Translating Research The Costs and Effects of Addressing the Needs of Vulnerable Populations: Results of 10 Years of Research

Résumé

Vulnerability in an individual implies "inequality" in the person's biological characteristics (age, gender, genetic endowment), personal resources (cognitive, emotional, intellectual), and/or environmental supports (social, material, cultural). While biological characteristics cannot be modified, personal resources and environmental supports can, and to considerable economic effect (Browne, Roberts, et al., 1999). Within an individual, aspects of vulnerability intersect, as shown in Figure 1, and can be synergistic and cumulative, such as "young gay Asian man with HIV/AIDS who is on social assistance."