analysis, recommendations, and a summary followed by reasoning.
Community Data
Miami is located in the southeast of Florida; Cubans quite densely populate the city due to its proximity to this state. The region is represented by an ethnic composition of primarily Hispanic and about 10-15 percent whites and blacks (Cubit, 2020). The region has a relatively low unemployment rate, which has been steadily declining in recent years (Bureau of Labor, 2022). However, Miami is one of the cities with the highest percentage of poverty at almost 20%, which is much higher than the national average (US Census Bureau, 2022). As a result, the city has an extremely high gap between the wealthy and the poor. At the same time, Miami has a relatively high level of culture – in a small city, there are many galleries, museums, operas, where various events are often held.
The main environmental issues in Miami are water quality and increasing pollution levels. Against the backdrop of global warming concerns, these activities could lead to profound climate change towards frequent and heavy rainfall (Florida Department Community Affairs, n.d.). Although this city has many parks and gardens, they are often littered. The ocean’s proximity constantly creates the threat of storms, but with proper activity, the city can avoid such cataclysms. Violence, however, is also a problem in Miami, with the highest violent crime-to-total ratio in the nation (Neighborhood Scout, 2021). As a result, the environment is far from being the most favorable in this region, and therefore the importance of community health nurses is only increasing.
According to research, there are several problems with social systems in Miami. First is the lack of affordable housing, which is symptomatic of gun violence the opioid epidemic. Second, the policy of providing health care to the uninsured, the lack of mental and social health support centers, and the lack of coordination among health care providers (Florida Health, 2018). It is worth noting that these studies were conducted before the pandemic; the global epidemic only exacerbated the situation.
Analysis
Miami’s strong point is its warm, humid climate that persists almost all year round. At the same time, this city is a vacation spot for many tourists, has one of the most popular resorts Miami Beach, a whole complex of buildings for various types of recreation – both beach and cultural. Since a complete reformation to solve all problems is not possible, the most important recommendations, in this case, will be the following. First of all, it is necessary to provide more community organizations that provide professional and affordable emergency care to all those in need. Mostly these organizations should be placed in the poorest areas of the city. This action is consistent with one of the objectives of Healthy People 2030 from the section on accessibility and quality of medical services (Healthy People 2030, 2022). In addition, communication should be improved between medical institutions within the city and between health providers and patients using technology, which is also included in the Healthy People 2030 goals program (Healthy People 2030, 2022). These activities can increase trust and access to medical organizations among the low-income population.
Recommendations
The community has a family planning program, which provides medical services in various institutions in the city. Low-income families should also receive psychological, antenatal, and postnatal family planning support to maintain the region’s demographics despite the various challenges of living there (Florida Health, 2021). This program meets FP-09 and ECBP-D07 targets in the Healthy People Program (Healthy People 2030, 2022). Perhaps this organization should provide more subsidized places for low-income families without health insurance to gradually improve life in the region.
Summary
The primary needs identified during the analysis are the establishment of programs or community organizations that provide various types of health care for the underprivileged population. Since society is widely divided between the rich and the poor, the lack of appropriate assistance can increase gun violence, drug use, and other negative consequences. Nurses need to focus on mental health and improve communication between patients and nurses and between health care providers to provide patients with better health care.
Reflection
A windshield survey provides an insider’s view of the city that is impossible to get even from multiple sources of information. Most of the problems are on the surface, which one does not notice from dry facts and statistics. The community now seems to be a complex system; the nature of the problems is individual and depends on many external factors and traditions, which also need to be considered comprehensively. Miami is a tourist city, but at the same time, it has the highest percentage of violent crime and the gap between rich and poor.
Nursing can only help treat the symptoms of such problems by providing care to those most in need and increasing confidence in medical facilities among the citizens. As a future medical worker, I will do my best to support any public organizations that assist those in need on a volunteer basis. In addition, I will focus on the development of technologies for communication between medical institutions to save the patient and staff from unnecessary bureaucracy. Finally, I would emphasize the importance of mental health, especially in problem areas. In the future, the role of community nurses will be increasingly equipped with technological developments that need to be communicated to every member of society, regardless of social status, race, or income.
References
Bureau of Labor. (2022). Miami Area Employment. Web.
Cubit. (2020). Miami Population. Web.
Florida Department Community Affairs. (n.d.). Miami-Dade County and Climate Change. Web.
Florida Health. (2018). The Florida Department of Health in Miami-Dade County Releases Forces of Change Assessment Report. Web.
Florida Health. (2021). Family Planning. Web.
Healthy People 2030. (2022). Health Care Access and Quality. Web.
Neighborhood Scout. (2021). Miami, FL Crime Rates and Statistics. Web.
US Census Bureau. (2022). QuickFacts: Miami-Dade County, Florida. Web.