Class responses WK 7
Main post-Class response 1
Upon reviewing the congress website, the health policy that jumped at me is H.R.1475 - Pursuing Equity in Mental Health Act. This policy was created to resolve the gap or inequalities among people of racial and ethnic groups. Also, the stigma associated with mental health (congress.gov (n.d.).). McCray and Rosenberg (2021) stated, “Stark racial inequities in access to mental health care exist in the U.S. Despite reporting higher rates of psychological distress, Black and Latinx individuals receive care and diagnoses at lower rates than white individuals.” (p.162).
The social determinant that primarily affects this policy is the socioeconomic factor, education, environment, and accessibility to services/care. Unfortunately, certain factors play an urge factor in creating disparities in health care delivery. In this age and time, racism, discrimination, age, gender, sexual orientation, education, and environment impact positively or negatively (Healthy People, 2030). (n.d.). These factors should not matter in delivering care, as everyone should be given equitable care regardless of status, education, or background.
There is an evidence base to support this policy. According to Alegría et al. (2022), “In a longitudinal study comparing zip codes matched by park and sociodemographic characteristics (60% Hispanic, 29% non-Hispanic Black, 33% of residents living in poverty), and after adjusting for covariates, the zip codes with Fit2Lead implementation had a mean reduction in the annual rate of youth arrests.” (p.406). The more we address these factors contributing to the disparity in the delivery of mental health care to the American people, the better we become at having equity in mental health care.
In seeking mental health care, patients should not be discriminated against because of their race, ethnicity, sex, socioeconomic class, education, and gender. No one should be stigmatized for needing mental health treatment or attention when required. All the policy process stages must be implemented for any proposed policy to get the desired benefit. In implementing this policy, the issue of access, cost, and quality need to be factored in to achieve a desirable outcome (Milstead & Short, 2019). Access to mental health care should be available without criteria or caveats. Insurance policies should not discriminate against physical or mental health care; as a matter of fact, both should be weighed in the same proportion.
Class response 2 Evidence Base in Design
The Policy I chose to discuss is H.R.8202 which is titled "Preventing Vape Use Act" and was proposed on June 23, 2022 (H.R.8202 - Preventing Vape Use Act, 2022). This act will require any smokeless nictotine product that is still pending a premarket review to cease distribution of that product and issue a recall for any product that has already been distributed (H.R.8202 - Preventing Vape Use Act, 2022).
Social Determinants
Over 11% of Americans vape and 11% of vape users have developed asthma (Cvetkovska, 2022). Nearly 20% of highschoolers use vape products and over 70% of Americans believe that ecigarettes will help them quit smoking cigarettes (Cvetkovska, 2022). These dangerous statistics show that there are many individuals who use vape products and are at risk for ecigarette health related problems (Cvetkovska, 2022). There are many social determinants that may affect the rate of vaping among individuals and who chooses to use these products. Regardless of socioeconomic status the past decade showed a decline in convential cigarette smoking and a sharp incline in e-cigarette use (Wang & Wu, 2020). Young people with lower educational status, living below the poverty line, and having poor physical health were more likely to use e-cigarettes (Wang & Wu, 2020). Those with previous e-cigarette use were also more likely to continue or restart e-cigarette use (Wang & Wu, 2020). Knowing these social determinants allows policies to decide which populations to target when attempting to decrease the prevalence of an issue like e-smoking.
Evidence Base Support
There are many problems with vaping, which is why preventing vape use will be beneficial for American citizens in the long run. There have been many lung injuries and deaths that have been linked to vaping (The Risks of Vaping, 2022). Vaping exposes the lungs to a variety of chemicals that are used to produce vape products as well as chemicals that are produced during the act of vaporizing (The Risks of Vaping, 2022). The lungs are not capable of dealing with the challenge of non-air products that are being inhaled through vaping and this can cause significant damage over time (The Risks of Vaping, 2022). Vitamin E acetate has been identified as a chemical of concern and is often used in THC containing vape products (The Risks of Vaping, 2022). This chemical has been associated with vaping related lung injuries (The Risks of Vaping, 2022). Some laws have been enacted to prevent vaping among teens which includes the law that requires individules be 21 years or older to buy any product that contains nicotine (The Risks of Vaping, 2022). By using these statistics and information, health policy makers can create a large evidence base for why vaping should be prevented. There has been much research, and continues to be new information, on the dangers of vaping and on the poor effects it has on the body. This creates a large evidence base to support this policy and future policies like it in the future.