Public Health Nursing is integrated into all nursing. It involves thinking about the health of the entire population, how to prevent disease and promote wellness throughout the entire community, not just one patient. However, some factors can become a barrier to the success of public health. These factors include individual factors such as financial stability, environmental factors such as location, and societal factors such as stigma which all effect the success of overall community health. The ability to be able to afford health care is unlikely because of the worsening economy and financial burden it puts on the people of the United States. This allows for people to not get the health care they need, and possibly spread disease and negatively influence the health of the community. Location is a major factor especially in Maine because the majority of the state is rural which means there are less healthcare facilities spread throughout the state. Some people struggle to find a facility in a comfortable distance from where they live, never mind finding transportation to get there. So, in turn, the people decide to just not seek healthcare. Social forces in society such as stigma is when there are stereotypes surrounding people who become sick, such as with mental illness. This is a prevalent factor that influences vulnerability and pushes people to not try to find care because it makes people feel that they will be judged by the public for seeking the care that they ultimately need.

Some strategies for resolving health care disparities in the vulnerable populations could include providing more opportunities for low-cost health care over the phone, or on video-chat if available. Although it is better to assess a patient in person, this could allow for patients to feel more comfortable calling a healthcare provider, explaining their symptoms and, if the healthcare provider deems necessary, seek in-person care at a facility. Through this, the provider could also determine transportation for the patient if necessary, hopefully leading to adherence to care.

As I said in the beginning, public health nursing is integrated into all nursing. As a nurse I have to always be thinking about the safety and health of the community and what I can do to protect that. Patient Education is definitely a major intervention that will help to sustain public health such as how to protect themselves and others from infectious disease. As a nurse, I need to use good communication skills, talk to my patient and figure out what their life is like at home and if they are a part of the marginalized populations that struggle to seek health care. As a nurse, by figuring out why my patients don’t want to seek care, I can try to solve those disparities by using resources in the community.