NURS FPX 4060 Assessment 2 Community Resources
Public health systems and community resources are critical in promoting public health and
safety in response to calamities and disasters. The intricate mechanism of response and
collaboration between various stakeholders for public health improves the equity of care in the
communities. They provide services like disaster risk reduction and preparedness, community
health promotion, emergency healthcare, and first aid, especially to displaced and vulnerable
populations. These resources also promote a proactive and empowered approach toward
healthcare and safety through education, community engagement, and accountability.
(Choudhary, 2021). In this assessment one of these resource systems, The American Red Cross
will be discussed regarding the mission and vision of the organization, efforts to promote equal
opportunities for healthcare resources, impact of funding and policies, and overall effect on
public health and safety.
Mission and Vision of the Organization
Organizations such as the Red Cross America are auxiliary to public authorities to provide
consistent humanitarian care. They employ a team of community-based volunteers and staff
that provide services for emergency preparedness and disaster management, first aid delivery
and training, maintaining 40% of national blood supply resources, and supporting military
communities (American Red Cross, 2023d). It operates on the fundamental principles of
humanity, impartiality, neutrality, independence, voluntary service, unity, and universality
(American Red Cross, 2023b). The mission statement is to alleviate human suffering, protect life
and health, and uphold human dignity, especially during armed conflicts and other emergencies
(Purdy, 2019). The vision statement explains that The American Red Cross uses a strong
network of volunteers, donors, and partners to turn compassion into action so that all the
people affected by disasters across the country receive care and shelter. The ARC ensures that
everyone has access to life-saving blood products, communities are prepared for a disaster, and
armed service members and their families are supported (Hassan, 2019).
NURS FPX 4060 Assessment 2 Community Resources
The American Red Cross establishes and supports initiatives nationwide and globally to
continue the agenda of public healthcare and safety without discrimination. The American Red
Cross works with community partners to form a diverse program of blood donors which is
critical to ensure life-saving blood products are available to 1 in every 7 hospital patients across
America who need a transfusion (American Red Cross, 2023e). The American Red Cross (ARC)
also launched the “until help arrives initiative” which provides online training courses to tackle
opioid overdoses, severe bleeding, cardiac arrest, and choking emergencies, and “Smart Sports
Coalition” to reduce tragedies among student-athletes by providing Cardiopulmonary
Resuscitation (CPR) courses and Automated External Defibrillators (AEDs). The TRC volunteers
delivered emergency messages for more than 87,000 deployed service members to connect
them to their families and raise morale (Ohio, 2023). Furthermore, The Red Cross provides food,
shelter, and medical supplies to displaced and disaster-stricken communities and warzones
around the world such as Africa, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Ukraine, Gaza, and Syria.
Promoting Equal Opportunity
The American Red Cross promotes the principles of humanity, impartiality, and neutrality that
sum up to establishing support and care for all human life and alleviating suffering wherever it is
found. It serves human beings regardless of background, ethnicity, and socioeconomic class. It
provides refuge and asylum to migrants of all backgrounds during domestic disasters by
providing basic provisions, reuniting families, and supporting other non-government or
government agencies. The blood donation services operated by the ARC give life to all patients
in critical need of blood products. The ARC provides life-saving training and education to
support community health (American Red Cross, 2023f). these operating principles and services
empower the community and lay the foundation for selfless, universal, and uninterrupted
humanitarian action.
Social and Cultural Barriers
The humanitarian efforts of the ARC can be hindered by sociocultural barriers in the population
receiving services. One of these barriers may be language which makes access and utilization
of resources provided by the ARC difficult for ethnic and non-English speaking communities
(Garza, 2023). Similarly, insensitivity towards religion and cultural beliefs and practices can lead
to mistrust, refusal of aid, emotional toll on top of physical calamities, and violation of public
health and safety orders that endanger whole communities in ARC disaster response programs
(Aspen, 2020). According to Yu and Writer (2021), the “Diversity Calls” initiative by Red Cross
volunteers from Texas aims to break down the language barriers of ethnic communities. It
includes a language training course for volunteers to learn to speak and understand basic
phrases of Farsi, Vietnamese, Spanish, Hindi German, and French to help non-English speaking
communities. Cultural humility, awareness, and sensitivity are essential in the process of
addressing a humanitarian need (Rahmani et al., 2022). Breaking down these barriers is vital to
improving access to universal care.
Economic and Physical Barriers
Many Factors such as weather conditions, infrastructure, availability of services, and
geographical location of the target area are some of the most important physical barriers to
equitable access to humanitarian care. Health groups such as youth living in conflicted regions,
migrants, and ethnic minorities face physical barriers such as mobility restriction, lack of
registration with healthcare systems, and transport hurdles which undermine the promise of
universal humanitarian relief (Tonnessen & Houge, 2021). Economic factors such as lack of
funding and economic sanctions are also major barriers to providing humanitarian aid. These
factors cause resource scarcity, inefficient flow of funds, and systemic hurdles in the provision
of support and care to people in need. The ARC commissioned a global report to conceptualize
“Health in the Last Mile” which identifies the last mile health groups and provides the framework
to increase the number of healthcare providers, establish healthcare setups closer to target
populations, and ensure that Universal Health Coverage (UHC) is a priority in times of crisis
(Tonnessen & Houge, 2021). Understanding the political economy, encouraging funding and
resources, and coordinating with other non-profit and government agencies can make
overcoming these barriers a manageable task (Smith, 2021). This management is necessary to
provide help and care to anyone in distress no matter the circumstances.
Impact of Funding and Resources
The American Red Cross exists as an independent entity that exists as a non-profit, tax-exempt,
and charitable institute to pursue a charter granted by the United States Congress. It has a legal
state of federal instrumentality and has three responsibilities towards the federal government
that are to fulfill the provisions of the Geneva Convention, provide communication support to the
United States Military, and maintain a domestic and international disaster response under the
Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) (Hassan, 2019). The American Red Cross
does not receive regulatory support from the federal government. Rather it relies upon voluntary
community contributions and returning service charges of operations such as blood banks and
health safety training courses generating about 3.2 billion dollars in revenue in 2022. (Lee,
2023). The Organization’s ability to achieve its humanitarian charter is influenced by federal
policies and the donation of funds. Shortage of funding resources, costs of inflation, and the
burden of one disaster after another hinder the ARC’s humanitarian action due to the lack of
resources, and running cost of facilities across the nation. (ICRC, 2023). Being a non-profit
organization, these funds are also subject to policies and sanctions such as United Nations
(UN) financial sanctions for counterterrorism. These policies affect the humanitarian actions of
NPOs such as the ARC by the lack of adequate legal protection for carrying out humanitarian
action in high-risk jurisdictions and financial access difficulties due to fear of regulatory scrutiny
(Eckert, 2022). The ARC also works with legislators and administrators at all levels of
government in the wake of public health advocacy and is influenced by federal policy changes
(Purdy, 2019). It is vital to consider the impact of a lack of resources and restricting policies on
the provision of support to people in need and better steps should be taken to bridge these
gaps.
Impact on Health and Safety Needs
The American Red Cross is a global non-profit humanitarian resource that excels in providing
disaster relief, community empowerment, blood donation services, and ensuring equitable,
universal access to healthcare and safety resources for everyone (Hassan, 2019). It is an
important driver of care and support to humans in any calamity.
Role of Nurses
Nurses are an integral part of the American Red Cross. For years they were the public face of
the organization. Clara Barton and Jane Dulano, the cofounders of an early form of the
organization were nurse leaders providing aid to soldiers in combat. As stated by Red Cross
Central California (2020), today nurses continue their tradition of helping the suffering in many
ways but their work is recognized in three main places:
● Disaster cycle services: The nurses are deployed to conflicted and disaster-stricken
regions and provide initial medical services and first aid.
● Teaching: Instructing and educating the public in first aid and CPR courses is one of the
essential roles of nurses in empowering communities to be disaster-ready and proactive
about their health.
● Blood donation services: Nurses have a pivotal role in the safe collection and
administration of blood products.
NURS FPX 4060 Assessment 2 Community Resources
The Future of Nursing Report 2020-2030 supports the initiatives of nursing care in The
American Red Cross (National Academy of Medicine, 2019). Recommendations 3, 7, and 8, of
the report suggest valuing public health nurses, fostering their roles as leaders, preparing them
for disaster management, and supporting their well-being for an equitable future in healthcare.
Conclusion
The American Red Cross is a global non-profit humanitarian organization. It employs a network
of volunteers and donation-based funds towards universal, non-discriminatory, and equitable
provision of services. These services include food, shelter, medical resources, blood products,
armed forces support, and many more services towards the betterment of society and
alleviating human suffering. It mitigates many sociocultural and physical barriers to UHC and
provides a global disaster response. It also includes communities in their health and safety by
providing education and first aid training. Nurses play a key role in all the main services provided
by ARC by assuming their roles as educators, first responders, and care providers. A better
regulatory funding plan and improving the number of healthcare volunteers can propagate the
humanitarian agenda of the Red Cross in America and all over the world.
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