Special Populations Paper

Special Populations paper

University of Phoenix

Case Management

BSHS 402

Andrea Winston

May 02, 2007

Special Populations paper

The job of a case manager is as unique as the population that they serve. Case management is "a collaborative process of assessment, planning, facilitation and advocacy for options and services to meet an individual's health needs through communication and available resources to promote quality cost-effective outcomes." (Case Management Society of America [CMSA], 2007)Case managers are advocates for those who can not help themselves and assist in referrals to those who need additional services for treatment. One of the populations that a case manager may serve would be high risk mothers who have possible deficits in education, psychosocial, nutritional, have little to no transportation and or were low income women who found themselves pregnant. There is higher infant mortality and morbidity to those who do not have the means or ways of affording to take care of an infant. . In Michigan there are several programs or Maternal Support Services which also lead into Infant Support Services for after the infant is born. The role of the case manger would be to provide assistance to the mother during pregnancy and up to one year after birth.

Pregnant women who have little or no access to healthcare or prenatal care has always been a concern of mine. I do work in a hospital where many babies are born under weight, premature, with illnesses, addictions, or even a developmental disability. Many of times the reasons for these infants being born like this is because the mother was not educated and had little or no access to prenatal care. If someone would had educated and guided this woman would the outcomes been the same? Recently I gave birth to my first child and I thought to myself, what if I had not of have prenatal care? Would my son been healthy? I even think about the support I was given thought my pregnancy. What if I did not have that support? Would I have been a good mother? Good mothers are not born they are educated and supported throughout their pregnancy. They have someone to turn to and ask questions from. Many high risk mothers have no one to turn to but their peers who might suffer from the same disadvantages the client is currently suffering from.

I chose the topic of at risk mothers because understand how scary it can be to be pregnant and to have so many questions and no one to turn to. Understanding what a mother goes though during pregnancy and her needs after birth is an asset I would have when assessing a client. Does she need just prenatal care, does she need transportation, how about housing, what about after the baby is born, does she need extra support, how about parenting groups, what about WIC, these are just some of the questions I would be asking if I were working with this population of clients. Not everyone is excited to be pregnant which would bring more stress to the situation. So to understand that every client has a delicate situation is important to keep in mind when evaluating and creating a treatment plan. All pregnant mothers have the right to bring a healthy baby into this world if they so choose. It is the role of the case manager to provide information to the mother so she can make her own educated choices for her and her infant's safety and well-being.

Case managers bring many resources and tools that give hope to many people who would otherwise not have hope or access to services and or programs. I would use the access to different programs and services to help my clients. During intake and their assessment I would gather information on the mothers immediate needs are as well as long term needs. I would then inquire the mother's goals and what are her plans for her baby. Does she want to keep her child, does she want to give her child up for adoption, or is abortion something else to consider.

Case managers must realize their strengths and weakness before working with any client. Understanding my own weaknesses can help me avoid from making judgment calls and to focus on the client. Some of my own personal strengths I do have are being able to build a positive working relationship, being empathetic, providing extra support or a listening ear, positive coaching and empowering others to do well. I would like to see high risk mothers make better choices and provide themselves with a healthier lifestyle as well as give their unborn babies the best start possible. Some of my weaknesses I do have is listening to my whole clients story from beginning to finish before I offer my help, letting my clients define their own goals, and getting over emotionally attached to certain clients. To overcome my weakness I would keep in mind that I am not the director of this mother's life but I am here to offer them services. I must be strong and reserve my own emotions even when clients make their own decisions that I might not feel is the best treatment plan. To understand myself better as a case manger can help my future clients and me because I will learn with each case how not to overstep my clinical boundaries as well as learning to empower my own clients better in their treatment plan.

In every generation, culture, race, and religion there are women