Discussion Agenda Comparison NURS 5050

Discussion Agenda Comparison NURS 5050

Discussion Agenda Comparison NURS 5050

The U.S. government initiates various health policies and agendas to support the care needs of citizens. In every electioneering period, politicians consider health a matter of special concern as it determines the response of the electorates. Agenda comparison grid provides a platform to evaluate the health policies of successive administrations to ascertain how the governments tackled a given health issue (Corrigan & Nieweglowski, 2018). For instance, opioid crisis has emerged to be an issue of public health concern and this rallied debates in the past three regimes in America. However, how the issue was tackled remains obscure considering the negative outcomes associated with addiction in contemporary society. In this regard, the present illustration is an agenda comparison grid to analyze how President Trump, Obama, and Bush tackled the opioid crisis during their reign. Narration will be provided to summarize the approaches used by successive administrations in addressing the issue.

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Part 1: Agenda Comparison Grid

Identify the Population Health concern you selected.	Health issue is opioid misuse, overdoses and addictions as well as measures taken by successive administrations to tackle the problem.
Describe the Population Health concern you selected and the factors that contribute to it.	Compulsive use of opioids is one of the significant issue of concern in the U.S. health system. In the late 1990s, there was increased use of prescription opioid medications which not only led to increased misuse of prescription opioids but also created a loophole for the widespread use of non-prescription opioids (Rigg, Monnat & Chavez, 2018). Statistics from the National Institute of Drug Abuse (2019), indicate that 21 to 29% of all patients using prescription opioids misuse them. Besides, about 8 to 12% of patients using the drug for chronic pain management develop an addiction. Currently, opioid abuse affects more than 1.7 million Americans and about 47,000 fatalities are recorded every year due to opioid overdose. Nonetheless, the U.S. government spends an average of $78.5 billion annually on opioid addiction treatment as well as other health care costs arising from the misuse of the drug. Opioid misuse is a public health concern because it leads to neonatal abstinence syndrome in pregnant women and is also related to the increased spread of viral diseases such as HIV/AIDS and Hepatitis C (Davis & Carr, 2019).
Administration (President Name)	President Trump	President Obama	President Bush
Describe the administrative agenda focus related to this issue for the current and two previous presidents.	About 42,000 deaths were associated with opioid overdoses in 2016 and this rose to 50,000 deaths in 2019. The National Institute of Drug Abuse estimates about 40% of opioid overdose deaths to be involved with prescription opioids in America. In this regard, President Trump pronounced opioid crisis as a matter of public health concern in October 2017. The declaration led to the introduction of “Stop Opioid Abuse” program in 2018. Additionally, Trump administration initiated the Safer Prescribing Plan to reduce opioid prescription by 33% in a span of three years. The government also worked with the American Congress to pass a motion on the Support Act in 2019 (Sobotka & Stewart, 2020).	No new legislations were introduced to tackle opioid menace. However, Obama administration roused the Congress to support initiatives, interventions as well as rehabilitation efforts aimed at addressing Opioid crisis. Obama requested the Congress to provide guidelines on modalities of treating opioid misuse. Besides, the administration sensitized health care personnel to monitor prescription opioid administration so as to encourage safe pain management without opioid addiction. The government also provided funds for research on opioid addiction and overdose as well as encourage safe disposal of prescription opioids that are not needed.	Opioid crisis emerged an issue of public health concern in 2006 under Bush administration. In this period, the National Drug Control Policy singled out oxycodone as the second commonly misused opioid in America. The identification of this drug came at a time Bush prepared to leave office and therefore it did not feature in his national health agenda for a consideration (Corrigan & Nieweglowski, 2018).
Identify the allocations of financial and other resources that the current and two previous presidents dedicated to this issue.	Trump administration allocated $6 billion in October 2018 to address opioid crisis for a span of two years (Davis & Carr, 2019).	During Obama’s reign, $1.1 billion was set aside to support treatment approaches for Americans battling with opioid addiction. The funding aimed at improvement in prescription opioid monitoring, prescriber education and support on safe disposal of opioids not needed by patients. The financial incentive also aimed at providing support to those on recovery from opioid addiction (Beletsky & Davis, 2017).	No funding was set aside by the Bush’s administration since the issue of opioid misuse was on its discovery stage.
Explain how each of the presidential administrations approached the issue.	President Trump used a multidimensional approach to tackle opioid crisis. In the initial stage, the government focused on reducing demands for over-prescription of the medication by educating Americans on the dangers related to opioid use. The other method was to interrupt and limit non-prescription drugs in the supply chain in a bid to curtail misuse. In the final approach, Trump administration initiated programs to support Americans entangled with opioid addiction by providing treatment options needed during recovery (Sobotka & Stewart, 2020).	President Obama initiated support to address opioid crisis through allocating budgets and other comprehensive approaches in different perspectives. The Affordable Care Act also aimed at supporting treatment for the opioid addicts.	Bush administration did not consider opioid crisis worthy of mention because it was newly discovered as a matter of health concern and there was no anticipation that it might affect future health system.

Part 2: Agenda Comparison Grid Analysis

Administration (President Name)	President Trump	President Obama	President Bush
Which administrative agency would most likely be responsible for helping you address the healthcare issue you selected?	The executive authority of the government is to establish the need for a legislative agenda on the issue of opioid crisis. The Congress on the other hand served to actualize the proposed legislative reform to benefit Americans. As such, the two arms of governments will help address the health issue.	In the Obama’s administration, the Congress responded to opioid crisis through approving funding to support those suffering from addictions. President Obama also considered opioid crisis in his health agenda and therefore prioritized to address it (Rigg, Monnat & Chavez, 2018).	The National Drug Control Policy provided a foundation to examine opioid crisis in 2006. Bush administration was therefore pivotal in identifying opioid misuse at early stages before it was forwarded for a consideration in 2009.
How do you think your selected healthcare issue might get on the agenda for the current and two previous presidents? How does it stay there?	Opioid crisis escalated in the Trump administration due to the largest funding in managing the crisis when compared with the previous administrations. The funding is anticipated to increase in support for those recovering from addiction (Sobotka & Stewart, 2020).	Obama singled out opioid crisis in his health agenda due to rising trends of addiction. In this regard, substantial financial resources were allocated to address the issue. The health agenda continued as a priority matter for the White House as evidenced by continued support granted to those recovering from addiction.	President Bush did not consider opioid a major issue to incorporate in his health agenda.
Who would you choose to be the entrepreneur/ champion/sponsor of the healthcare issue you selected for the current and two previous presidents?	President Trump would be the ideal initiator and sponsor for the opioid crisis. The administration realized the immense challenges associated with opioid misuse and White House was at a better position to handle the matter. As a promoter, President Trump would work hand in hand with Congress to consider it as an agenda of discussion and also to persuade politicians to address it as a matter of national concern. Health administrations, doctors, nurses and other health staff would act as champions to support the agenda and see its implementation in care facilities.	President Obama is considered as the ideal entrepreneur of the health issue. He identified it in his health agenda and supported it in good faith. Nurses and other health staff would be the champions in supporting initiatives aimed at addressing the health issue (Sobotka & Stewart, 2020).	Nurses, doctors and health workers acted as champions in providing expert opinion regarding opioid crisis (Beletsky & Davis, 2017).

Part 3: Narration

Opioid crisis emerges as a significant issue of health concern in the contemporary society. Over the past years, prescription opioids have been administered to patients in the management of chronic pain. However, the drug has not only been used for medication purposes but also for euphoria which has led to addictions (Davis & Carr, 2019). Compulsive use of the opioid has negative consequences including abuse of other drugs and can be fatal if not controlled at early stages. Besides opioid misuse is associated with neonatal abstinence syndrome in pregnant women and this affects development of children (Rigg, Monnat & Chavez, 2018). Moreover, injectable opioids can escalate the spread of viral infections such as HIV/AIDS and Hepatitis C among the addicts.

As a matter of fact, opioid crisis has rallied several debates in the national agenda of health and is a concern that should not be ignored. Other than its association with 47,000 deaths annually in the United States of America, opioid crisis also initiates continued government spending in controlling its rise (Corrigan & Nieweglowski, 2018). Besides, opioid misuse is linked with abuse of other hard drugs and therefore can emerge as a serious issue in the future if not controlled at early stages. In addition, opioid crisis should be considered in the agenda of legislation as it affects the health of populations in America.

Nurses play significant role in agenda setting for healthcare issues including opioid crisis. The professionals are frontline workers who spend the longest time with patients and therefore are able to identify emerging health issue in their clients (Sobotka & Stewart, 2020). Advanced registered nurses also provide expert opinion which can guide decision making in setting health agenda in a country (Davis & Carr, 2019). Nonetheless, nurses are champions in the implementation of legislative initiatives and agendas on health in country.

Conclusion

The opioid crisis is a matter of public health concern due to its association with abuse of hard drugs, compromised quality of health, and even death. Even though efforts have been made by successive administrations to tackle the challenge, the American health system is still overburdened by the issue considering the billions of dollars that are used to control its misuse annually. In this context, further research needs to be undertaken to find an alternative medication for chronic pain management because opioids are mainly used as analgesics. Besides, rehabilitation approaches should aim at educating the affected on the adverse outcomes of opioid misuse to avoid relapse.

References

 

Beletsky, L., & Davis, C. S. (2017). Today’s fentanyl crisis: Prohibition’s Iron Law, revisited. International Journal of Drug Policy, 46, 156-159. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.drugpo.2017.05.050

Corrigan, P. W., & Nieweglowski, K. (2018). Stigma and the public health agenda for the opioid crisis in America. International Journal of Drug Policy, 59, 44-49. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.drugpo.2018.06.015

Davis, C. S., & Carr, D. H. (2019). Legal and policy changes urgently needed to increase access to opioid agonist therapy in the United States. International Journal of Drug Policy, 73, 42-48. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.drugpo.2019.07.006

Rigg, K. K., Monnat, S. M., & Chavez, M. N. (2018). Opioid-related mortality in rural America: Geographic heterogeneity and intervention strategies. International Journal of Drug Policy, 57, 119-129. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.drugpo.2018.04.011.

Sobotka, T. C., & Stewart, S. A. (2020). Stereotyping and the opioid epidemic: A conjoint analysis. Social Science & Medicine, 255, 113018. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.socscimed.2020.113018.

Week 1 Discussion

Agenda Comparison
Grids

Regardless of
political affiliation, every citizen has a stake in healthcare policy
decisions. Hence, it is little wonder why healthcare items become such
high-profile components of presidential agendas. It is
also little wonder why they become such hotly debated agenda items.

In Part 1 of this
module’s Assignment, you were asked to begin work on an Agenda Comparison Grid
to compare the impact of the current/sitting U.S. president and the two
previous presidents’ agendas on the healthcare item you selected for study. In

this Discussion, you will share your first draft with your colleagues to
receive feedback to be applied to your final version.

To Prepare:

Review the Resources
and reflect on the importance of agenda setting.

Consider how federal
agendas promote healthcare issues and how these healthcare issues become agenda
priorities.

Agenda Comparison Grid and Fact Sheet or Talking Points Brief

Assignment Template for Part 1 and Part 2Part 1: Agenda Comparison Grid Use this Agenda Comparison Grid to document information about the population health/healthcare issue your selected and the presidential agendas. By completing this grid, you will develop a more in depth understanding of your selected issue and how you might position it politically based on the presidential agendas.You will use the information in the Part 1: Agenda Comparison Grid to complete the remaining Part 2 and Part 3 of your Assignment. Identify the Population Healthconcern you selected.Human Immunodeficiency Virus Describe the Population Health concernyou selected and the factors that contribute to it. Although HIV has been around for many decades there is currently no cure. There are very little treatment options for patients who have HIV or AIDS.

Discussion Agenda Comparison NURS 5050

Patients who do not have insurance or substantial insurance may go without treatment due to cost of medication, as well as low to middle income families. Administration (President Name)(Current President)(Previous President)(Previous President)Describe the administrative agenda focus related to this issue for the current and two previous presidents.Donald Trump’s goals are to make prescription drug coverage more affordable. Goals include to protect patients who had pre-existing conditionsobtain insurance and be able to receive coverage for those conditions. He signed the “Right to Try” legislature for patient’s who are terminally ill and wantaccess to potentially lifesaving cures (White House Briefings, FACTS Barack Obama enacted Obama Care to help drive down cost of insurance