Section: Module 9: Impacts of Pandemics on Vulnerable Populations | Pandemic Etiology, Preparedness, and Response | NextGenU.org

  • Instructional Goals covered in this module:
    • Outline strategic solutions to achieve health equity and reduce the burden of disease on specific vulnerable populations during a pandemic.

    • Module 9: Lesson 1: Pandemics and Population Vulnerability

      Student Learning Outcomes:

      Upon completion of this lesson, you will be able to:

      • Explain environmental, socioeconomic, cultural, behavioral (racism, xenophobia, structural bias, and social inequities, etc.) and biological factors that make specific populations vulnerable during pandemics.
      • Explain how different socioeconomic and cultural factors undermine efforts to achieve health equity at the community, societal and organizational levels nationally and internationally during pandemics.
      • Summarize the barriers that prevent vulnerable populations from accessing health services during pandemics.
      • Evaluate the implications of a disproportionate burden of disease and health inequity among vulnerable populations on national pandemic preparedness response efforts.

      Approximate time required for the readings for this lesson (at 144 words/minute): 8 hours and 18 minutes.

      Required Learning Resources and Activities
    • url icon
      Solidarity in Times of Pandemics: CAS SEE Weekly Seminars with Guests - Barbara Painsack URL
      Students must
      View

      Watch the video from minutes 21:20 to 27:30 and from 37:00 to 44:20. (14 minutes)

      Center for Advanced Studies - South Eastern Europe

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      Covid-19 pandemic and the social determinants of health URL
      Students must
      View

      Read the entire webpage. (19 minutes)

      The BMJ

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      Age-Related Vulnerability to Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19): Biological, Contextual, and Policy-Related Factors URL
      Students must
      View

      Read the content under the heading "Introduction", "Age, Morbidity, and Biology", and Social Contact, Living Arrangements, Socioeconomic Status, and Age". (12 minutes)

      Public Policy & Aging Report

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      ‘Back to better’: amplifying health equity, and determinants of health perspectives during the COVID-19 pandemic URL
      Students must
      View

      Read the content under the heading "Introduction", "Findings", and "Discussion". (28 minutes)

      Global Health Promotion

    • url icon
      Health inequity and the effects of COVID‑19 URL
      Students must
      View

      Read the content under the heading "Health Effects and the Socioeconomic Impact of COVID-19 and its Containment Measures" on pages 7-12. (12 minutes)

      World Health Organization

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      Vulnerable Populations: Weathering the Pandemic Storm URL
      Students must
      View

      Read the entire article. (11 minutes)

      AJPM

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      Global Health Disparities in Vulnerable Populations of Psychiatric Patients During the COVID-19 Pandemic URL
      Students must
      View

      Read the content under the heading "Abstract," "Introduction," and "Conclusion." (11 minutes)

      World Journal of Psychiatry

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      Caring for Vulnerable Populations During a Pandemic: Literature Review URL
      Students must
      View

      Read the content under the heading "Vulnerable Population." (4 minutes)

      International Journal of Caring Sciences

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      Challenges Posed by the COVID-19 Pandemic in the Health of Women, Children, and Adolescents in Latin America and the Caribbean URL
      Students must
      View

      Read the content under the heading "Challenges for health systems and for access to healthcare for women, children, and adolescents." on pages 6 to 9. (11 minutes)

      UNICEF

    • url icon
      Global Health Disparities in Vulnerable Populations of Psychiatric Patients During the COVID-19 Pandemic URL
      Students must
      View

      Read the content from the heading "Ethnic Disparities" up until the heading "Limitations." (22 minutes)

      World Journal of Psychiatry

    • forum icon
      Reflective Essay 2 (120 mins) Forum
      Students must
      View
      Start discussions: 1

      In this activity, you will assess countries that experience inequitable access to healthcare services during a pandemic/epidemic and the effectiveness of response efforts that were implemented?
      Instructions

      1. Based on the country you have selected in module 1 activity, In 1000 - 1200 words, write a reflective essay that:
        1. Indicates which populations in that country experienced inequitable access to healthcare services during a particular pandemic/epidemic. i.e, People with substance use, mental health disorders, or both. 
        2. Assesses the impact of the effectiveness of response efforts that were implemented?
      2. You must cite and reference at least three credible sources. All references should follow the 7th Edition APA formatting. For further instructions, see the resource on the Himmelfarb Health Sciences Library: APA citation resource (N.B. references are excluded from word counts).
      3. The paper should be written in Times New Roman, point 12, and double spaced. Submit the paper along with a cover page and reference.
      4. To submit your work, click on the “Add a new discussion topic” button under this post and paste your work into the “message” box.
      5. Evaluate and categorize the work from one of your peers based on items A - F of this rubric. Provide a rationale for the grade you have provided, as well as comments or suggestions for improvement. To post a reply, click “Reply” on a particular discussion, write your feedback and then click on “Post to forum.” You can use the list below as an example:

      Item A is .…. because…. My suggestions for improvement are….
      Item B is .…. because…. My suggestions for improvement are….
      Item C is .…. because…. My suggestions for improvement are….
      Item D is .…. because…. My suggestions for improvement are….
      Item E is .…. because…. My suggestions for improvement are….
      Item F is .…. because…. My suggestions for improvement are….

    • Module 9: Lesson 2: Strategies for Health Equity

      Student Learning Outcomes:

      Upon completion of this lesson, you will be able to:

      • Explain the systems thinking approach and how it can assist in developing solutions to health equity problems.
      • Assess population needs, assets, metrics, and capacities that affect communities’ health and level of risk during pandemics, based on systems thinking approach.
      • Identify unique challenges and strategic solutions to mitigate the burden of disease on refugees and displaced populations.
      • Identify the factors related to incarceration that increase the risk of infectious disease transmission during pandemics and viable strategies of risk reduction.
      • Identify challenges and solutions to achieving health equity among LGBTQ populations during pandemics.

      Approximate time required for the readings for this lesson (at 144 words/minute): 3 hours and 48 minutes.

      Required Learning Resources and Activities
    • url icon
      What is Systems Thinking? URL
      Students must
      View

      Watch the entire video. (4 minutes)

      Sustainability Science Education

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      Systems Thinking in the Healthcare Professions: A Guide for Educators and Clinicians URL
      Students must
      View

      Read the content in "Chapter 1: Understanding Systems Thinking" on pages 1-5. (14 minutes)

      Himmelfarb Health Sciences Library: The George Washington University

    • forum icon
      Peer Activity 2 (180 mins) Forum
      Students must
      View
      Start discussions: 1

      In this activity you will apply a system thinking approach to determine a population's level of risk during a pandemic.
      Instructions

      1. Select one of the three populations presented below and create a 15 minutes powerpoint presentation that applies a system thinking approach to determine the population’s level of risk during pandemics, indicating the contributing factors’ risks.

      • People with substance use problems
      • Refugees and displaced populations
      • Incarcerated persons 
      • LGBTQ community

      2. Use the systems thinking approach to develop strategic solutions to address the issues identified and mitigate the burden of disease on this population.

      3. You must cite and reference at least three credible sources. All references should follow the 7th Edition APA formatting. For further instructions, see the resource on the Himmelfarb Health Sciences Library: APA citation resource (N.B. references are excluded from word counts).

      4. To submit your work, click on the “Add a new discussion topic” button under this post and paste your work in the “message” box.

      5. Evaluate and categorize the work from one of your peers based on items A - F of this rubric. Provide a rationale for the grade you have provided, as well as comments or suggestions for improvement. To post a reply, click “Reply” on a particular discussion, write your feedback and then click on “Post to forum.” You can use the list below as an example:

      Item A is .…. because…. My suggestions for improvement are….
      Item B is .…. because…. My suggestions for improvement are….
      Item C is .…. because…. My suggestions for improvement are….
      Item D is .…. because…. My suggestions for improvement are….
      Item E is .…. because…. My suggestions for improvement are….
      Item F is .…. because…. My suggestions for improvement are….

    • quiz icon
      Quiz: Module 9

      To access the quiz, click on the name of the quiz provided above. On the following screen, click the attempt quiz button to view the case studies and respond to the questions.

      TO PASS THIS QUIZ YOU MUST OBTAIN A SCORE OF 80%.

      Not available unless: The activity Quiz: Module 8 is marked complete
    • Recommended Additional Readings
    • url icon
      Complex Systems Thinking and Current Impasses in Health Disparities Research URL

      Read the content under the headings "How Systems Approaches can Help" and "Conclusions." (12 minutes)

      NCBI

    • url icon
      Systems thinking and ethics in public health: a necessary and mutually beneficial partnership URL

      Read the content under the heading "Systems thinking and complexity," "Systems thinking and public health," and "Systems thinking and public health ethics" up until the subheading "What public health ethics can do for systems thinking." (26 minutes)

      SpringerNature

    • url icon
      Systems Thinking in the Healthcare Professions: A Guide for Educators and Clinicians URL

      This resource provides step-by-step examples of applying a systems thinking approach to four (4) different healthcare-related problems in "Chapter 9: Putting It All Together: Case Scenarios" on pages 90-104. You may review one or more of the case studies to help you understand how to implement systems thinking in addressing issues. (Maximum Time: 47 minutes)

      Himmelfarb Health Sciences Library: The George Washington University