A Community and St Joseph's Healthcare Center
A community refers to any group that is living together and sharing something in common. A community may include smaller geographical areas such as a rural area, a church, working mates, among others (Wenger, 2011). In my assignment, I decided to take a photograph of St Joseph's healthcare care center in my community, which is operated and sponsored by Catholic missionaries. The healthcare center serves a significant role in the community for vulnerable people. In my community, this is a place that is mostly respected by everyone. Every day, hundreds of people from my community visit this place for treatment purposes.
Healthcare and Employment Opportunities
The healthcare center is located in a lower income medically underserved community in an inner-city environ, most people in this place are unemployed and lacks health insurance coverage. As a result, St Joseph health care not only acts as a source of free health care to the community but also as a source of employment to the people around. Many people from the neighborhood have secured jobs with the organization, thus improving their socioeconomic status. Also, a good number of young people have secured employment with the organization, thus reducing the number of unemployed youths. Therefore, it is worth noting that, St Joseph’s health care center has played a vital role in the development both health and economic status of the people in my community.
The Representation of the Community in the Photograph
The photograph represents the community by showing some of the members of the community carrying out their duties. From the photograph, two nurses are carrying a patient to a treatment room, where the patient will receive intensive care. To ensure the safety of the patient, the hospital corridors are clear of both people and obstacles which can cause an accident, hence causing more damage to the patient. As depicted from the photo, the hospital environment is clean and with the good lighting system to ensure everything is visible from a distance. Also, to avoid confusions, there are directions signs which are placed strategically, to guide both patients and the hospital staff.
Collaboration and Wellness
The staff members of St Joseph’s hospital are cooperative and works together for the common wellness of the patient. As it can be depicted from the photo, two nurses are transporting a patient to the care room; the two are working hand in hand to ensure the patient reaches the care room safely.
Reducing Health Disparities in the Community
As mentioned earlier, the hospital is a mission health care center, and its main aim is to eliminate health disparities from the community. Normally, health disparities adversely affect people who have systematically experienced obstacles to health care due to certain factors such as socioeconomic status, religion, racial group, gender, geographical location or any other factor linked to exclusion or discrimination (Jackson, Knight & Rafferty, 2010). There are specific health concerns that affect people who come from a community of low socioeconomic status, they include, asthma, HIV/AIDS, infant mortality, obesity, violence, and diabetes. St Joseph's hospital works towards reducing disparities in health to give everyone a chance to lead a healthy life, and improve the quality of life for every member of the community (Braveman et al., 2011). In conclusion, St Joseph hospital has managed to create community awareness and sensitivity through its strategic focus on the community by reducing disparities in access to quality healthcare.
References
Braveman, P. A., Kumanyika, S., Fielding, J., LaVeist, T., Borrell, L. N., Manderscheid, R., " Troutman, A. (2011). Health disparities and health equity: the issue is justice. American journal of public health, 101(S1), S149-S155.
Jackson, J. S., Knight, K. M., " Rafferty, J. A. (2010). Race and unhealthy behaviors: chronic stress, the HPA axis, and physical and mental health disparities over the life course. American journal of public health, 100(5), 933-939.
Wenger, E. (2011). Communities of practice: A brief introduction.
