Competencies:
Program Outcome #1: Explain how care for vulnerable populations is impacted by attitudes, values, beliefs and expectations. Recognize the significance of attitudes, values, and beliefs to promote health.
Program Outcome #2: Reflect on personal and professional actions that demonstrate leadership potential Recognize the purpose of quality improvement methods.
Program Outcome #3: Identify practice standards and their impact on patient outcomes. Describe the importance of using outcomes of care processes to continuously improve the quality and safety of health care. Identify relevant and credible sources, including technology, to inform the delivery of care.

Objective:

The Minnesota Department of Health (2017) defines health equity as “a state of affairs where everyone has what they need to be healthy and no one is prevented from being as healthy as they can be by unjust or unfair barriers” (p. 1). The 2017 Minnesota Statewide Health Assessment report summarizes data of health inequities that exist in Minnesota, that is, who does not have what they need to be healthy. This health assessment report examined and quantified how quality of living, economics and racism has an influence on health outcomes.

1. Read the introduction in the 2017 Minnesota Statewide Health Assessment pp. 1-7. Choose one of the current Minnesota state health challenges and write a paper describing how the role of the nurse could impact improvement of health outcomes.
a. With a review of the literature, describing the health inequity and the issues contributing to the specific health challenge.
b. Explain how this vulnerable populations’ health is impacted by attitudes, values, and/or beliefs.

2. Choose an indicator related to one of the health improvement priorities from the Health Minnesota 2022 Statewide Health Improvement resource. (List summarized below). Describe how the role of the nurse would have an impact to improve quality, affordability and/or access specifically to meet the priority health indicator.

Healthy Minnesota 2022 Statewide Health Improvement

Priority 1: The opportunity to be healthy is available everywhere and for everyone
Key condition: Positive early life experience
Indicators:
• Ready for pre-kindergarten; third-grade reading levels
• Children living below poverty level by race/ethnicity, geography
• Families’ perceived social support
• Early childhood experiences of trauma by race/ethnicity and income
• Adverse childhood experiences, e.g., children with incarcerated parents
Key condition: Economic well-being
• Lifespan by zip code
• Unemployed Minnesotans by race/ethnicity, education, disability, geography
• Per capita income
• Cost burden of housing by race/ethnicity; homeownership by race/ethnicity, gender
• Residents under 65 without health insurance by race/ethnicity
• Strength and durability of economic supports (elderly, disabled, children, etc.)

Priority 2: Places and systems are designed for health and well-being
Key condition: Healthy surroundings
• Asthma emergency department visits by region
• Radon levels and exposures by income, housing type
• Access to recreational and nature opportunity; regional park usage by race/ethnicity
• Distance from large grocery store or supermarket; mobile food shelves
• Food supports for home-bound/disabled elderly; nutritious food supporting healthy aging
• Environmental noise levels
Key condition: Supportive systems
• Access to transportation: transit, street connectivity, walking and bicycling for transportation
• Access to paid sick and family leave
• Belonging in school; experience of bullying by race/ethnicity, income, disability, sexual orientation
• Supports for aging in place
• Diversity/availability of health care providers; infants given formula in the hospital
• Rates of uninsurance and underinsurance

Priority 3: All can participate in decisions that shape health and well-being
Key condition: Just and violence-free communities
• Rates of incarceration: Racial and ethnic disparities in Minnesota prisons and jails
• Rates of return to prison for technical violations
• Employment opportunities and hiring practices for former felons
• Experience of interpersonal violence, including child maltreatment, domestic violence, bullying, and
sexual assault, by age, gender, disability, race/ethnicity, sexual orientation, and income
• Adult experiences of trauma
Key condition: Engaged populations
• Civic and community engagement; voter participation; turnout by precinct; maps
• Volunteer participation by age group
• Language accessibility
• Measures