VULNERABLE POPULATIONS - A COMMUNITY-ORIENTED PERSPECTIVE

This article examines the different goals and values underlying govern mental, market, and community-oriented approaches to addressing the he alth and health care needs of vulnerable populations, the strengths an d limitations of each, and how community-oriented approaches in partic ular offer a new set of lenses for defining and addressing these probl ems in a changing medical care environment. The author delineates the role of political investments and disinvestments in groups with differ ent social status (prestige and power), social capital (social support ), and human capital (productive potential) resources in influencing c ommunity well-being. Also presented is a framework for integrating the se factors into social and economic, as well as public health and medi cal care, policy to address the vulnerability of individuals and group s to poor health.