Essay on "Las Vegas Nevada Homeless Community Mental Health"
Essay 10 pages (2921 words) Sources: 10
[EXCERPT] . . . .
Las Vegas, Nevada Homeless Community Mental HealthSituated in a hot, dry, desert valley, Las Vegas has experienced phenomenal growth in recent years, including large influxes of retirees as well as Latino immigrants searching for work. This population surge is primarily due to the casinos located on Las Vegas Boulevard, commonly known as "the Strip" which is actually located in an unincorporated township within the city borders of Las Vegas called "Paradise" which also contains the city's airport and convention center (Ventura, 2003). According to Ventura, "The story of Las Vegas is inextricably bound to the story of the Strip. Its casinos spur the area's unprecedented growth by providing jobs for working people while creating a backdrop of activity for the retired and others who relocate to Las Vegas Valley as a lifestyle choice" (2003, p. 97). Despite the glamour of the Strip, many jobs in Las Vegas are unskilled, minimum wage (or even lower for undocumented workers), and the large influx of newcomers means that homelessness can even affect those who are employed. For instance, Rothman and Davis emphasize that, "The mismatch between decent-paying occupations and affordable housing increased the estimated number of homeless people from 2,000 in 1990 to more than 18,000 in 1999, one-fifth of whom hold regular part- or full-time jobs" (2002, p. 141).
2.
Community Assessment.
Although a large number of exclusive gated communities exist in the suburbs of Las Vegas where the affluent enjoy lush green lawns and air conditioned luxury, other parts of the Las Vegas community are not so fortunate. North Las Vegas and West Las Vegas in pa
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The City of Las Vegas (http://www.lasvegasnevada.gov/FactsStatistics/census_data.htm) cites the most recent U.S. Census Bureau figures for the city (but not including Clark County) as shown in Table 1 below:
Table 1
Demographic Breakdown of Las Vegas
General Characteristics
Number
Percent
Total population
564,484
White
399,848
70.8
Black or African-American
57,945
10.3
American Indian or Alaska Native
3,286
0.6
Asian
30,769
5.5
Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander
2,856
0.5
Some Other Race
49,417
8.8
Two or More Races
20,363
3.6
Hispanic or Latino (of any race)
169,573
30.0
Veterans
46,179
11.3
Source: City of Las Vegas Census Data, 2011
Population estimates for the larger metropolitan area of Las Vegas-Paradise-Henderson in Clark County are shown in Table 2 below.
Year
Population
Type
Source
1990
852,646
Census
Official
1999
1,381,086
Estimate
Official
2000
1,563,282
Census
Official
2010
2,282,708
Calculation
Source: Las Vegas population, World Gazetteer, 2011
A genogram of Las Vegas is provided in Figure 1 below.
City of Las Vegas,
Nevada
Healthcare Access
Psychosocial Health
Environmental Health
Population
-13 major hospitals (see complete list at Appendix a)
- Numerous community-based resources
- Extensive homeless population (current estimates place the number at 13,338 for Clark County
- Poverty levels commensurate with national averages
- Consistently hot weather creates exposure issues for homeless
- City statutes prevent feeding homeless in city parks
- Population: 564,484 (Las Vegas only)
- Predominately white (70.8%) with large contingents of Hispanic/Latino (30%) and Black/African-American (10%)
- Median age: 35.5 years
Community Diagnosis
For the dimensions assessed, there remains a paucity of effective interventions for the wide range of healthcare and mental health problems that characterize the homeless condition in Las Vegas. More effective use of community-based resources through partnerships with local hospitals, clinics and mental health services must be developed to address these needs.
Figure 1. Genogram of Las Vegas, Nevada
3.
Health Concerns of the Community
a.
Background in relation to "Healthy People 2020" and local public health data that characterizes this health concern.
Among the goals of Healthy People 2020 is the objective to reduce the incidence of substance abuse in the United States (Healthy People 2020 objectives, 2011, p. 305). As elsewhere, substance abuse -- together with (not surprisingly) gambling addictions -- is a major problem for the homeless in Las Vegas. One community health center counselor in Las Vegas reported that, "Ninety percent of my clients have gambling and alcohol problems. Drugs, meth, cocaine. Heroin is starting to come back. Gambling is one of the ways to raise money for this. Just being around the casinos they have access to free alcohol" (Littlejohn & Gran, 1999, p. 24). As noted in Table 1 above, approximately 46 thousand veterans live in Las Vegas; Healthy People 2020 indicates that about 7.1% of this population (or 3,266 veterans) will likely have a substance abuse problem as well (Healthy People 2020 objectives, 2011).
b.
Data from national, state, and/or local level related to the homeless community mental health concerns.
According to the U.S. National Library of Medicine (MedLine), health issues can create a downward spiral for the homeless from which escape is difficult or even impossible without intervention. In this regard, Medline (2010) emphasizes that, "Poor health can contribute to being homeless, and being homeless can lead to poor health. Limited access to health care can make it worse. That is why the health of homeless people in the United States is worse than that of the general population" (Homeless health concerns, para. 2). Some of the common health problems among the homeless population include the following:
1. Mental health problems
2. Substance abuse problems
3. Bronchitis and pneumonia
4. Problems caused by being outdoors
5. Wound and skin infections
6. Many homeless women are victims of domestic or sexual abuse.
7. Homeless children have high rates of emotional and behavioral problems, often from having witnessed abuse (Homeless health concerns, 2010)..
4.
Community Description
Current data on gender, age, socioeconomic status and education levels in Las Vegas are presented in Table 3 below.
Table 3
Education, Age, and Income Levels in Las Vegas
General Characteristics
Number
Percent
U.S.
Male
285,298
50.5
Female
279,186
49.5
Median Age (in years)
35.5
36.7
Under 5 years
45,818
8.1
6.9
18 years and over
410,555
72.7
75.5
65 years and over
65,155
11.5
12.6
Bachelor's degree or higher
21.3
27.4
Per capita income (in 2008 inflation-adjusted dollars)
$27,988
$27,466
Median household income (in 2008 inflation-adjusted dollars)
$55,113
$52,175
Median family income (in 2008 inflation-adjusted dollars)
$63,589
$63,211
Families Below the Poverty Line
8.7
9.6
Individuals Below the Poverty Line
11.7
13.2
Source: City of Las Vegas Census Data, 2011
a.
Describe how the health concern is linked to health inequity for this population / community.
According to Costello and Bouras, "Mental health problems are socially defined and, as a result, they are highly interactive with the context in which the person lives and the social expectations placed upon him/her. In defining mental health, a whole range of factors needs to be taken into consideration, encompassing not just the individual, but also the wider ecology within which the person lives" (2006, p. 241).
b.
Use data to support the conclusion. The official Web site for the City of Las Vegas emphasizes that, "Thousands of homeless individuals and families can be found on the streets, in parks and other locations throughout the city of Las Vegas on any given day" (City of Las Vegas homeless services, 2011, para. 1). The current estimates of the homeless population are set forth in Table 4 below.
Table 4
Las Vegas Homeless Census
Census Components
2007
2009
Street count of unsheltered homeless people - on streets, in vehicles, in makeshift shelters (such as tents), and encampments
3,747
3,027
Shelter count of homeless people - emergency shelters, transitional housing, and domestic violence shelters
3,844
7,004
Hidden Homeless Estimate - based on a telephone survey of 1,001 households in Clark County.
3,826
3,307
Total Count of Homeless in Clark County
11,417
13,338
Source: Homeless census, 2011
Although there are a number of community resources available to assist the homeless population in Las Vegas (discussed further below), city officials have adopted an "out-of-sight, out-of-mind" approach in many cases to help keep panhandlers and beggars away from the Strip where they might encounter tourists. In fact, Baker reports that, "In Las Vegas a person can be jailed for up to six months for handing out food to homeless people in the city's parks. The law has been used against charities that operate mobile soup kitchens" (2009, p. 4).
5.
Community Resources -- resources and partners (governmental, missions, activities, hospitals, websites, etc.) currently involved with the health concern of this community.
The… READ MORE
Quoted Instructions for "Las Vegas Nevada Homeless Community Mental Health" Assignment:
Essay: A Local Mental Health Community Assessment of the Las Vegas, NV Homeless Community
10 pages maximum for essay (7 pages minimum)...not including references or appendices (let me know if you need more pages for appendices like charts, community genograms, etc.)
*****"Community*****" refers to the homeless population with mental health problems in LAS VEGAS, NEVADA (may also include Southern Nevada area).
Please use the following outline headers in the paper (subheaders are optional but all the data needs to be included in the paper):
1. Introduction
2. Community Assessment -- include geographical area, area size, community population size, community demographics, community physical and social environment. Create a community genogram/profile reflecting the health status of the community (sample genogram will be provided as a resource).
3. Health Concerns of the Community --
a. Background in relation to *****"Health People 2020*****" and local public health data that characterizes this health concern.
b. Data from national, state, and/or local level related to the homeless community mental health concerns
4. Community Description -- inlcude data on gender, age, socioeconomic status, education level, etc.
a. Describe how the health concern is linked to health inequity for this population/community.
b. Use data to support the conclusion
5. Community Resources -- resources and partners (governmental, missions, activities, hospitals, websites, etc.) currently involved with the health concern of this community.
6. Diagnosis - discuss aspects of the health concern of this community that is NOT being addressed despite the efforts of the partners involved.
7. Outcomes Identification -- describe ultimate outcomes or goals for improvement related to the health concerns of this community.
8. Planning
a. Recommed nursing actions to improve the health concern
b. Explain how nurses might work with the community and the population of interest to improve the health concern -- select primary and secondary prevention activities only.
c. Discuss potential public and private partnerships that could be formed to implement the recommendations.
d. Discuss overall objective(s) for implementing these activities.
e. Create a timeline for expected outcomes.
9. Evaluation -- explain how you would evaluate whether the efforts to improve the health concern were effective. Include in the explanation the tools needed to use this evaluation.
10. Conclusion -- reflect on your perspective of the community*****'s health and the national, state, and local efforts toward a healthier population has changed as a result of the study of this community.
Please make sure data is as up-to-date as possible (last 3 years preferably) as I will be using this paper as the base for the final paper and will be printing out a copy of all references for my final paper. THANK YOU.
Another note: Please include somewhere in the paper a discussion of the Nevada Legal Hold (sometimes known as Legal 2000, L2K, or civil commitment) process for people with psychiatric issues.
APA FORMATED CITATIONS AND REFERENCE PAGE PLEASE. *****
How to Reference "Las Vegas Nevada Homeless Community Mental Health" Essay in a Bibliography
“Las Vegas Nevada Homeless Community Mental Health.” A1-TermPaper.com, 2011, https://www.a1-termpaper.com/topics/essay/las-vegas-nevada-homeless-community/9451. Accessed 6 Jul 2024.
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