Do to others whatever you would like them to do to you. This is the essence of all that is taught in the law and the prophets†(Matthew 7:12, NLT). Shi and Singh (2015) admit that health care services are more prevalent in certain population groups in the United States than others. The people in this population are susceptible to poor physical, physiological and social health. The individuals who fall into that population are deemed a vulnerable or special population. The population consists of racial and ethnic minorities, uninsured women, men, and children, those who live in rural areas, the homeless, and HIV and AIDS patients (p. 416). People with chronic diseases such as HIV and AIDS consume more healthcare dollars than healthy individuals and are at risk of poor health outcomes. Unfortunately, low-income individuals are more susceptible to have chronic illnesses, and the impact of those illnesses can be more severe because of the lack of healthcare. Most times because of the l
ow incomes, these individuals may suffer from other health issues, such as depression, substance abuse and obesity. Americans living in rural areas often have worse health than the general population. They have to travel several hundred miles to seek good healthcare and sometimes they do not have the means to do. Good doctors are also limited in rural areas. Therefore, some individuals will only seek health care when it is too late. It is saddening that because of social status and race, that some people are not afforded the same opportunities such as healthcare as others. Some people are almost given a death sentence because of their situation. God made all of his people in his image. All of his people need help and should not be overlooked. There are different programs in place that help people in the vulnerable/special population. However, not everyone is privy to that information. Information should be disseminated to people in these populations so that they can utilize the benefits.