Introduction
The local health department has postulated that within five years, the population of migrants moving into Northwest Ohio has grown considerably. However, this population, inclusive of undocumented and illegal workers, faces multiple barriers to accessing health care services. Due to the same reason of its illegality in the United States and the mistrust in the healthcare system as discussed earlier, their 35-50-year-old male workforce achieved higher mortality, mainly out of their refusal to avail preventive healthcare or healthcare at all. Assigned by the health department to attend to this pressing issue is a student intern whose job is to create a gap analysis that will be used to identify what course of action is necessary to serve this population best.
Area to be Analyzed and Goals to be Attained
The concern area is, first, the access to healthcare and utilization by the undocumented migrant workers in Northwest Ohio (AHRQ, n.d). The objectives that are to be met by the plan are, first, identifying any possible barriers towards accessing healthcare, building confidence within the community, increasing their uptake in available healthcare facilities, and finally, reducing the mortality rates faced in the
Best Practices
Two key factors must assist the best practices to reach out to the targeted undocumented migrant worker community in Northwest Ohio. First and foremost, it will be obligatory upon the part of the organization under consideration to establish a very close rapport and liaison with the support of the undocumented migrant worker community (AHRQ, n.d). This means having a security environment that is also supportive, where the undocumented migrants freely seek health care without the fear of any exposure or reporting. If the providers gain trust, the undocumented workers are likely to disclose their problems and thus confidently pay attention to seeking proper medication.
Second, the provision of healthcare services that are sensitive to culture. This is where the indignity needs and beliefs of the undocumented workers are respected and considered in the process of delivering care for them. Understanding and accommodating their cultural backgrounds while providing healthcare is a strategy that would see the people in this category get served properly, especially regarding proper communication (AHRQ, n.d). By solving these two factors, such as trust and cultural sensitivity, healthcare providers can neutralize the gap in this context for the undocumented migrant workers, which will enrich the health outcomes of the undocumented war civilian workers and an all-around improvement in the country’s healthcare system.
Scenario Analysis
The current state presents substantial barriers to access to healthcare services for undocumented migrant workers. One of them is their undocumented status, whereby they fear seeking health care with the notion that their immigration status could be questioned and as well expose them to legal action (Muhammad et al., 2022). This fear is a major barrier to healthcare services and a health hazard. Another is the suspicion towards the system of healthcare from undocumented migrant workers. Their perception and lack of trust add more weight to not allowing themselves to get healthcare services.
However, such lack of trust may have originated from reasons like language barriers, cultural differences, or past experiences among the appointed workers in the facility (Muhammad et al., 2022). Suppose these are some of the catalysts of the lack of trust. In that case, one must overcome them and establish strong relationships with the community to enhance the trust factor and ensure that undocumented migrant workers can feel comfortable approaching the facility without any fear or reservation.
Comparison of Current State to Ideal State
Comparing the current state relative to the ideal state, an immense gap is apparent as it relates to the low utilization rate of healthcare services among undocumented migrant workers juxtaposed with the desired higher utilization rate. These directly impact their health outcomes, with higher mortality rates (Muhammad et al., 2022). Filling this gap is important as, currently, it will ensure that healthcare services and preventive care are accorded to undocumented migrant workers, thus improving their overall health status and well-being.
Further analysis points out various barriers leading to the inequality in access and utilization of health services by the undocumented migrant workers residing in Northwest Ohio. Such barriers include their status of documentation, which not only makes them fearful given several potential legal issues but also yields feelings of mistrust towards the healthcare system (Hoque, n.d). Several of them also lack access to health insurance, while others have financial constraints that limit their ability and accessibility to healthcare services.
Gap Description and Quantification of The Same
While the status quo remains a gap between where undocumented migrant workers face barriers to access healthcare and increased mortality rates, an ideal state would comprise a healthcare system that is both accessible and sensitive to their culture, as well as being responsive to individual needs (The boogaloo Team, 2023). The difference is the existence of the low rate of utilization of health care among the undocumented migrant workers and the desired higher rate of utilization that would have resulted in improved health outcomes and reduced mortality rates of the migrants.
Conclusion
The gap analysis underscores the necessity for the dire improvement in healthcare access and utilization for the undocumented migrant workers of Northwest Ohio. Collaboration between healthcare providers, policy-makers, and community organizations may assist in the removal of some of the barriers, such as the lack of documentation status, lack of trust, and limited resources, with hopes of bridging the current state of affairs to the ideal state of adequate access to healthcare. This will be through the implementation of targeted strategies, trust building, culturally sensitive care, and advocating for policy changes to see that the plight of the healthcare needs and rights of the undocumented migrant workers is met.
References
AHRQ.Gap analysis facilitator’s guide. (n.d.). Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality. https://www.ahrq.gov/patient-safety/settings/hospital/candor/modules/facguide3.html
Muhammad M. Ali. (2022). Efficacy and pitfalls of digital technologies in healthcare services: A systematic review of two decades. (n.d.). Frontiers. https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpubh.2022.869793/full
Hoque E. UL. (n.d) planning. Chapter six
The boogaloo Team. (2023, March 20). What is an RFP in healthcare, and why is it important? oboloo. https://oboloo.com/blog/what-is-a-rfp-in-healthcare-and-why-is-it-important/
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