Part One: Client Population And Primary Issue

Part One: Population Need
Client Population and Primary Issue Walt Kowalski is a 68-year-old recently widowed Korean War veteran (Eastwood, 2008). Kawalski resides in the Highland Park neighborhood in Metropolitan Detroit (Eastwood, 2008). Due to his military history, Walt finds himself experiencing a plethora of issues including post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), estranged family, chronic health issues, and substance abuse. Throughout this film, Walt expresses racist remarks to the Hmong Americans, black Americans, and Hispanic Americans in his community and consistently demonstrates prejudice towards their culture and community (Eastwood, 2008). Despite this, Walt befriends a neighboring Hmong family and gains a better understanding

Ikin et al. (2010) report that 32% of Korean War veterans meet the criteria for a post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) diagnosis, and an additional 23% of Korean War veterans meet the diagnostic criteria for depression. Military veterans also experience higher rates of alcohol use and alcohol abuse disorder (Kearns et al., 2022). Using these statistical anomalies, it can be hypothesized that military service leads to increased mental health issues including post-traumatic stress disorder, depression, and alcohol use disorder. Along with increased mental health issues, Korean War veterans disproportionately experience negative long-term health outcomes (Bedard & Deschênes, 2006). Bedard and Deschênes (2006) found that Korean War veterans experienced increased mortality rates and higher rates of heart disease and lung cancer compared to non-veterans. The negative mental health and physiological outcomes of veterans is concerning as these elements can affect life satisfaction, mental and physical well-being, social relationships and supports, and economic factors that are applicable to the veteran population (Ikin et al.,

Poverty disproportionately affects urban communities, people of color, immigrant communities, women, and children (Benner et al., 2022). There are multiple cultural, structural, and social factors influencing the prevalence of poverty. The “culture of poverty” theory follows that individuals raised in poverty have cultural associations and influences that continue the cycle of poverty (Benner et al., 2022). This theory aligns with the notion of intergenerational poverty, a phenomenon that states that being raised from childhood in poverty subsequently leads to the continued experience of poverty in adulthood (Benner et al., 2022). It is arguable that the most influential factor of poverty is structural barriers. Structural barriers include economic, political, and societal factors (Benner et al., 2022). All of these various theories and factors directly impact urban communities and high-poverty areas. There are detrimental effects as a result of these factors. This is evidenced by the increased prevalence of chronic and infectious diseases, poor mental health, maternal health issues, poor social and behavioral outcomes, and loss of self-esteem and identity in impoverished communities and populations (Benner et al., 2022; Earls, 2000; Goldman et al.,