NURS FPX 4060 Assessment 2 Community Resources

Sample Answer

Populations live in different locations whose health needs vary due to differences in resources, lifestyles, the influence of social determinants of health (SDOH), and other factors. Besides healthcare facilities, many nonprofit organizations engage in diverse programs to improve people’s quality of life, promote health, and ensure safe communities.

Typical programs include advocacy, fighting for social justice, and helping vulnerable populations achieve better health and well-being. Understanding how these organizations function allows nurses to collaborate with them as volunteers, partners, and change implementers. The purpose of this paper is to explore how Urban Triage contributes to public health and safety, promotes equal opportunity, and improves the quality of life within the community.

Mission and Vision Contribution to Public Health and Safety Improvements

Urban Triage focuses on empowering communities and improving lives by taking people through a process of self-discovery. Part of the organization’s primary mandate is to empower Black families and children through life-changing programs while mobilizing the requisite community resources and distributing them to those in need (Urban Triage, 2024). Urban Triage’s mission is to transform culture, social institutions, and communities to enable them to live humanely in the future. Its vision is to achieve a world where people enjoy freedom and have adequate resources and support to heal and attain self-actualization.

The mission and vision enable Urban Triage to focus on empowering people to live better lives. Part of the healing and actualization is helping Black communities understand and overcome trauma while learning its roots. Health data associates complex and intergenerational trauma among Black communities with poor health outcomes due to increased vulnerability to depression, anxiety, suicidal ideation, and substance abuse (Cénat, 2023; Lee et al., 2023). Empowering Black communities to unpack trauma is critical to preventing such mental health problems and other issues that hamper their productivity and well-being.

Various initiatives underline Urban Triage’s commitment to promoting public health and safety. They include Supporting Healthy Black Families (SHBF), Unhoused Youth Initiative, and Supporting Healthy Black Employment. These initiatives empower Black people through education programs, addressing homelessness through permanent housing options, and improving their employment prospects.

Sleet and Francescutti (2021) cited homelessness as a public health and safety concern that increases crime, poor mental health, and the prevalence of substance abuse. Helping Black people to secure homes reduces such problems in the community. Education increases employment potential, which helps the beneficiaries afford healthy food and health insurance.

Promoting Equal Opportunity and Improve the Quality of Life

Barriers to care, systemic racism, and inadequate community support hamper people’s wellness and overall quality of life. Urban Triage promotes equal opportunity through programs that reduce health disparities and address socioeconomic gaps. Lee et al. (2023) found that Black individuals comprise 23.8% of impoverished communities, which limits their participation in health and education. In response, Urban Triage minimizes this gap through community-based programs that increase healthcare consumption among Black people and increase their employment opportunities.

The organization further fosters equality through volunteerism and employment opportunities that enable diverse workgroups to work in implementing its mission and vision. Amid these efforts, social, cultural, economic, and physical barriers continue to hamper equal participation and Urban Triage’s capacity to improve the lives of Black people. These barriers include persistent racism, poverty among Black people, and living in under-resourced neighborhoods (Beech et al., 2021). These barriers highlight the need for continued advocacy for equality, partnerships, and educational programs that empower this community.

Funding Sources, Policy, and Legislation

Funding models, policies, and legislation affect how nonprofit organizations engage in community programs. Broadly, Urban Triage depends on volunteerism and donations to run its programs. A lack of profit-generation activities limits its overall potential and community reach. For instance, its housing initiative could serve over 208 people monthly as its agriculture program gives approximately 1100 pounds of fresh farm products to support healthy living (Urban Triage, 2024).

This capacity could be improved through more profitable activities and policies that do not limit how such organizations work. Policy relates to grant management, compliance, and funding allocation. The nonprofit nature of Urban Triage also obligates it to distribute much of its resources freely to needy individuals. Such limitations affect how Urban Triage provides its services and supports individuals, families, and the community.

Impact of the Organization’s Work on Community’s Health and Safety Needs

Urban Triage adopts a multifaceted approach to impact Black people’s health and safety needs. Critical components include education, advocacy, economic empowerment through employment opportunities, and resources that support healthier lives. Education (cognitive and behavioral learning) and increased employment improve health by helping Black individuals make more informed decisions and reduce challenges related to unemployment, such as healthcare access and poor health outcomes (National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, 2021; Urban Triage, 2024).

Advocacy is the foundation of healthy and safer communities since it allows policymakers and governments to address the health needs of vulnerable individuals living in low-income households. Nurses can work with Urban Triage as partners, health advisors, and community change champions. They can also volunteer to provide health education that enables Black people to understand their health challenges, causes, practical interventions, and sources of support and resources.

Conclusion

Nonprofit organizations are valuable in addressing public health challenges and improving the community’s health. Urban Triage is a nonprofit organization committed to empowering Black families to live better lives through a path of self-discovery. Part of the empowerment includes education programs that enable Black families to understand the root of their problems and overcome systemic racism. Housing helps to address homelessness, reducing mental health problems, crime, and the rates of substance abuse. Nurses can join Urban Triage to advance the progress of Black families as community change champions, partners, and volunteers, among other capacities.

References

• Beech, B. M., Ford, C., Thorpe, R. J., Jr, Bruce, M. A., & Norris, K. C. (2021). Poverty, racism, and the public health crisis in America. Frontiers in Public Health, 9, 699049. Https //doi.org/10.3389/fpubh.2021.699049
• Cénat, J. M. (2023). Complex racial trauma Evidence, theory, assessment, and treatment. Perspectives on Psychological Science, 18(3), 675–687. https //doi.org/10.1177/17456916221120428
• Lee, A. T., Chin, P., Nambiar, A., & Hill Haskins, N. (2023). Addressing intergenerational trauma in Black families Trauma‐informed socioculturally attuned family therapy. Journal of Marital and Family Therapy, 49(2), 447-462. https //doi.org/10.1111/jmft.12632
• National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health. (2021). NIOSH study examines relationship between employment status, healthcare access, and health outcomes. https //www.cdc.gov/niosh/updates/upd-11-18-21.html
• Sleet, D. A., & Francescutti, L. H. (2021). Homelessness and public health a focus on strategies and solutions. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 18(21), 11660. https //doi.org/10.3390/ijerph182111660
• Urban Triage. (2024). Home- Supporting Healthy Black Families workgroup. https //urbantriage.org/
  Urban Triage. (2024). Our initiatives. https //urbantriage.org/our-work