Respond to at least two peer posts (75-150 words).

When you respond to peers, respond as if you were dialoguing with them, so be sure that your posts are related to their initial postings. Your posting needs to deepen the discussion by adding an additional perspective, sharing new information, or asking an additional question to get your colleague to think more critically about the issue – it should not be a new posting on your part that doesn’t connect to the initial posting or a mere “I agree with everything you’ve said” statement.

Prior to submitting your posts, check them for appropriate grammar, usage and spelling. In the field of social work it is important to be able to communicate effectively when writing as well as when speaking. Errors in these areas will result in a lower grade for your discussion posts.

PEER 1

In studying the area of Pulaski County, Missouri, I have come to learn that the absence of public transportation and access to health care is of concern. Access to physicians in rural areas can be low in numbers, if at all present, and social services are also less available (Kirst-Ashman & Hull, 2018). This is true of Pulaski County where the health care system has a lower rate than the state rate (Pulaski County Health Center & Home Health Agency, 2017). There is a shortage of physicians as there are only five health care clinics in the area and the only hospital, General Leonard Wood Army Community Hospital, is only available to military personnel and their dependents (Pulaski County Health Center & Home Health Agency, 2017).

I have traveled from town to town as I am exploring this community and found that the Pulaski Health Department is located in the city of Crocker, which is approximately 25 minutes from St. Robert, the city I live in. Currently there is no public transportation that is readily available. Residents who lack transportation must either use a taxi cab service or ask for a ride from a friend. There are no sidewalks in the area and services are widely spread out, making it very difficult to walk.

Micro, mezzo, and macro levels of an environment all interact with each other and can negatively or positively impact one another (Ambrosino, Ambrosino, Heffernan & Shuttlesworth, 2016). The lack of transportation or an illness could become the cause of lost work days which could bring economic strain to the individual. At the same time, it would cause a strain to the employing agency as they try to catch up productivity. In the same manner a child who falls ill or cannot be transported to school becomes delayed in his learning, which in turn would set off a chain of consequences from the family to the community (if social services were to become involved by the request of school administration).

Building more health clinics and bringing more social services to the area might be far-fetched and unrealistic. However, one solution that would help bridge the health access gap is to make public transportation available in this area. There is one company based out of Columbia, Missouri who can provide transportation but only if reservations are made three to five days in advance (OATS Transit, 2019). This is not realistic of public transportation as one cannot predict exactly when our vehicle will stop working or if we will wake up one day unable to get out of bed due to illness. Even if one or two routes were made available on a daily basis, it might help improve the access to some of the already established facilities.

References:

Ambrosino, R.N., Ambrosino, R. A., Heffernan, J. & Shuttlesworth, G. (2016). Chapter 3, The ecological/systems perspective. In Social work and social welfare: An introduction (8th ed). Stamford, CT: Cengage Learning, pp. 53-80.

Kirst-Ashman, K. and Hull, G. (2018). Generalist practice with organizations and communities (7th ed.). Boston, MA: Cengage Learning.

Pulaski County Health Center & Home Health Agency. (2017). Community health assessment. Retrieved from https://www.pulaskicountyhealth.com/uploads/7/5/3/…

OATS Transit. (2019). Pulaski county [Web]. Retrieved from https://www.oatstransit.org/pulaski

PEER 2

In investigating West Valley City, Utah, a challenge for the Hispanic community is racial profiling and prejudice.After interacting with a few Hispanic residents in the community, several indicated that they get racial slurs yelled at them, there are people calling them illegal aliens on the streets, they feel they are automatically labeled gang members or “thugs”, they feel more “watched” by law enforcement, and they have a hard time finding work because there are some who do not speak English very well or they are not paid fairly.They also mentioned that due to being Hispanic, the other people in the community do not show them respect and treat them like “animals”. All of these things are examples of their human rights being threatened as well as experienced social injustice.

After speaking with residents, it was obvious how deeply this affected them on a personal level, or on a micro level.Receiving the comments in public from the public makes them uncomfortable, paranoid, and fearful. On a mezzo level it affects families and their ability to be successful in the community they are in.On a macro level, the damage is great. In this particular community there is a reputation of gang activity among the Hispanic residents. Hispanic teens are more prone to getting involved in gang activity throughout their teenage years. In turn, the reputation for this population continues to reflect negatively throughout the state.And due to what is happening in our country right now, and the battle of the politicians on all sides, this population lives in fear of being deported and separated from families. They fear walking down the street and having someone tell them to “go back where they came from”, even though they may have been born in the United States. I almost felt like these people feel like they are just going to be racially profiled no matter what they do, so they feel like why does it matter to try to change it?This was the type of feeling I got from the folks I was speaking to.

Micro, mezzo, and macro levels of environment are all different, yet they all are related to each other.The influence of the community influences families, which in turn influences individuals. It is important as social workers to identify issues and concerns between individuals and their environment.(Kirst-Ashman and Hull, 2018). I believe this population show both open and closed systems. They are a very accepting people and all help each other out when needed. However they are very close knit and keep within their circles.(Ambrosino, Heffernan, and Shuttlesworth, 2016). I believe the reason they have closed systems is because of the fear within the community of racial profiling.

My recommendations for change would be education on the Hispanic community, community events to promote unity in a safe and controlled environment, and to campaign for better communication between the Hispanic community and the local government.I truly believe that if we can bring people together and provide education and resources on each other’s communities and cultures, we can make a difference. I would really hope to teach this population how to advocate for themselves and bring awareness to the issues they are facing.

Kirst-Ashman, K. and Hull, G. (2018). Generalist practice with organizations and communities (7th ed.). Boston, MA: Cengage Learning.

Ambrosino, R.N., Ambrosino, R. A., Heffernan, J. & Shuttlesworth, G. (2016). Chapter 3, The ecological/systems perspective. Social work and social welfare: An introduction (8th ed). Stamford, CT: Cengage Learning, pp. 53-80.

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