Peer replies
POST # 1 DARMETA
There are several policies that related to barriers to accessing psychiatric and mental healthcare. One particular policy issue is Medicaid coverage policy. Currently, Florida has approximately 600,000 uninsured individuals with mental health issues and is ranked 50th in the nation in its per capita mental health support in 2014 (Florida Policy Institute, 2017). Improvement in this coverage gap is critical in addressing not just Florida but also the national behavioral health crisis. Improved coverage access has been shown to reduce financial barriers to care and increase the number of well needed psychiatric providers (Florida Policy Institute, 2017). This will help expand access and help close gap coverage. Although there is a shortage of mental health providers, it is still important to act as patient advocates and work towards reducing disparities. Some of the burden of mental health provider shortage falls on the clinic primary care providers leading to lack of care for the mentally ill. Nurse practitioners (NPs) can become policy-aware by serving on state, local and federal commissions, take the lead on public health, and propose solutions to promote change (Russell, 2020). NPs can also become a part of mentoring programs, joining professional nursing organizations, and educating other nurses and physicians. Political activism can produce change especially when done collectively. Please see the attached white paper from Mind to support my statement.
References Florida Policy Institute. (2017). Florida must increase its support for mental health services. Center on budget and policy priorities. https://www.floridapolicy.org/posts/florida-must-increase-its-support-for-mental-health-services Russell N. (2020). America Needs Nurse Practitioners to Advocate for Social Justice. The journal for nurse practitioners: JNP, 16(9), 710–711. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.nurpra.2020.06.024