Healthcare Policy and Analysis
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Policy Model
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files (3)HealthcarePolicyandAnalysisDiscussion21.docx
AdvocacyPriorities1.docx
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HealthcarePolicyandAnalysisDiscussion21.docx
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Healthcare Policy and Analysis Discussion
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Healthcare Policy and Analysis Discussion
The Allegory of the Orchard is a useful tool for framing the role of political determinants of health within underserved and marginalized communities. Here, the trees in the orchard symbolize the general state of a society, while each tree refers to the state of a person’s health. However, the orchard has some constraints such as poor soil, water rationing, and unfavourable weather similar to the challenges that the vulnerable groups encounter in accessing healthcare. Structural factors like political factors, which include health policies on access to health care, funding, and social support are the underlying drivers that influence the context of these communities, and more often than not, act as barriers to their success.
In my profession as a Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner (PMHNP), I encounter patients from vulnerable groups, those who have to deal with mental disorders and social determinants such as low income, no health insurance, and prejudice. These political determinants affect the health of these people in terms of their psychological and physiological health (Lin, 2022). For instance, a patient in an underprivileged region may struggle with accessing mental health care because of budget constraints in community health centers or exclusion of crucial services from Medicaid. The above policies can worsen mental health issues since people are not given the chance to seek help or treatment. In this case, the trees in the orchard cannot develop properly because the conditions are not healthy; the soil is not healthy, there is no water, and the trees are not cared for properly.
Nurse advocates have a significant function in responding to health disparities. However, the emphasis should not only be placed on the policies of equality, but also equity policies. Equity makes sure that patients are treated according to their needs, knowing that some patients may need more attention compared to others. Equity means acknowledging the fact that there are health inequalities in the society and working for change that can bridge the gaps (Culyer, 2019). This could entail lobbying for increased access to mental health care in learning institutions, increased funding to health facilities in rural areas, or demanding that the government involve the excluded groups in policy-making.
Being a nurse, I am well-equipped to lobby for policy changes that would address these political factors of health. Advanced practice nurses are usually in direct contact with the patients and are likely to encounter the effects of these systems. We know the clinical situations that our patients are in, and we are recognized authorities in the healthcare field. Training helps us look beyond the medical model of care and appreciate the social and political determinants of health.
References
Culyer, A. (2019). Efficiency, equity and equality in health and healthcare. F1000Research, 8(800), 800.
Lin, K. (2022). The Political Determinants of Health. Family Medicine, 54(1), 65-66.
AdvocacyPriorities1.docx
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Advocacy Priorities: Addressing Mental Health Disparities in Underserved Populations
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Advocacy Priorities: Addressing Mental Health Disparities in Underserved Populations
There are many barriers which are often influenced by political determinants of health that affect vulnerable and marginalized groups. The marginalized in society are more vulnerable and face numerous challenges due to political factors that define health systems (Rami et al., 2023). Among these challenges, mental health disparities remain one of the significant concerns affecting minorities and other vulnerable populations. This is very much applicable to my role as a Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner (PMHNP) because the practice entails dealing with such factors. However, the systemic nature of barriers to mental health care demands a focused advocacy priority: the expansion of community mental health services to improve accessibility, parity, and quality for minorities and other vulnerable groups. This advocacy priority entails identifying the main issues, evaluating their impact and outlining policy-based solutions.
The Need for Change
Minority populations are more affected by mental health disparities such as low funding for mental health services, lack of culturally competent services, and shortage of mental health professionals in rural and low-income settings. Patients from the rural and underprivileged areas have limited access to proper mental health care as compared to the patients from the urban or privileged classes (Rami et al., 2023). These disparities are then compounded by stigma and discrimination as well as multi-complexity of factors such as race, ethnicity, economic status and immigration history (Hingwe et al., 2021).
Contextual Factors Influencing Mental Health Disparities
The causes of mental health disparities in vulnerable populations are numerous and multifaceted and cut across the social, economic, and political realms. For example, there is a severe scarcity of mental health care specialists, particularly in rural and other poorly served urban areas, which exacerbates the access issue and means that many people do not receive the assistance they need. Another factor that contributes to disparities is cultural stigma towards mental health. In many vulnerable and marginalized communities, people do not go for mental health services because it is considered shameful to do so. This stigma prevents people from seeking assistance and results in delays in diagnosis and treatment. Furthermore, the absence of culturally sensitive care results in misidentification and improper treatment, which sustains the distrust in healthcare facilities (Thornicroft et al., 2016). These factors are truly devastating to patients and their families, and as a PMHNP, I get to see this first hand. These issues suggest that policy-oriented solutions are necessary to address the systemic problems affecting community mental health accessibility.
Nurses’ Roles in Policy Advocacy
Nurses, particularly those who practice as PMHNPs, are well-positioned to champion policies that will improve equity in mental health. We understand and value the experiences that patients have, and how they are impacted by those experiences. This experience assists in providing recommendations to policymakers and policies based on the study outcomes (Barnett et al., 2018). For instance, nurses can be involved in professional bodies, present information to legislative committees or join other members of the community in supporting the mental health legislation.
Policy Advocacy Priority: Increasing Access to Community Mental Health
Thus, the primary advocacy priority should be aimed at increasing the availability of community mental health services for underserved populations. These services are crucial in ensuring that people in need receive quality, culturally sensitive, and affordable services. Measures such as enhanced funding for community health centers and the expansion of mental health services in primary care clinics enhance service accessibility. One of the key components of such advocacy is the need to deal with the provider scarcity in certain regions. This problem can be addressed by offering bonuses for mental health professionals to work in rural and low-income areas, for example, student loan repayment programs or increased reimbursement rates (Stephenson, 2023). Moreover, the use of telehealth services can be implemented to help those people who cannot travel to receive care.
Another important area of focus in policy advocacy for mental health disparities is the need to enhance cultural sensitivity among the practitioners and reducing prejudice. This includes providing better education to mental health workers on how to address the needs of the diverse minority population and recruiting more minorities to the health workforce to regain their trust and enhance the quality of services (Claeys et al., 2021). Also crucial is the elimination of stigma by using health promotion and community participation programs to encourage people to seek psychiatric help. Such programs should be funded by policymakers to make advanced mental health care services available to everyone (Verma et al., 2024). With this in mind, as a PMHNP, it is my responsibility to fight for such changes and make sure that everyone has a fair chance at attaining mental health.
References
Barnett, M. L., Gonzalez, A., Miranda, J., Chavira, D. A., & Lau, A. S. (2018). Mobilizing community health workers to address mental health disparities for underserved populations: A systematic review. Administration and Policy in Mental Health and Mental Health Services Research, 45, 195-211.
Claeys, A., Berdai-Chaouni, S., Tricas-Sauras, S., & De Donder, L. (2021). Culturally sensitive care: definitions, perceptions, and practices of health care professionals. Journal of transcultural nursing, 32(5), 484-492.
Hingwe, S. (2021). Mental health considerations for Black, Indigenous, and people of color: Trends, barriers, and recommendations for collegiate mental health. In College psychiatry: Strategies to improve access to mental health (pp. 85-96). Cham: Springer International Publishing.
Rami, F., Thompson, L., & Solis-Cortes, L. (2023). Healthcare disparities: Vulnerable and marginalized populations. In Covid-19: Health Disparities and Ethical Challenges Across the Globe (pp. 111-145). Cham: Springer International Publishing.
Stephenson, E. (2023). Mental disorders and access to mental health care.
Thornicroft, G., Mehta, N., Clement, S., Evans-Lacko, S., Doherty, M., Rose, D., … & Henderson, C. (2016). Evidence for effective interventions to reduce mental-health-related stigma and discrimination. The Lancet, 387(10023), 1123-1132.
Verma, A., Panda, K. T., Sharma, V., Tripathy, H. K., Al-Khasawneh, M. A., & Alkhayyat, A. (2024, August). Mental Health Stigma: Strategies for Destigmatization in Healthcare Settings. In 2024 International Conference on Electrical Electronics and Computing Technologies (ICEECT) (Vol. 1, pp. 1-6). IEEE.
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