Observations
Flushing is known as one of the oldest communities in New York. The environment is typically described as comparatively poor and mostly inhabited by immigrants (“Race and ethnicity in Flushing, New York,” 2018). Nevertheless, the area looks comparatively neat, although high levels of poverty (approximately 15%) take their toll on the community (“Race and ethnicity in Flushing, New York,” 2018).
Most of the population of Flushing consists of Asians. Hispanics are also very numerous, whereas the White members of the community are represented to a lesser degree. There are also several representatives of the African American population and other ethnicities, although they make a very small part of the population (“Race and ethnicity in Flushing, New York,” 2018). Therefore, most of the languages spoken in Flushing include English, Chinese, and Spanish.
People tend to wear casual clothes. Since the region is comparatively poor, most people tend to wear something practical, such as jeans, sweaters, etc.
The significance of family values is very high in Flushing. People support each other and promote family unity. There are about 90 schools in the area, which implies that the level of education is quite high. Most of the healthcare practices observed in the community imply using the services of healthcare practitioners (Haller, 2014). The quality of care ranges from rather good to moderate, yet the lack of financing makes it difficult for people to access it.
There are a lot of food stores in the area. A number of these stores provide culture-specific food (e.g., the food of Chinese cuisine). However, other options are also available. There are also several 24-hour pharmacies in Flushing. The place also has several restaurants with services of varying quality and offering Chinese, Spanish, and traditional American dishes.
Surprising Information about Culture and Health
A close analysis of the area showed that the place had a heavy lean toward the Asian culture and, therefore, provided extensive opportunities for the specified demographic. It was quite peculiar to find out that the issue of self-care required immediate management in the identified area. Because of the presence of traditions and myths about health, particularly, among Hispanic members of the population, a significant number of the local demographic lack a proper understanding of their health needs and the resources that they can use to address their health concerns.
Furthermore, it was quite peculiar to establish that a large number of the residents did not have health insurance. The identified phenomenon can be attributed to the fact that poverty rates are high in the area. As a result, people are unable to buy legitimate health insurance that would allow them to manage their health concerns. The identified phenomenon leads to a massive rise in the levels of mortality. Therefore, immediate change is required to ensure that all citizens of Flushing could have access to healthcare and be provided with the resources that they need to improve the quality of their lives.
The presence of a range of healthcare providers that cater to the needs of diverse local populations, including Asian and Hispanic residents, was also quite surprising and relieving to discover (Mensah & Sommers, 2016). The specified characteristic of the area signifies that the unique needs of the identified members of Flushing are addressed efficiently. In addition, the introduction of the services of healthcare providers belonging to cultures other than American contributes to a steep rise in the overall quality of care, implying that the communication between a patient and a healthcare practitioner increases systematically.
Knowledge and a Change of Perspective
The analysis of the community in question has provided a range of insights into the nature of healthcare and the means of providing appropriate health services to people. For instance, the connection between social issues, economic concerns, and healthcare problems has become evident after the analysis of how the community operates. The lack of proper education combined with the unavailability of financial resources and the propensity toward clinging to traditions that typically turn out to be erroneous defines poor levels of health in the area.
Therefore, tools for improving the level of awareness among the target demographic should be regarded as a necessity. It is crucial to introduce the program that will help the community members gain the necessary knowledge and skills that will lead to a steep rise in health level. For instance, Orem’s theory of self-care deficit can be applied to the specified environment to develop a comprehensive plan for managing the target population’s health (Drevenhorn, 2018).
The process of improving the situation can be started with the introduction of a proper communication channel between nurses and their patients. The use of social networks as the means of establishing a connection with patients should be regarded as a sensible step toward a significant improvement. The identified tool will provide extensive opportunities for people to learn how to identify a threat to their health and access the available health services. Furthermore, given the financial limitations of the community members’ opportunities for accessing health services, healthcare practitioners will have to consider cheaper options for prescribing medications and offering therapies. As a result, a moderate improvement of health levels within the community is expected.
References
Drevenhorn, E. (2018). A proposed middle-range theory of nursing in hypertension care. International Journal of Hypertension, 1(3), 1-11. Web.
Haller, V. (2014). Downtown Flushing: Where Asian cultures thrive. New York Times. Web.
Mensah, M. O., & Sommers, B. D. (2016). The policy argument for healthcare workforce diversity. Journal of General Internal Medicine, 31(11), 1369-1372.
Race and ethnicity in Flushing, New York. (2018). Web.