6.1 Chapter Overview and Learning Objectives
Ethical Standards for Human Services Professionals
Standard 14: Human service[s] professionals are aware of social and political issues that differentially affect clients from diverse backgrounds (NOHS, 2024).
In Chapter 5, we discussed social problems that affect many people in the United States, as well as social safety net programs that help individuals and families. In Chapter 6, we will begin to look more deeply at health and healthcare settings.
It is important for human services professionals to be aware that social problems and political issues can affect different populations disproportionately and in diverse ways. Standard 14 reminds us that we need to pay attention to the macro view of these problems and issues even when we are working one-on-one with a client or patient. We must practice cultural humility and be especially aware of populations in marginalized groups who have less power as they experience change, social problems, and political issues.
Learning Objectives
- Describe how different models of care and social determinants of health affect health outcomes.
- Explain the different types of human services agencies that are organized within health care settings.
- Analyze the difference and overlap between three models of care: medical, public health, and human services.
- Describe the roles for human services workers in the three models of care.
Key Terms
Key terms are important vocabulary for understanding the content of the chapters. They will be bolded and defined via an in-text glossary the first time that they appear in the chapter.
Key terms for this chapter are:
- Health disparities: preventable differences in the burden of disease, injury, violence, or opportunities to achieve optimal health that are experienced by socially disadvantaged populations
- Intervention: action taken to improve a situation or address a problem
- Medical model: providers address the needs of the consumer when problems are presented.
- Prevention: strategies developed to fend off problems
- Public health: The three fundamental aspects of public health are prevention, protection, and promotion. These functions play a crucial role in keeping individuals and communities healthy. Public health professionals primarily focus on preventing illnesses, injuries, or fatalities, protecting vulnerable groups, and promoting healthy lifestyles, actions, and laws that can enhance health and safety.
- Social Determinants of Health (SDOH): health disparities directly related to the historical and current unequal distribution of social, political, economic, and environmental resources.
- Rehabilitate: relearn or reform behaviors
- Remediation: the correction or reversing of actions or behaviors
- Wellness model: help consumers maintain their health, prevent illness, and work with sick patients to make long-term improvements to their health, holistic care.
Licenses and Attributions
“Chapter Overview and Learning Objectives” by Elizabeth B. Pearce is licensed under CC BY 4.0. Revised by Martha Ochoa-Leyva.
a professional field focused on helping people solve their problems.
