NURS 6050 Discussion Presidential Agendas SAMPLE
NURS 6050 Discussion Presidential Agendas SAMPLE
A health population topic that has risen to the presidential level that has been a hardship for health care and the population for many years now is mental health. Mental health has encumbered the healthcare system before Covid-19, but after the pandemic, the issue has intensified because of the lack of access to healthcare simultaneously with the increased need for care. Mental illness is defined as mild to moderate in degree depending on the condition (Mental Illness, 2023) According to the World Health Organization suicide is ranked the fourth leading cause of death among people who are between 15-29 years old (World Health Organization: WHO, 2019). It is also found that people who suffer from severe mental health disorders die as much as twenty years prematurely (World Health Organization: WHO, 2019). Not only do people with mental health suffer from the effects of mental health but they also face discrimination, stigma, and human rights violations from their peers and even amongst healthcare workers from whom they seek help (World Health Organization: WHO, 2019). It is estimated that close to one in five adults in the United States live with a mental illness which is estimated to be close to 52.9 million people in 2020 (Mental Illness, 2023).
From the data above it can be concluded that there is a serious gap between mental health and access to treatment for people. One of the leading social determinants that negatively affect mental health is the lack of access to health care for those diagnosed or suffering from mental health. Although lack of access to health care for those with mental health can be from a wide array of obstacles, the cost of health care is amongst one of the highest obstacles to not seeking treatment. It is found that close to 60-70 percent of people are worried about the cost of mental health treatment (“Reducing Suicide,” 2002). The rise in copayments for mental health treatment is directly correlated with lower access. People without health care insurance also experience increased barriers to care or delay in seeking care (“Reducing Suicide,” 2002).
Having Trouble Meeting Your Deadline?
Get your assignment on NURS 6050 Discussion Presidential Agendas SAMPLE completed on time. avoid delay and – ORDER NOW
To combat the mental health crisis in the United States Joe Biden created and launched the “988” crisis response line. This crisis hotline created a national network of local crisis centers to answer calls and texts (The White House, 2022). Joe Biden, through the American Rescue Plan, has provided $180 million to help support the local capacity of crisis calls and crisis response to calls. Biden’s FY23 budget will enhance this investment with an additional $700 million to hire staff for local crisis centers. (The White House, 2022). Joe Biden also expanded mental health services through the American Rescue Plan by investing millions of dollars into expanding Certified Community Behavioral Health Clinic (CCBHC). Biden’s FY23 budget will propose to make the CCBHCs’ programs permanent while concurrently allowing states funding to expand CCBHCs in the communities most in need (The White House, 2022). CCBHC is a proven model of care that improves health outcomes while having the ability to lower costs for individuals who are seeking treatment by delivering 24/7 mental health and substance use care whether the individual seeking treatment has the means to pay for treatment or not (The White House, 2022).
President Trump also took action to improve Americans’ mental health. Trump signed an Executive Order that addressed the negative impact of prolonged closures of mental and behavioral health resources. He provided grant funding to support mental health treatment services which included telehealth, peer-to-peer, and safe in-person therapeutic service (The White House, 2020). Finally, Trump signed legislation that distributed an estimated $425 million in emergency funds to focus on mental and substance use disorders (The White House, 2020).
Both Presidential parties have been active in their attempts to help the mental health crisis in the United States. This writer feels that education and more resources surrounding mental health starting at a young age implemented into the education system are crucial. It is found that individuals do not seek help because of the discrimination and disparity they are faced with if they are vocal about their mental health, therefore if it is educated amongst children at a young age that is in fact acceptable and “normal” to talk about mental health and to seek treatment then children growing up into adults would not feel ashamed or guilty for the attempts to seek treatment. Education should also be given to not only the school systems but also health care facilities and local community organizations surrounding how and where an individual can seek treatment for mental health even if they have financial barriers they are faced with. Education should be given on the different ways one can seek treatment whether that be in person or over a telehealth call as you might find an individual does not seek treatment because they think face-to-face treatment is their only option. This writer does not feel that there is nearly enough light shed on the resources that are currently available to people. As a nurse in the health care system, we play a vital role in having the ability to educate patients and patients’ families about the resources that are available to them surrounding mental health and have an obligation to our patients to make sure we are doing so.
NURS 6050 Discussion Presidential Agendas SAMPLE
The healthcare system is highly sensitive and that is why presidents have to make critical decisions and ensure the safety of their citizens. I agree with you that the opioid epidemic is one of the healthcare issues that rose to the presidential level. Opioid misuse presents various health risks and that is why it was necessary to engage the presidential intervention. President Bush’s administration approached the issue in three ways. First, the administration provided efforts to stop the kids from using the drug. Secondly, the treatment for those already using the drug was expanded and finally, the flow of the drug into America was controlled. The measure would be undertaken for infectious diseases that arise, Breaking the infection cycle is important in managing health crises and emergencies (Hedberg, et al., 2019).
The Obama administration approached the issue more comprehensively and approved the CAR bill to fight the epidemic. Similarly, President Donald Trump declared the epidemic a national state of emergency and this was appropriate. I agree that health issues require urgent intervention to curb the causative factors and prevent the issue from spreading further and this is what the three presidential administrations did.
The presidents must be sensitive to identify the impacts of given health issues and develop appropriate policies that will minimize the harmful effects the citizens suffer (Smith, 2020). In this case, the use of opioid drugs was on the rise and the level could have been very disastrous if the relevant measures developed were not adopted. It is important that government systems set aside funds to handle medical emergencies whenever they rise because they cannot be postponed (Katz, Attal-Juncqua & Fischer, 2017).
NURS 6050 Discussion Presidential Agendas SAMPLE References
Hedberg, K., Bui, L. T., Livingston, C., Shields, L. M., & Van Otterloo, J. (2019). Integrating public health and health care strategies to address the opioid epidemic: the Oregon Health Authority’s Opioid Initiative. Journal of Public Health Management and Practice, 25(3), 214-220. doi: 10.1097/PHH.0000000000000849.
Katz, R., Attal-Juncqua, A., & Fischer, J. E. (2017). Funding public health emergency preparedness in the United States. American journal of public health, 107(S2), S148-S152. doi: 10.2105/AJPH.2017.303956
Smith, H. J. (2020). Ethics, Public Health, and Addressing the Opioid Crisis. AMA Journal of Ethics, 22(8), 647-650. doi: 10.1001/amajethics.2020.647.
When being presented with the topic of discussion for this week, my mind, as I’m sure most of ours, immediately wandered to the subject of debate related to the pandemic and the vaccine mandate that seems to be the black cloud, in not only the healthcare setting but now intruding into all employers’ policies as well.
The enforcement of this mandate has been a matter of contention our current president has prioritized in his agenda. This pandemic just so happened to take over during an election year, so we were fortunate to see how two separate presidents prioritized the specifics of their agendas related to the same pandemic.
According to Keith Kellogg in his book War By Other Means: A General In The Trump White House, he discusses some of the accomplishments of our former president during his time in office. “On March 13,2020, President Trump declared COVID-19 a national emergency…Vice President Pence worked with companies like 3M to dramatically increase production of N-95 medical masks.
He worked with diagnostic lab companies to ramp up testing.” (Kellogg, 2021) Kellogg (2021) tells us about President Trump working with FedEx and UPS air assets in order to ensure the American healthcare workers had the appropriate personal protective equipment and ensuring there wouldn’t be a delay in receiving sed equipment due to the travel ban that was implemented as well. He sent in reinforcements to New York and California by sending the U.S. Navy hospital ships to assist with patient care.
He developed Operation Warp Speed by gathering teams of experts to manufacture a vaccine that could be developed and distributed. President Trump’s goal was to “make the system work better and faster than it had ever worked before.” (Kellogg, 2021) Kellogg (2021), being the former National Security Advisor under the Trump and Pence Administration, ensures his audience that President Trump stretched all resources in order to fulfill his directive to do everything possible to protect the American people from harm.
NURS 6050 Discussion Presidential Agendas SAMPLE
Our current President, Joe Biden, is approaching the pandemic in a different view. As soon has Biden took office he worked actively to open America’s southern border, which has resulted in over 1.4 million illegal border crossings. (GOP Staff, 2021) With each illegal crossing, there has not been a since effort to mandate the vaccine for those individuals. Biden’s speech in September 2021 discusses this being a “pandemic of the unvaccinated.” (Biden, 2021)
He states there being a “25% minority that is not vaccinated” (Biden, 2021) and emphasizes that they are the cause of the losing battle against COVID-19 and his duty is to “protect the vaccinated.” (Biden, 2021) Which then leads him to discuss his next step in plan of action, being that all employers with more than 100 employees must require the vaccine. He states he is aware that this mandate will affect about two thirds of all workers, and he has no regard to that fact.
Biden expects the American people to “trust the science” but still refuses to be transparent about not mandating the vaccine for certain groups, the possible long term affects and the devastating adverse reactions we are now being inundated with in the hospital setting. Biden discusses the pandemic issues by using scare tactics and totalitarianism approaches, hence why OSHA has now placed a hold on Biden’s mandate due to it being unconstitutional.
According to Health Policy and Politics, the definition of “policy is a consciously chosen course of action: a law, regulation, rule, procedure, administrative action, incentive, or voluntary practice of governments and other institutions.” (Milstead & Short, 2019) As nurses, we can make a difference at this level by “identifying a problem and being part of the solution.” (Milstead & Short, 2019) We, as healthcare workers, practice autonomy by allowing our patients to have and to practice their patient’s rights.
We must accept our patient’s choices for what they feel is right for their body, regardless of what the popular opinion may be. In the same, the U.S. congressional members and senators must respect and accept the choices of those who decide the vaccine may not be the best choice for their body or their children’s body. I do not feel the mandate is an appropriate way to handle this pandemic. There has been evidence showing Florida reaching the lowest case rate in the nation as a result of Governor DeSantis’ leadership and our data-driven approach free of mandates or lockdowns (Florida Executive Office Staff, 2021).
State Surgeon General Dr. Joseph Ladapo (2021) also discusses the success in Governor DeSantis’ innovative approach and states, “moving forward, we must continue focusing on data and evidence to make public health decisions and not allow such decisions to be politicized.” I believe in natural immunity and personal choice. Therefore, I would not allow a government overreach and enforce a vaccine mandate to all, especially before long-term studies have been published. I would allow resources to be available, such as DeSantis’ approach, and focus on the data and evidence that has proved it’s efficacy.
NURS 6050 Discussion Presidential Agendas References
- Biden, J. (2021, September 10). Remarks by president Biden on fighting the COVID-19 pandemic. The White House. Retrieved November 29, 2021, from https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/speeches-remarks/2021/09/09/remarks-by-president-biden-on-fighting-the-covid-19-pandemic-3/.
- Florida Executive Office Staff. (2021, October 27). Florida reaches lowest case rate in the nation. Florida Governor Ron DeSantis. Retrieved November 29, 2021, from https://www.flgov.com/2021/10/27/florida-reaches-lowest-case-rate-in-the-nation/.
- GOP Staff. (2021, November 4). Biden’s open border policies have deadly consequences. gop.gov. Retrieved November 29, 2021, from https://www.gop.gov/bidens-open-border-policies-have-deadly-consequences/.
- Kellogg, K. (2021). War by other means: A general in the trump white house. Regnery Publishing.
- Milstead, J., & Short, N. (2019). In Health policy and politics: A nurse’s guide (p. 3). essay, Jones & Bartlett Learning.