Serving Vulnerable Populations

Order Instructions

In this assessment, you will explore your community’s resources for people who live in a food desert, develop a meal plan that fits the medical conditions, consider the culture of the community members, and explore how to help community members maintain health.

Part 1: Serving Vulnerable Populations

Imagine you are a community health nurse assigned to care for a family with a newly diagnosed type-2 diabetic member. The diabetic family

member, JK, is a 66-year-old Black woman with hypertension and asthma. JK lives in a food desert and does not drive. JK’s family visits her weekly, but they have complicated lives and are unable to provide daily care for her.    

Evaluate the following community health resources and summarize them in a table:   

United States Department of Agriculture

• Food Access Research Atlas: https://www.ers.usda.gov/data-products/food-access-research-atlas/

• Food Access Research Atlas Map: https://www.ers.usda.gov/data-products/food-access-research-atlas/go-to-the-atlas/

• Characteristics and Influential Factors of Food Deserts: https://www.ers.usda.gov/publications/pub-details/?pubid=45017

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

• A Systematic Review of Food Deserts, 1966-2007: https://www.cdc.gov/pcd/issues/2009/jul/08_0163.htm

• Small Food Stores and Availability of Nutritious Foods: https://www.cdc.gov/pcd/issues/2012/12_0023.htm

• Health Statistics: https://www.cdc.gov/datastatistics/index.html

Create a plan detailing opportunities for JK to gain adequate access to appropriate foods for one week.

Your plan must address:

• Appropriate and realistic estimated budget

• Shopping locations

• Transportation means, routes, and timing

• Support services

Compare JK’s community to your county census data. (Effingham County, IL)