NUR 590 Evidence Based Project Proposal Evaluation Plan
MasterlyPapers
POLICYBRIEF.pdf
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Lack of Access to Quality Healthcare for Minority Groups
Health Policy, Politics & Social Justice HH5625
Brunel University London
Word count:2650
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Lack of Access to Quality Healthcare for the Minority
Through different equality policies, the government has attempted to address the healthcare disparities without successfully finding the balance between the healthcare fate of the minority groups and majority groups (Mitchell RN, 2021: 4). The minorities have not found the best way to improve their healthcare because of the continued disparity. Consequently, lack of capital hinders the minority from accessing healthcare services that could improve their health.
The State Children’s Health Insurance Program
The State Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) is a policy that was incepted in 1997, targeting children in impoverished communities who did not benefit from insurance. The program tried to bring a sense of equality in healthcare delivery since children from poor minority neighborhoods could also benefit from insurance privileges as their counterparts from majority communities (Kennedy, E. M. 2005: 454). The program provoked adjustments in healthcare management for children and heightened children’s access to healthcare.
Shortcomings of the State Children’s Health Insurance Program
As much as the program provided little equality in care delivery to children from low socio- economic minority backgrounds, it failed to address its ultimate purpose due to insufficient funds. Funds insufficiency resulted in threshold factors that were considered before providing healthcare benefits to the children. Unfortunately, many children from poor minority neighborhoods could not surpass the threshold factors and ended up not benefitting from the program.
How the Proposed policy fills the gap in CHIP
Adopting and implementing the proposed policy will result in more allocation of funds to low socio-economic minority communities. Since the main setback of the prior program was the insufficiency of funds, ensuring enough funds for the minority community will fill the gap unaddressed by the program. Besides, an increase in funds will enable for the policy to run health-based programs such as health camps for screening diseases to facilitate early detection and treatment. An increased fund will also help recruit and compensate interns who will be working in various hospitals to help offset the workload. Equally, the presence of
evidence such as “Funding and Programs” and other journal articles by Smedley et al. and Kanengoni et al. supporting the proposed policy will ensure its success (Refer to the appendix).
Advantages and Disadvantages of the Proposed Program
Advantages
The policy implementation will increase the number of people seeking healthcare services in the United States (Johnson-Bibbs, 2020: 35). Equally, establishing healthcare facilities in minority neighborhoods will help save commuting fees to far- off medical facilities (Kennedy, 2017). Additionally, the policy implementation will instill new understanding in both the majority and minority communities (O′Connor and Byrne, 2022). Generally, adopting the policy will minimize the disparities witnessed in the healthcare sector.
Disadvantages
Policy adoption and implementation will be costive to the government and disrupt several government economic plans if there are inadequate funds in the government's treasury. Equally, the adoption of the policy will be overwhelming to healthcare professionals if the workforce remains the same with the adoption of the policy.
Implementation of the Proposed Policy
Adoption and implementation of the proposed policy should be overseen by a designated team specifically formed to ensure its success. The team should consist of finance personnel, medical practitioners, professionals offering the services, and an executive body to supervise the actions of other implementation team players. The finance personnel will oversee the funds, whereas the medical practitioners and professionals interact with the patients in service delivery and ensure that care is provided without any disparity.
The stakeholders responsible for the success of the proposed policy
The primary stakeholder responsible for the policy's success is the government, for the policy depends on it for funds. Equally, the implementation team and medical team are important, too, for they interact with the community directly to ensure the policy's success. Lastly are the community members who attend to the services of the program. The success of the policy will depend on the contribution of each stakeholder.
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Research Appendix
Lack of Access to Quality Healthcare for Minority Groups
The historical differences between minorities and the majority ethnic groups result in the
disparities challenges in the healthcare sector. The disparities in the healthcare system date back
to the enslavement period that placed African American individuals below their white
counterparts (Szczepura, 2005: 143). The majority believed they were superior to the minorities
and accumulated wealth through economic disparities. Consequently, the African American
individual took longer to industrialize and accumulate capital to put them in a position that could
allow them to access other human benefits. The minority could not live-in accessible areas
because of the programs established by the government during the Jim Crow laws that
segregated people based on their color. The minorities found themselves in areas where they
could not access employment, well-paying jobs, and social services such as education and
healthcare. The inequality in access to healthcare services is a concern that needs a new policy
whose implementation should be followed to the core.
Lack of employment forced minority groups to live in areas with poor access to
healthcare, leading to poor healthcare experience. Although the change has been gradual, the rate
at which the African American people achieve their goals has been slow compared to the
majority groups (Crook, 2002: 173). Consequently, the minorities have not found the best way to
improve their healthcare because of the continued disparity. The African American people have
no funds to build private hospitals in their zones, forcing them to depend on public medication
(Chauhan, Walton, Manias and Walpola, 2020: 299). They engage in activities that do not
generate enough funds to help them deal with healthcare needs. The government is yet to address
this issue because of the inadequate implementation of the existing policies, such as the
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Americans with Disabilities Act, State Children’s Health Insurance Program, and the Cross-
Cultural Health Care Program. Through different equality policies, the government has
attempted to address the healthcare disparities without successfully finding the balance between
the healthcare fate of the minority groups and majority groups (Mitchell RN, 2021: 4).
Consequently, lack of capital hinders the minority from accessing healthcare services that could
improve their health.
Low income is attributed to low-paying jobs in which the minority members engage to
earn a living. The low education levels in these areas cause disparities in academic achievements,
which translates to low-paying jobs that are available for semi-educated members of society.
These jobs do not allow individuals to seek proper medical attention when they are seeking it,
leading to increased cases of healthcare disparities (Thomas, 2014: 7499). The few families that
acquire better jobs do not help their communities. Healthcare facilities have continued to develop
in communities where many members have well-paying jobs because they financially support
such projects (Assari, 2018: 3). Such is the opposite in African American neighborhoods where
the majority are not whites, forcing them to rely on government-sponsored projects.
Consequently, the United States has been witnessing disparities in people who seek medical
attention and those affected by healthcare issues (Szczepura, 2005: 144). Although stakeholders
and other scholars have engaged in research to settle the issue, most minority groups have
continued to suffer the lack of access to proper medication, leading to high mortality rates in
African American communities.
State Children’s Health Insurance Program
The program changed its name to Children’s Health Insurance Program, covering
children who do not benefit from insurance and those in impoverished communities. At the time
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of its inception in 1997, many people recommended the policy as the most significant investment
in children’s health in the history of the United States. Its intention was not to provide universal
health coverage but to create a favorable healthcare environment to the uninsured children.
How it has addressed the problem
The program has addressed most problems for which congress designed it, even though a
lot remains unaddressed. The program has helped many children from low-income families to
access healthcare services despite their socioeconomic status (Kennedy, E. M. 2005: 454). The
policy enhances innovations in healthcare management for children, increases flexibility in
existing programs, and increases the children’s access to healthcare (Adeyinka, 2021).
Gaps
However, CHIP (Children’s Health Insurance Program) has not addressed inequalities
and healthcare disparities that have affected most sectors in the United States. The threshold and
factors considered before providing the healthcare benefits for the children has many children to
miss the services. Consequently, there is a need to have a policy that will deal with the financial
aspect of the program to ensure that all individuals in low-income families can access healthcare
services.
The Policy: Increasing Healthcare Funding in the Black and Minority Ethnic Communities
Although the government has been trying to solve the problem through funding
actionable policies, such as the Children’s Health Insurance Program and the Americans with
Disabilities Act, the need to help black and minority communities get access to well-equipped
healthcare facilities is the first element of the proposed policy to help communities access
healthcare (Osuafor, Golubic & Ray, 2021; 178). The government has established healthcare
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facilities in the areas to help minority communities to access medication without traveling long
distances. However, these facilities do not have proper equipment that can address the medical
needs of the people in minority communities. The hospitals should be affordable to the
communities because most people in the African American communities do not belong to the
higher class. They can decide not to seek medication if they realize that the amount needed to
address their medical issues is beyond their budget. Therefore, the policy will ensure that the
government has equipped the hospitals with enough affordable medicines for the people. The
policy will solve the issue of distance and affordability by establishing many healthcare facilities
and equipping them with affordable medicine.
Furthermore, funding medical camps will help the government to identify the medical
concerns affecting people in different areas. Medical camps should be as frequent as possible
with increased services to ensure they address the many medical issues in these areas (Karia,
Njoroge & Nyabuto, 2021: 34). Many African American communities do not care for medical
screening because they feel it will cost extra cash. Consequently, they wait until the situation is
dire before looking for medical interventions without knowing that the condition becomes riskier
with time. Although medical camps have existed before, the government must have them as a
policy so that many people can attend. The law will also compel the government to send highly
qualified practitioners who can address medical issues with high levels of professionalism
(Smedley, Stith & Nelson, 2003). The medical camp should also be free to allow people from
low-income families to access the services, after which they can seek further medication. The
medical camp funding will help the government to collect feasible data about the existence of
particular diseases (Pathak, Bhondve & Manapurath, 2019: 233). The government has been
giving updates on the people affected by diseases such as diabetes without getting data from
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those who have not screened for such conditions. Therefore, the medical camp will be an
opportunity for the country to record these facts from the people who will be screened during the
government-sponsored medical camps.
Paying interns who will work in these areas will be another directive from the policy. The
federal government will increase the finances channeled to these areas by factoring in the salaries
and allowances meant for the interns participating in the new programs (Trofimova, 2022: 35).
An increase hospital will call for more medical practitioners employed in the facilities (Riley,
2012; 170). However, the government might argue that it has no money to hire more employees,
making it necessary to rely on interns because they will not require higher salaries like registered
nurses and doctors. Furthermore, the interns will increase the number of services offered because
the practitioners will match the number of patients visiting the medical facilities. They will also
help with the basic services that have been overwhelming advanced registered nurses because of
their many other duties.
Evidence-Based Support for the Policy
The Division of Program Operations is one of the plans established by the government to
ensure the proper running of healthcare activities for the minority without disparities (Funding
and Programs, n.d.; par. 3). The program implements and monitors healthcare activities to
address disparities among minority communities. Therefore, the Division of Program Operations
will ensure that the proposed policy works within the earlier established plans. Although the
program has ensured that there is no healthcare inequality in the United States, evidence shows
that inequality continues to exist in the healthcare system. Some of the policy finances are
government grants and agreements through which the program outlines medical activities. For
example, the Minority Youth Tobacco Elimination Project has helped many young people deal
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with addiction (Funding and Programs, n.d. par. 4). However, the program has not been
successful because of the inadequate funds needed to rehabilitate the people affected by tobacco
from minority communities. An increase in the amount used to fund such programs will help the
country reduce the impact of health risks in the communities.
Although the government enacts and implements many programs to improve healthcare
for minorities, the disparities have remained perennial and seemingly unsolvable. Smedley et
al.,(2003; par. 5) argue that however relevant the policies might be, research shows that minority
groups are always disadvantaged. Such conclusions do not paint the countries as diversified
places for the upcoming generations who have much to learn from the current generation.
Smedley et al.,(2003) also argue that the main indicators of disparities in the healthcare sector
are access to healthcare and utilization of the available healthcare services. The government
seems to lack a practical way of tracking the public services available for minority groups to
ensure they access the needed services. The United States is one of the countries where insurance
does not cause inaccessibility to healthcare services among minority communities (Smedley,
Stith and Nelson, 2003: par. 5). This argument suggests that the government must research other
factors that might limit the minority population from accessing healthcare services. Therefore,
apart from funding and implementing the policies, the government should monitor how the
hospital management deals with the issues involving African American patients.
According to Kanengoni et al. (2020; par. 14), the disparity in medical access is also
attributed to the lack of information and poor communication in the healthcare sector. Some
minority groups do not know the right procedures needed for one to access a particular
healthcare service. Although many African American individuals were born in the United States,
they are alien to the policies and plans available to access proper healthcare. The communities
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have not invested in awareness to allow people access to knowledge about healthcare provision.
On the other hand, newly immigrated individuals might have communication barriers because of
language differences (Kanengoni, Andajani-Sutjahjo and Holroyd, 2020; par. 14). Therefore,
their ability to access the relevant services will depend on the available translators. They can
interpret rules, requirements, and provisions to help the incoming African American population
access medical services. The government should use the funds to hire healthcare practitioners
who will create community awareness to tell people how they can access healthcare services
(Faulkner and Davies, 2005: 40). The healthcare sector can also have translators who can help
immigrants to access medical services without encountering a challenging situation in the
healthcare sector.
Implications
Action
Implementing these policies will increase the population seeking medical attention in the
United States. Many African American individuals have failed to access healthcare services
(Johnson-Bibbs, 2020: 35). After all, they do not have money to pay for the services because
they are costly. Building healthcare facilities in all African American areas will increase the
number of people visiting them because they will not spend on transportation (Kennedy, 2017).
The medical camp will also motivate people who have never gone for medical screening for lack
of money. The medical camp will attract people and motivate them to seek medical attention
after discovering that they have underlying conditions. Some people have failed to turn up for
medical attention because they do not know that they have illnesses that might require them to
visit a healthcare facility (Kang, Kawamura and Noguchi, 2020: 928). Furthermore, the increased
number of nurses will increase the number of patients serviced at a unit. The patients will not
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wait long before getting services because the funding will ensure that the government hires
registered nurses and internship nurses to deal with the increasing population.
The policy will also reduce the disparity witnessed in the healthcare sector by offering
equal services to all populations. Many people have grown up knowing they cannot break the
historical gap between African American individuals and whites (Schneider, Cleary, Zaslavsky
& Epstein, 2001: 1455). Furthermore, many people from the majority communities have grown
up knowing that there can be no equality between the African American people and the whites.
However, a different approach to the issue of healthcare ethnic disparity will create a different
feeling in both communities (O′Connor & Byrne, 2022). Similarly, African American will be
happy to realize that the government can treat them the same way as their white counterparts. A
change in the healthcare sector will inspire other sectors to impress diversity and reduce the
existing disparities. Consequently, the country will benefit from a diversified country where
every individual has an equal opportunity for services.
Disadvantages of the Proposed Policy
The government is likely to struggle with the budget if it does not have enough funds for
healthcare programs. Most policies that have fallen short of their practice in the past attach these
predicaments to inadequate funds. Therefore, the government will have to stretch itself to the
extremes to address the challenges facing minority groups in the healthcare sector. Furthermore,
increasing services to low-income families will increase the number of people visiting healthcare
facilities. However, this phenomenon will overwhelm the personnel because the government
may not employ many practitioners at once as per the budget.
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References
Adeyinka, A., Rewane, A., & Pierre, L. 2019. Children's Health Insurance Program.
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK539903/
Assari, S., 2018. The Benefits of Higher Income in Protecting against Chronic Medical
Conditions Are Smaller for African Americans than Whites. Healthcare, 6(1), p.2.
Chauhan, A., Walton, M., Manias, E. and Walpola, R., 2020. The safety of health care for ethnic
minority patients: a systematic review. International Journal for Equity in Health, 19(1).
Crook, E., 2002. Low-income African Americans’ views about hypertension differ from medical
understanding. Evidence-based Healthcare, 6(4), p.173.
Faulkner, M. and Davies, S., 2005. Social support in the healthcare setting: the role of
volunteers. Health and Social Care in the Community, 13(1), pp.38-45.
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Kanengoni, B., Andajani-Sutjahjo, S. and Holroyd, E., 2020. Improving health equity among the
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