NURS 6050 Week 2 Assignment Presidential Agendas and the Fight Against Pandemics

Walden University NURS 6050 Week 2 Assignment Presidential Agendas and the Fight Against Pandemics-Step-By-Step Guide

 

This guide will demonstrate how to complete the Walden University NURS 6050 Week 2 Assignment Presidential Agendas and the Fight Against Pandemics assignment based on general principles of academic writing. Here, we will show you the A, B, Cs of completing an academic paper, irrespective of the instructions. After guiding you through what to do, the guide will leave one or two sample essays at the end to highlight the various sections discussed below.

 

How to Research and Prepare for NURS 6050 Week 2 Assignment Presidential Agendas and the Fight Against Pandemics                     

 

Whether one passes or fails an academic assignment such as the Walden University NURS 6050 Week 2 Assignment Presidential Agendas and the Fight Against Pandemics depends on the preparation done beforehand. The first thing to do once you receive an assignment is to quickly skim through the requirements. Once that is done, start going through the instructions one by one to clearly understand what the instructor wants. The most important thing here is to understand the required format—whether it is APA, MLA, Chicago, etc.

 

After understanding the requirements of the paper, the next phase is to gather relevant materials. The first place to start the research process is the weekly resources. Go through the resources provided in the instructions to determine which ones fit the assignment. After reviewing the provided resources, use the university library to search for additional resources. After gathering sufficient and necessary resources, you are now ready to start drafting your paper.

 

How to Write the Introduction for NURS 6050 Week 2 Assignment Presidential Agendas and the Fight Against Pandemics                     

The introduction for the Walden University NURS 6050 Week 2 Assignment Presidential Agendas and the Fight Against Pandemics is where you tell the instructor what your paper will encompass. In three to four statements, highlight the important points that will form the basis of your paper. Here, you can include statistics to show the importance of the topic you will be discussing. At the end of the introduction, write a clear purpose statement outlining what exactly will be contained in the paper. This statement will start with “The purpose of this paper…” and then proceed to outline the various sections of the instructions.

 

How to Write the Body for NURS 6050 Week 2 Assignment Presidential Agendas and the Fight Against Pandemics                     

 

After the introduction, move into the main part of the NURS 6050 Week 2 Assignment Presidential Agendas and the Fight Against Pandemics assignment, which is the body. Given that the paper you will be writing is not experimental, the way you organize the headings and subheadings of your paper is critically important. In some cases, you might have to use more subheadings to properly organize the assignment. The organization will depend on the rubric provided. Carefully examine the rubric, as it will contain all the detailed requirements of the assignment. Sometimes, the rubric will have information that the normal instructions lack.

 

Another important factor to consider at this point is how to do citations. In-text citations are fundamental as they support the arguments and points you make in the paper. At this point, the resources gathered at the beginning will come in handy. Integrating the ideas of the authors with your own will ensure that you produce a comprehensive paper. Also, follow the given citation format. In most cases, APA 7 is the preferred format for nursing assignments.

 

How to Write the Conclusion for NURS 6050 Week 2 Assignment Presidential Agendas and the Fight Against Pandemics                     

 

After completing the main sections, write the conclusion of your paper. The conclusion is a summary of the main points you made in your paper. However, you need to rewrite the points and not simply copy and paste them. By restating the points from each subheading, you will provide a nuanced overview of the assignment to the reader.

 

How to Format the References List for NURS 6050 Week 2 Assignment Presidential Agendas and the Fight Against Pandemics                     

 

The very last part of your paper involves listing the sources used in your paper. These sources should be listed in alphabetical order and double-spaced. Additionally, use a hanging indent for each source that appears in this list. Lastly, only the sources cited within the body of the paper should appear here.

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Sample Answer for NURS 6050 Week 2 Assignment Presidential Agendas and the Fight Against Pandemics Included After Question

It may seem to you that healthcare has been a national topic of debate among political leaders for as long as you can remember.

Healthcare has been a policy item and a topic of debate not only in recent times but as far back as the administration of the second U.S. president, John Adams. In 1798, Adams signed legislation requiring that 20 cents per month of a sailor’s paycheck be set aside for covering their medical bills. This represented the first major piece of U.S. healthcare legislation, and the topic of healthcare has been woven into presidential agendas and political debate ever since.

As a healthcare professional, you may be called upon to provide expertise, guidance and/or opinions on healthcare matters as they are debated for inclusion into new policy. You may also be involved in planning new organizational policy and responses to changes in legislation. For all of these reasons you should be prepared to speak to national healthcare issues making the news.

In this Assignment, you will analyze recent presidential healthcare agendas. You also will prepare a fact sheet to communicate the importance of a healthcare issue and the impact on this issue of recent or proposed policy.

The Assignment: (1- to 2-page Comparison Grid, 1-Page Analysis, and 1-page Fact Sheet)

Part 1: Agenda Comparison Grid

Use the Agenda Comparison Grid Template found in the Learning Resources and complete the Part 1: Agenda Comparison Grid based on the current/sitting U.S. president and the two previous presidential administrations and their agendas related to the public health concern you selected. Be sure to address the following:

· Identify and provide a brief description of the population health concern you selected and the factors that contribute to it.

· Describe the administrative agenda focus related to the issue you selected.

· Identify the allocations of financial and other resources that the current and two previous presidents dedicated to this issue.

· Explain how each of the presidential administrations approached the issue.

(A draft of Part 1: Agenda Comparison Grid should be posted to the Module 1 Discussion Board by Day 3 of Week 1.)

Part 2: Agenda Comparison Grid Analysis

Using the information you recorded in Part 1: Agenda Comparison Grid on the template, complete the Part 2: Agenda Comparison Grid Analysis portion of the template, by addressing the following:

· Which administrative agency would most likely be responsible for helping you address the healthcare issue you selected?

· How do you think your selected healthcare issue might get on the agenda for the current and two previous presidents? How does it stay there?

· Who would you choose to be the entrepreneur/ champion/sponsor of the healthcare issue you selected for the current and two previous presidents?

Part 3: Fact Sheet or Talking Points Brief (THIS PART IS NEEDED)

Based on the feedback that you received from your colleagues in the Discussion, revise Part 1: Agenda Comparison Grid and Part 2: Agenda Comparison Grid Analysis.

Then, using the information recorded on the template in Parts 1 and 2, develop a 1-page Fact Sheet or Talking Points Brief that you could use to communicate with a policymaker/legislator or a member of their staff for this healthcare issue. You can use Microsoft Word or PowerPoint to create your Fact Sheet or Talking Point Brief. Be sure to address the following:

· Summarize why this healthcare issue is important and should be included in the agenda for legislation.

· Justify the role of the nurse in agenda setting for healthcare issues.

A Sample Answer For the Assignment: NURS 6050 Week 2 Assignment Presidential Agendas and the Fight Against Pandemics Title: NURS 6050 Week 2 Assignment Presidential Agendas and the Fight Against Pandemics

NURS 6050 Week 2 Assignment Presidential Agendas and the Fight Against Pandemics

NURS 6050 Week 2 Assignment Presidential Agendas and the Fight Against Pandemics

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).

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.

There have been so many presidents in the United States who have in one way or the order faced some challenges like terrorism, financial catastrophe but only a few were unlucky to have faced the challenges of fighting pandemics during their tenure as presidents. How well a country fights pandemic depends on the approach and strategic plans of the president in the early phases of the pandemic because of its public health concerns, ability to increase morbidity rate in a little time if not controlled in the beginning. (Jamison et al., 2017) Pandemics have the capability to lead to disruptions in social, economic and political areas of the country and over wide geopolitical zones, hence the need to strategically have functional plans and funding in place to assist the citizens who are affected by the pandemic get out of depression because of the traumatic events they have experienced either losing jobs or death of loved ones is one of the steps in managing pandemics.

Agenda Comparison Grid and Fact Sheet or Talking Points Brief Assignment Template for Part 1 and Part 2 (Be sure to use at least 2-3 outside resources)

Part 1: Agenda Comparison Grid

Identify the population health concern you selected.	Pandemics
Describe the population health concern you selected and the factors that contribute to it. Use citations.	Pandemic is poses a public health concern as citizens’ battle depression due to economic instability and loss of loved ones. The Present administration should be more concerned on the effects of pandemic on her citizens during and post pandemic as most families during pandemics are left with no jobs and access to quality medical care just as what we are experiencing amid COVID 19 today (Evans & Bufka, 2020).
Administration (President Name)	President Biden	President Trump	President Obama
Describe the administrative agenda focus related to this issue for the current and two previous presidents. Use citations.	The present administration has rolled out plans for massive emergency Covid 19 vaccination, although some people are still misinformed about the need for vaccine, a lot of public health awareness is ongoing to ensure we get more people vaccinated, there have been plans of relief packages to assist families struggling with the present pandemic (“The Whitehouse,” 2021).	Trump downplayed the warning for Coronavirus outbreak when it was noticed in Wuhan China, Trump acted late, hence we are all caught up in the mess we see today. There was no sufficient funding for CDC on infectious disease controls in his tenure.	Obama had a slow initial response during the 2014 Ebola outbreak which was a wakeup call on emerging infectious diseases.The Obama administration made appropriate funding available to fight Ebola all over the world.
Identify the allocations of financial and other resources that the current and two previous presidents dedicated to this issue. Use citations.	The Biden Administration have appropriated and invested about $1.7 billion in getting the vaccines, increasing genomic sequencing and mass awareness campaign to ensure they wear nose mask as primary protective equipment (“The Whitehouse,” 2021)	The Trump administration focused on protecting the most vulnerable especially the elderly and spent about $2.5 billion to nursing homes on Covid relief packages (HHS, 2020)	The Obama administration requested for $6.2 billion but only approved $5.4 billion which was the largest donation by a single government to fight Ebola.
Explain how each of the presidential administrations approached the issue. Use citations.	The Present administration took over amid pandemic and have rolled out plans and sustained existing technologies and partnered with agencies that will help in control of the pandemic through the administrations appropriate funding to Covid 19 vaccination and mass campaign (“The Whitehouse,” 2021)	Trump administration did not rightly approach Covid 19, there was delayed response by the federal Government hence the cases escalated and mortality cases increased uncontrollably.As at the time Covid 19 Started, because Trump already destroyed existing science framework, there was none on ground to act (Peters, 2020)	Obama confronted Ebola squarely by appropriation of $5.4 billion and in 2014 Dec enacted CDC operations to prepare specialized assist for west Africa where the mortality was out of control and that really helped African nations have control and were able to manage it. (“U.S. response to Ebola: Status of the FY2015 emergency Ebola appropriation,” 2019).

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Part 2: Agenda Comparison Grid Analysis

Using the information you recorded in Part 1: Agenda Comparison Grid, complete the following to document information about the population health/healthcare issue your selected

 

Administration (President Name)	President Biden	President Trump	President Obama
Which administrative agency would most likely be responsible for helping you address the healthcare issue you selected?	The Centre for Disease Control (CDC) would the administrative agency responsible to see that the Covid-19 Pandemic is controlled through their appropriate funding and strategic plans for isolations, contact tracing and provision of subsidized personal protective equipment.	The CDC was there and adviced Trump but he declined some of their advices and plans.	CDC has been at the center of it all in terms of infectious disease control.
How do you think your selected healthcare issue might get on the agenda for the current and two previous presidents? How does it stay there?	The present administration have already prioritized the Covid 19 pandemic and relief plans that are being rolled out to families to cushion the effects of the pandemic especially depression and this agenda can be developed to have permanent policies that does not only address the pandemic itself but also addresses the effects during and post pandemic.	Trump had Covid 19 late in his tenure and partnered with agencies that see to the control of infectious diseases through research and vaccine productions.	Proper funding for infectious disease control  and research is key for any nation to fight pandemic.
Who would you choose to be the entrepreneur/ champion/sponsor of the healthcare issue you selected for the current and two previous presidents?	Rep .J Courtney who is a Rep  for Connecticut’s 2nd District sponsored the bill on Coronavirus aid and  Relief which has cushioned the effect on the citizens	The CDC has been on top of the Covid 19 by rolling out their strategies and plans to effectively control it though the strategies came a bit late.	The World health Organization stepped in to ensure that all the countries that are ravaged by the pandemic had trained and equipped staff to take care of patients.

Part 3:

Why pandemic strategies are Important for the Legislation Agenda;

Each pandemic comes with unpredictable increasing stress levels and serious effects on individuals and to the nation as a whole. The effects of chronic stress can’t be over emphasized as it affects all body systems especially the mental state, hence having a plan in place to identify these needs of the people in crisis and intervening is key.

In setting policies and agendas, Politics and analytical work go hand in hand to get any policy right “John W. Kingdon ( 2001)

Pandemic planning and funding should be on the priority list of every nation, there should be a blue print that should be activated as soon as a pandemic surface, in that way it saves the response time and increases the chances of managing it without having high mortality rates.

There should be a plan for the mental health state of the citizens who are affected by the pandemic, just as we are seeing in Covid 19, so many families have been torn apart, so many lost their life partners as frontline workers, some lost their means of livelihood, had their loved ones buried without witnessing it, it generally poses new challenges mentally (Evans & Bufka, 2020). Having a plan like economic relief packages will help cushion the effects on the citizens, giving the assess to good healthcare is another step in a right direction to properly take care of their health.

The nurse’s role in agenda setting.

Prevention and early recognition- Nurses are more in contact with patients more than any other healthcare team member, as such should be quick to assess our patients and people around us especially this period and will willing to offer help in terms of directing them the right place to seek for help and early intervention to avoid mental breakdown.

Volunteer; Nurses through their volunteer services on policy meetings gets firsthand information on what healthcare agenda each administration has and work on to develop it with their experience through developing fact sheets and volunteering to prepare reports to decision makers (Burke, 2016).

Nurses need to get actively involved in politics, just like the Nurse Practitioners (NP’s) who have been battling with being granted independence to practice to full extent of their licensure in order to increase patients care “O’Rourke et al 2017”

Advocacy;

Nurses as advocates helps to ensure patients safety and also assist in facilitating required resources for our patients to ensure they get the best quality care available (Arabi, A et.al 2014”).  Nurses speak up for so many of the patients that can’t speak for themselves, some are the more vulnerable who are going through one effect of the pandemic.

Conclusion

Pandemic poses great challenges to any nation and to the world at large. A systematic review of 2020 impact on the mental state of citizens indicated that the rate of  depression went up especially during the quarantine as people have lost jobs with no hope of getting it back and being on lockdown, so many companies downsized and many lost loved ones due to the pandemic, these feelings of anger, frustrations are few of the effects of pandemic on individuals that leads to mental health breakdown if not properly addressed, I plead with the present administration to have plans and policies in place for the mental health effects of pandemic on citizens.

References

Burke, S. A. (2016, June 2). Influence through policy: Nurses have a unique role. Nursing Centered. https://nursingcentered.sigmanursing.org/commentary/more-commentary/Vol42_2_nurses-have-a-unique-role

Evans, A. C., & Bufka, L. F. (2020). The critical need for a population health approach: Addressing the nation’s behavioral health during the COVID-19 pandemic and beyond. Preventing Chronic Disease, 17. https://doi.org/10.5888/pcd17.200261

HHS. (2020, August 27). COVID-19 relief funding. HHS.gov. https://www.hhs.gov/about/news/2020/08/27/trump-administration-announces-2-5-billion-to-nursing-homes-for-covid-19-relief-funding.html

Jamison, D. T., Gelband, H., Horton, S., Jha, P., Laxminarayan, R., Mock, C. N., & Nugent, R. (2017). Disease control priorities, third edition (Volume 9): Improving health and reducing poverty. https://doi.org/10.1596/978-1-4648-0527-1

Priorities. (2021, January 20). The White House. https://www.whitehouse.gov/priorities/

Peters, C. (2020, June 8). A detailed timeline of all the ways Trump failed to respond to the coronavirus. Vox. https://www.vox.com/2020/6/8/21242003/trump-failed-coronavirus-response

Arabi, A., Rafii, F., Cheraghi, M. A., & Ghiyasvandian, S. (2014). Nurses’ policy influence: A concept analysis. Iranian journal of nursing and midwifery research, 19(3), 315–322.

The U.S. response to Ebola: Status of the FY2015 emergency Ebola appropriation. (2019, March 13). KFF. https://www.kff.org/global-health-policy/issue-brief/the-u-s-response-to-ebola-status-of-the-fy2015-emergency-ebola-appropriation/

John W. Kingdon ( 2001). A model of agenda-setting, with applications. Detroit College of Law at Michigan State University Law Review, 2001, 331. https://advance-lexis-com.ezp.waldenulibrary.org/api/document?collection=analytical-materials&id=urn:contentItem:44N6-2010-00CV-V1SC-00000-00&context=1516831.

O’Rourke, N. C., Crawford, S. L., Morris, N. S., & Pulcini, J. (2017). Political Efficacy and Participation of Nurse Practitioners. Policy, Politics, & Nursing Practice, 18(3), 135–148. https://doi.org/10.1177/1527154417728514

Presidential Agendas and the Fight Against Pandemics

There have been so many presidents in the United States who have in one way or the order faced some challenges like terrorism, financial catastrophe but only a few were unlucky to have faced the challenges of fighting pandemics during their tenure as presidents. How well a country fights pandemic depends on the approach and strategic plans of the president in the early phases of the pandemic because of its public health concerns, ability to increase morbidity rate in a little time if not controlled in the beginning. (Jamison et al., 2017) Pandemics have the capability to lead to disruptions in social, economic and political areas of the country and over wide geopolitical zones, hence the need to strategically have functional plans and funding in place to assist the citizens who are affected by the pandemic get out of depression because of the traumatic events they have experienced either losing jobs or death of loved ones is one of the steps in managing pandemics.

Agenda Comparison Grid and Fact Sheet or Talking Points Brief Assignment Template for Part 1 and Part 2 (Be sure to use at least 2-3 outside resources)

 

Part 1: Agenda Comparison Grid

Identify the population health concern you selected.	Pandemics
Describe the population health concern you selected and the factors that contribute to it. Use citations.	Pandemic is poses a public health concern as citizens’ battle depression due to economic instability and loss of loved ones. The Present administration should be more concerned on the effects of pandemic on her citizens during and post pandemic as most families during pandemics are left with no jobs and access to quality medical care just as what we are experiencing amid COVID 19 today (Evans & Bufka, 2020).
Administration (President Name)	President Biden	President Trump	President Obama
Describe the administrative agenda focus related to this issue for the current and two previous presidents. Use citations.	The present administration has rolled out plans for massive emergency Covid 19 vaccination, although some people are still misinformed about the need for vaccine, a lot of public health awareness is ongoing to ensure we get more people vaccinated, there have been plans of relief packages to assist families struggling with the present pandemic (“The Whitehouse,” 2021).	Trump downplayed the warning for Coronavirus outbreak when it was noticed in Wuhan China, Trump acted late, hence we are all caught up in the mess we see today. There was no sufficient funding for CDC on infectious disease controls in his tenure.	Obama had a slow initial response during the 2014 Ebola outbreak which was a wakeup call on emerging infectious diseases.The Obama administration made appropriate funding available to fight Ebola all over the world.
Identify the allocations of financial and other resources that the current and two previous presidents dedicated to this issue. Use citations.	The Biden Administration have appropriated and invested about $1.7 billion in getting the vaccines, increasing genomic sequencing and mass awareness campaign to ensure they wear nose mask as primary protective equipment (“The Whitehouse,” 2021)	The Trump administration focused on protecting the most vulnerable especially the elderly and spent about $2.5 billion to nursing homes on Covid relief packages (HHS, 2020)	The Obama administration requested for $6.2 billion but only approved $5.4 billion which was the largest donation by a single government to fight Ebola.
Explain how each of the presidential administrations approached the issue. Use citations.	The Present administration took over amid pandemic and have rolled out plans and sustained existing technologies and partnered with agencies that will help in control of the pandemic through the administrations appropriate funding to Covid 19 vaccination and mass campaign (“The Whitehouse,” 2021)	Trump administration did not rightly approach Covid 19, there was delayed response by the federal Government hence the cases escalated and mortality cases increased uncontrollably.As at the time Covid 19 Started, because Trump already destroyed existing science framework, there was none on ground to act (Peters, 2020)	Obama confronted Ebola squarely by appropriation of $5.4 billion and in 2014 Dec enacted CDC operations to prepare specialized assist for west Africa where the mortality was out of control and that really helped African nations have control and were able to manage it. (“U.S. response to Ebola: Status of the FY2015 emergency Ebola appropriation,” 2019).

 

Part 2: Agenda Comparison Grid Analysis

Using the information you recorded in Part 1: Agenda Comparison Grid, complete the following to document information about the population health/healthcare issue your selected

Administration (President Name)	President Biden	President Trump	President Obama
Which administrative agency would most likely be responsible for helping you address the healthcare issue you selected?	The Centre for Disease Control (CDC) would the administrative agency responsible to see that the Covid-19 Pandemic is controlled through their appropriate funding and strategic plans for isolations, contact tracing and provision of subsidized personal protective equipment.	The CDC was there and adviced Trump but he declined some of their advices and plans.	CDC has been at the center of it all in terms of infectious disease control.
How do you think your selected healthcare issue might get on the agenda for the current and two previous presidents? How does it stay there?	The present administration have already prioritized the Covid 19 pandemic and relief plans that are being rolled out to families to cushion the effects of the pandemic especially depression and this agenda can be developed to have permanent policies that does not only address the pandemic itself but also addresses the effects during and post pandemic.	Trump had Covid 19 late in his tenure and partnered with agencies that see to the control of infectious diseases through research and vaccine productions.	Proper funding for infectious disease control  and research is key for any nation to fight pandemic.
Who would you choose to be the entrepreneur/ champion/sponsor of the healthcare issue you selected for the current and two previous presidents?	Rep .J Courtney who is a Rep  for Connecticut’s 2nd District sponsored the bill on Coronavirus aid and  Relief which has cushioned the effect on the citizens	The CDC has been on top of the Covid 19 by rolling out their strategies and plans to effectively control it though the strategies came a bit late.	The World health Organization stepped in to ensure that all the countries that are ravaged by the pandemic had trained and equipped staff to take care of patients.

 

Week One Discussion

Topic

Aspects of healthcare have been hot topics in political debate numerous times over the years but have grown more critical to the lives of Americans, especially since the inception of the worldwide pandemic. “…the massive job losses associated with the COVID-19-induced economic downturn led to an estimated 3-27 million Americans losing their employer-sponsored health insurance in the first months of the pandemic in 2020” (Fox et al., 2022, p. 1).

Coupled with the massive loss in healthcare coverage, prescription drug prices have continued to rise. According to Nguyen et al., (2022), “high retail drug prices, both for cash-paying underinsured and cost-sharing insured populations, rely on a pharmaceutical market structure corrupted by opaque consumer-facing prices and misaligned incentives for the entities initially formed to lower prices.” (4.1 section). Although insured Americans may pay a set co-pay for prescription drug costs, health plan premiums continue to rise to offset rising healthcare costs as these are passed on to the consumer.

Social Determinant

Social determinants are multi-faceted, and some may have a more significant impact than others. These may include education level, health, social standing, financial standing, geographical location, access to healthcare, safe housing, reliable transportation, and food safety (Westphal, 2019). However, with greater access to healthcare and, subsequently, preventative healthcare practices, costs associated with prescription medication would decrease overall. This discussion, however, does not address the costs related to consumers that require medications that are available in name-brand, in which prices can rise sharply with no generic alternative available. High costs associated with these branded drugs may cause consumers to go without medication depending on their financial standing or available financial assistance.

President’s Approaches

In 2022 President Biden signed the Inflation Reduction Act into law. This legislation allowed Medicare to negotiate drug prices of certain medications, capped the cost of insulin at 35 dollars per month, helped Medicare beneficiaries by reducing vaccine co-pays to zero, and capped pharmacy costs to $2000 per calendar year (The White House, n.d.).

From 2016 to 2020, the Trump Administration reports that it finalized a rule to allow the importation of prescription drugs from Canada, ensured that pharmaceutical companies offer the same discounts to the United States as they do to other nations, ended kickbacks to intermediaries and ensured that patients directly benefit from available discounts at the pharmacy, enhanced Medicare Part D plans to provide Medicare access to insulins at a maximum $35 copay for a month’s supply, Reduced Medicare Part D prescription drug premiums, and ended the Unapproved Drugs Initiative (https://trumpwhitehouse.archives.gov/, n.d.).

What could be Done Differently?

Since the inception of the ACA (Affordable Care Act) by the Obama administration, its importance has increased significantly, primarily since the emergence of COVID and the massive loss of jobs experienced by the American people, which in turn caused the loss of employer-provided health care coverage. I would continue to build on this system, add additional insurance entities, and provide incentives to these companies. However, adding millions of consumers comes with additional strains on the healthcare system. To balance this influx of potential patients, I would also provide incentives to attract more people into the healthcare professions. I would also offer financial incentives for new and established companies to further engage in community care and home health visits to encourage preventative care to mitigate emergency room visits and subsequent inpatient admissions.

References

Fox, A., Choi, Y., Lanthorn, H., & Croke, K. (2022). Health insurance loss during COVID-19 may increase support for Universal Health Coverage. Journal of Health Politics, Policy, and Law, 47(1), 1–25. Retrieved May 30, 2023, from https://eds.s.ebscohost.com/eds/pdfviewer/pdfviewer?vid=5%26sid=36c8e034-8880-4ebf-a72c-adf3795f9f6b%40redis

https://trumpwhitehouse.archives.gov/. (n.d.). Trump administration accomplishments – the white house. Retrieved May 31, 2023, from https://trumpwhitehouse.archives.gov/trump-administration-accomplishments/

Teasdale, B., Nguyen, A., Van Meijgaard, J., & Schulman, K. A. (2022). Trends and determinants of retail prescription drug costs. Health Services Research, 57(3), 548+. Retrieved May 30, 2023, from https://doi.org/10.1111/1475-6773.13961

The White House. (n.d.). The Biden-Harris record. Retrieved May 30, 2023, from https://www.whitehouse.gov/therecord/

Westphal, E. (2019). Managing chronic disease in an evolving healthcare environment: Community-based organizations increasingly are addressing social determinants of health, and preventing more expensive medical interventions. Generations, 4–7.

There are three reasons that I choose Psychiatric Mental Nurse Practitioner as my nursing specialty within the MSN program. First of all, as a certified Psychiatric-Mental Health Registered Nurse, I am working in both inpatient and outpatient facilities and have professional experience in direct patient care. Compared to other medical area, I am competent and confident to take care of patients with mental health illnesses, to recognize emergent situation, and to communicate multidisciplinary team effectively. Secondarily, it is about professional networking which is far more important for the practicum.  Some of my colleagues are students of the PMH-NP program who will be Psychiatric Nurse Practitioner. A few retired Psychiatrists who work at outpatient clinic are preceptors of NP students. I am not sure if networking will be helpful to my practicum course, but at least I have relevantly professional networking and still have hope to complete my practicum. Schmidt (n.d) notes professional networking is the best way for nurses to find jobs. Third, the MSN-PMHNP program at Walden University is a CCNE-accredited program and is a pioneer in this specialization which is one of the first fully online PMHNP program in the nation (Walden University. n.d.). that is why I choose Walden University for my advanced practiced nurse practitioner.

One of difficulties I have to affect my decision is how to balance families, working, and studying. Going back to school means less time to playing with children. I am afraid that their memory to their mommy is only working and studying but not happy family gathering. The other difficulty is to find preceptors for the practicum. I must find at least two different preceptors for four practicums and different sites (Walden University. n.d). This is the biggest obstacle for the program. However, being a nurse practitioner is my career goal. What would I want to be in 10 years? Caring families and earning money are important but not excuse to stop chasing my dream.

Currently I am a member of American Nurse Association. It is a professional organization in nursing throughout all specialties and practice settings. It provides resources, continuing education, webinars to support the nursing professional; In addition, it gives nurses the opportunity to advance nursing career (American Nurse Association. n.d.). I obtained my Psychiatric-Mental Health Nursing Certificate through the ANA.  In the future, I will get the Psychiatric-Mental health Nurse Practitioner Certification through the American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCCZ) Certification Program.

Opioid Crisis:

As many have already pointed out, the opioid crisis has become one of the largest problems across America over the years. In fact, deaths related to opioid use surpassed car crash related deaths in 2016 (U.S. Department of Education, 2018). There are many social determinants that affect the opioid crisis and make people more prone to succumbing to what may turn into a deadly addiction. If I had to pick a social determinant that affects this health issue the most, I would say poverty. Individuals who live in poverty are often times more prone to psychiatric problems which can result in unstable housing (Dasgupta et al., 2018). These individuals also have less access to healthier food options and preventative care making them more prone to dealing with chronic pain. Often times they are left dealing with chronic pain on their own because of lack of easy access to healthcare. All of these factors put them at a significantly greater risk for substance abuse problems.

Many presidents have addressed the opioid crisis, putting initiatives in place to help manage the problem. In 2017, President Trump declared the opioid crisis as a public health emergency and he passed an initiative to stop opioid abuse over a two year period. His initiative involved $6 billion in funding and focused on increasing education and prevention efforts, stopping drug movement across borders and increased efforts to develop evidence based treatments targeted toward addiction (National Archives and Records Administration, 2018). There was more than one billion awarded to support communities towards prevention and treatment at the state and local level as well. President Biden also recognized the opioid crisis as one of the nations biggest challenges and his administration awarded more than 1.6 billion in funds towards grants  focusing on preventing overdose. Two of the grants were supported by SAMHSA (Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration) and focused on providing treatment and recovery support services for patients with opioid use disorders while also supplying funds for facilities to distribute naloxone to patients in need (U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, 2022).

I do feel that there continues to be great strides towards battling the opioid epidemic from the presidential level. Working in an emergency room I have been able to personally experiencing the benefit of being able to easily distribute naloxone to patients at high risk for overdose. I have seen many positive outcomes related to non medical personnel use of naloxone outside the hospital. However, if I were to do anything different, I would focus on utilizing some of the funds for establishing facilities that provide a greater access to resources in areas specifically with higher poverty levels. There also could be great benefit to focusing more funding towards non-pharmacological pain management research that can be incorporated into treatment at pain management facilities. It is clear that regardless of the initiatives put in place, drugs are still making it across borders and the fentanyl crisis in particular is getting worse. I think there needs to be greater involvement at the education level to provide knowledge to children about the increased danger of street drugs related to fentanyl. Addiction is becoming more common at younger ages so I believe having educational programs in place that use a more direct approach for early prevention in schools will be essential to slowing the spread before addictive habits are established.

References:

Dasgupta, N., Beletsky, L., & Ciccarone, D. (2018). Opioid crisis: No easy fix to its social and economic determinants. American Journal of Public Health, 108(2), 182–186. https://doi.org/10.2105/ajph.2017.304187

National Archives and Records Administration. (2018, October 24). President Donald J. Trump’s Initiative to Stop Opioid Abuse and Reduce Drug Supply and Demand. National Archives and Records Administration. Retrieved February 28, 2023, from https://trumpwhitehouse.archives.gov/briefings-statements/president-donald-j-trumps-initiative-stop-opioid-abuse-reduce-drug-supply-demand-2/

U.S. Department of education. (2018, August). Combating the opioid crisis and other substance misuse: Schools, students, families. Combating the Opioid Crisis and Other Substance Misuse: Schools, Students, Families | U.S. Department of Education. Retrieved February 28, 2023, from https://www.ed.gov/opioids/

U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. (2022, September 23). Biden-Harris Administration Awards more than $1.6 billion in funds for communities addressing addiction and overdose crises. HHS.gov. Retrieved February 28, 2023, from https://www.hhs.gov/about/news/2022/09/23/biden-harris-administration-awards-more-than1-6-billion-funds-communities-addressing-addiction-overdose-crises.html

I enjoyed reading your post and agree that the Coronavirus (COVID-19) is a hot topic within the nursing community. Due to COVID-19, it is hard to even think about any other issues happening in nursing right now. In your post, you talk about autonomy in nursing, which I always valued when practicing medicine. Autonomy is the ability to act on his or her own values and interests (Greaney & O’Mathúna, 2017). Personally, I do not want to practice medicine with a parental lens; I want to practice as a coach who can guide and educate my patient to make the best decision for themself. Since COVID-19 began, I believe that allowing patients to make the best decision for themselves has been taken away. I have seen many health care providers forcing their opinions and beliefs onto their patients. It remains critical for health care workers to remember that ultimately it is up to the patient to make the decision they want regarding their health and wellness.

In order to help guide patients, I often used the evidence-based practice approach. Evidence-based practice is a problem-solving approach used in a clinical setting that incorporates evidence from well-designed studies (Milstead & Short, 2019). As a nurse, I think it is important to educate people on how to conduct research so they can make decisions they feel comfortable with for themselves and their loved ones. In your post, you mentioned that getting vaccinated is a personal choice, and I agree with you. People often seek the advice of their medical provider on whether or not to receive a vaccine. In addition to the advice, I also like to provide patients with information on how to find research that may be helpful when making their decision. I hope that moving forward, medical providers and patients can continue to make their own medical decisions without repercussions.

Greaney, A.-M., & O’Mathúna, D. P. (2017). Patient autonomy in nursing and healthcare contexts. Key Concepts and Issues in Nursing Ethics, 83–99. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-49250-6_7

Milstead, J. A., & Short, N. M. (2019). Health policy and politics: A nurse’s guide (6th ed.). Jonest and Barlett Learning

Discussion – Week 1 

Access to healthcare services is one of the healthcare issues that caught significant attention from U.S presidents. The introduction of universal insurance coverage meant that many people would access healthcare services and so reduce the disparities in health access based on economic status. President George Bush introduced consumer-direct healthcare which is also known as the health savings accounts. The policy would control both the quality and cost of healthcare services. Americans were enticed to join private health insurance with high deductibles annually. Furthermore, he introduced the federal Medicare programs for elderly people (Lambrew, 2018). President Barrack Obama introduced the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (ACA) which aimed at promoting access to healthcare services by U.S citizens. The Obamacare program increased access to healthcare services; though, the targeted goals were not achieved (Griffith, Evans & Bor, 2017). President Donald Trump changed the Medicaid policy and allowed the states to opt-out of the federal funding program and seek fixed annual payments systems. The program would allow the state the controlled spending and offer the patients more services.  

The decisions made by the present were appropriate because they aimed at increasing the health accessibility to the citizens. If I were a president, I would work on providing insurance coverage that offers many services to the patients but reduce the cost expenditures. Imposing high medical costs to the government could be non-sustainable in the long-run. The approach was taken by President Donald Trump aimed at making the Affordable Care Act more meaningful to the citizens (Glied & Jackson, 2017). The government has the responsibility to protect its citizens from harmful health outcomes. Such goals can only be achieved when they increase access to quality healthcare services.  

References 

Glied, S., & Jackson, A. (2017). The future of the Affordable Care Act and insurance coverage. American journal of public health, 107(4), 538-540. 

Griffith, K., Evans, L., & Bor, J. (2017). The Affordable Care Act reduced socioeconomic disparities in health care access. Health Affairs, 36(8), 1503-1510. 

Lambrew, J. M. (2018). Getting ready for health reform 2020: What past presidential campaigns can teach us. Commonwealth. 

  When reflecting on health problems that are brought to presidential level, smoking is one of the most prominent issues that comes to mind. One peer-reviewed scholar resource that is current found that 50% of high school students had used e-cigarettes, and 24% had used cigarettes (Creamer, 2020). This astounding statistic shows a drastic change needed to take place to prevent teenage smoking. Given the statistics of prevalence regarding teen smoking, President Trump placed a bill into action on December of 2019 which would restrict access to e-cigarettes, or tobacco of any kind (U.S. Food and Drug Administration, 2020). This bill, also known as T21, was put into place to prevent selling tobacco of any kind to anyone under 21 years old. President Trump’s bold move to reduce the incidence of smoking in teenagers went into effect as nicotine is a drug that should be controlled and restricted for usage among teens.

     Another example of a presidential administration that has recently acted against the occurrence of smoking is the Biden administration. According to this article, which is credible and recent, the Biden administration has taken steps to have a maximum amount of nicotine in products, and in turn “reduce youth use, addiction and death” (Commissioner, 2022). These measures which have been taken to reduce prevalence of smoking in youth and beyond are recent and will continue to evolve as data shows rates of smoking among teens and adults. Eliminating the amount of nicotine would overall decrease the rate of smoking as the tobacco product would be less addictive, hence less habit forming.

     Although these measures are preventative legislations that will inhibit tobacco addictiveness and use for teens and adults, I feel as if education regarding tobacco should be mandatory in school systems. Providing in-depth information to teens regarding the physical harm and comorbidities associated with smoking before they have tried nicotine or are already addicted would be another preventative strategy to decrease overall use of tobacco. As nurses, it is our responsibility to advocate for proper education regarding smoking and health concerns for the future. Utilizing fact sheets and current statistical data related to smoking and comorbidities associated with tobacco products, we have the resources needed to implement change.

In the United States, there are approximately 582,462 homeless people on any given night. A number that has risen since Covid (Vigderman, 2023). The issue has been brought up in past presidential conversations with promises to find ways to fix the problems, such as offering more housing voucher programs or opening more centers for mothers and children. In the end, the number of homeless people continues to grow as the number of programs to help the homeless continues to decline. 

The Biden administration has started a program labeled “All Inside,” which is supposed to help reduce the homeless population in six major cities by 25% by 2025 (Judd, 2023).

Living in one of the major cities that is a part of the plan and not seeing any change but seeing immigrants come over and gain access to housing and start-up costs negatively impacts the president’s agenda. The same programs and efforts placed on those coming over should be had on the homeless population that are being underserved. I would expand the affordable housing market and be less restrictive on the requirements for affordable housing. Most men are denied just for being men because housing is set in place for women and single mothers. Men make up 60% of the homeless population. Also, allowing families access to affordable housing requires them to find work within a specific time frame. 

The social determinants most affected by homelessness are economic stability, neighborhood, and built environment. With homeless numbers expanding, property values decrease, and financial staffing is imbalanced (Healthy People 2030 | Health.gov, 2023).

Diabetes

Diabetes is one of the significant health problems the world is now dealing with.  It is the seventh-leading cause of death in the US and a significant contributor to cardiovascular morbidity.  Because of weight and inactivity, type 2 diabetes is differentiated by the body’s poor use of insulin.  86 million individuals have prediabetes, which affects 37% of adults. Having blood sugar levels that are higher than normal but not high enough to be diagnosed with diabetes is referred to as prediabetes.  Prediabetes increases a person’s risk of developing diabetes.  Over the past ten years, diabetes incidence rates have gradually increased, with racial and ethnic minority communities bearing a disproportionately large burden of the disease(NJ211, 2023).  To make matters worse, diabetics are vulnerable to a variety of potentially fatal complications. A large proportion of consequences, such as strokes, heart attacks, kidney failure necessitating dialysis, and non-traumatic amputations.  This is why it is one of the leading political policy agendas in the United States(NJ211, 2023).

Social Determinants of Health

Various elements contribute to the social determinants of health in diabetes prevention.  People who do not have access to grocery stores that sell nutritious foods, for example, are less likely to be healthy. Poverty has increased the risk of diabetes, obesity, and even lowers life expectancy(CDC).  Increased costs of healthy foods play a major factor post-pandemic.  It may be easier and cheaper to buy fast food more often for lower-income households.  According to the researchers, poor health literacy increases the risk of diabetes(Costa et al., 2023).  People may not have the best education on how to care for their bodies and manage their health appropriately.

President’s Approaches

Many presidents have dedicated their political agendas to helping citizens manage their health.  During his presidency, he was able to lower the cost of insulin by a month’s supply to $35 for Medicare Part D plans.  President Trump mentions in the article: “Since I took office, we have approved the largest number of generic drugs in history, and prescription drug prices declined for the first time in nearly 50 years(Garden, 2020).”

Current President Biden has also set his health agenda for diabetes. President Biden established the Advanced Research Project Agency for Health (ARPA-H) to push advances in the prevention, detection, and treatment of diabetes.  He has also signed the Inflation Reduction Act, one of the most significant laws ever passed to reduce prescription drug prices and allow Medicare to negotiate prescription costs(Biden, 2023).

What Could Be Done Differently?

As mentioned above, policymakers have been working on improving healthcare for people, but these are mere solutions and do not fix the problem.  Working in the ICU as a nurse has taught me that the problem is that healthcare in general is prohibitively expensive.  If a person goes to the hospital in DKA without knowing they have diabetes, they are left with a hefty hospital cost and no motivation to continue disease treatment.  Low-income, low-literacy people are mostly affected, and they are not able to support treatment on their own. Care coordination must be emphasized in political policy agendas.  

Your discussion post provides a thorough and perceptive examination of hospice care and end-of-life preparation, adeptly blending real-life experiences with historical and policy viewpoints. You highlighted the significance of hospice care in the overall health of a population based on the impactful experience of your grandfather’s well-planned journey toward the end of his life. This anecdote powerfully exemplifies the emotional and pragmatic advantages of being prepared for families. Additionally, you examine the development of hospice care from its inception by Dame Cicely Saunders in 1967, emphasizing its shift from only providing care for cancer patients to including a wide array of end-stage illnesses. The rising popularity of hospice care, as documented by the National Hospice & Palliative Care Organization, highlights a growing public recognition and approval of these indispensable services (2022).

Furthermore, your discussion illuminates the systemic obstacles present in hospice treatment, particularly the problem of delayed referrals. MedPAC data you referenced highlights the short period of hospice care for a significant number of patients, emphasizing the need for earlier referrals to guarantee thorough and efficient care. The National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization, in 2021, reported that only 25% of Medicare recipients received care for five days or less. A very significant reduction of effective treatment needs. Your analysis of hospice and end-of-life policies under the Obama and Trump administrations highlighted significant progress in healthcare policy, including the broadened options for patients and the integration of physician assistants into hospice care teams (Medicare Program FY 2019 Hospice Wage Index, 2018). These advancements signify substantial strides in enhancing the accessibility of hospice treatments.
Essentially, your conversation captures the changing nature of hospice care, linking individual stories with larger policy shifts. This highlights the continuous requirement for legislative reform and activism to tackle the needs of a growing elderly population that requires specialized care at the end of their lives. As a Nurse Practitioner, your dedication to promoting advanced care planning, influenced by your grandfather’s foresight, highlights the importance of these discussions in respecting patients’ preferences and principles, reinforcing your commitment to this essential part of healthcare.