NUR 533 DQ Policy Alternatives for Achieving Health Equity

NUR 533 DQ Policy Alternatives for Achieving Health Equity

NUR 533 DQ Policy Alternatives for Achieving Health Equity

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The health of the population matters!The focus of this discussion is the
possible policy alternatives or interventions that can be put in place in an
effort to eliminate health disparities.

NUR 533 DQ Policy Alternatives for Achieving Health Equity states that the assignment builds on the content of the module in that it asks you to
identify a health disparity that is of interest to you and then access the
evidence based literature (available through Excelsior College Library) to
identify a possible policy alternative that would work toward achieving health
equity.

The assignment builds on the content of the module in that it asks you to
apply what you learned within the context of your everyday experience of work.
The essence of this is to ask you to see beyond the tasks of your daily work
experiences and make explicit your understanding and recognition of the reality
of the lives of the individuals you work with and how their health is the
outcome of social and material determinants.

The phrase policy alternative is used because as you’ve know from reading
the module notes, there are multiple policy initiatives and opportunities that
can be taken to eliminate a health disparity. Each policy alternative offers an
opportunity to have an impact on a unique aspect of a health disparity. It is
rare that any one policy alternative can address all aspects of a disparity.

To prepare for this discussion, please complete all required reading and
viewing, including the Module Notes, prior to continuing. You may also want to
review the reading and viewing from Modules 4 and 5 as well as any other
readings referenced within the notes for Module 6.

according to NUR 533 DQ Policy Alternatives for Achieving Health Equity, this discussion asks you to identify a potential policy alternative or
intervention in response to a specific health disparity which you will identify
from the CDC Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report: CDC Health Disparities and
Inequalities Report — United States, 2013.

Please address the following:

Identify a disparity that is of interest to you.

Share with your peers what you have learned about the disparity,
including population demographics, characteristics, etc.

Identify a peer reviewed evidenced-based article that describes a
possible policy alternative or intervention that has the potential to work
towards achieving health equity.

Explain why the disparity warrants intervention and how the policy
alternative you’ve selected is appropriate.

Describe the policy alternative, the level of government at which the
policy would be enacted, the institution and/or organizations that would be
involved and the specific way in which the policy could work towards achieving
health equity.

Explain the role of the master’s prepared nurse in promoting this policy
alternative.

What are the opportunities for advocacy, lobbying particular special
interest groups or stakeholders, working within professional organizations,
etc.? Be as specific here as possible, especially when identifying interest
groups and stakeholders.

For your initial response, please be sure to address all of the above
statements and/ or questions.

Use these EC Library and OWL resources for research assistance and to
properly cite your work:

Master’s in Nursing Research Guide (Links to an external site.)Links to
an external site.

Plagiarism & Copyright (Links to an external site.)Links to an
external site.

Excelsior Library Writing Help (Links to an external site.)Links to an
external site.

APA Citation Help (Links to an external site.)Links to an external site.

Excelsior College Online Writing Lab (OWL) (Links to an external site.)Links
to an external site.

How You Are Evaluated

You are expected to participate in academic conversations with peers and
faculty to generate scholarly dialogue. Expectations for participation in the
course discussions are described under the Discussion Rubric: Exploration,
Spirit of Inquiry, and Engagement (interactions) when relating your
experiences, opinions, viewpoints, and ideas supported by evidence.

Consult the Discussion Posting Guide for information about writing your
discussion posts. It is recommended that you write your post in a document
first. Check your work and correct any spelling or grammatical errors. When you
are ready to make your initial post, click “Reply.” Then copy/paste
the text into the message field, and click “Post Reply.”

To respond to a peer, click “Reply” beneath her or his post and continue
as with an initial post.

Evaluation

This discussion will be graded using the discussion board rubric. Please
review this rubric, located on the Rubrics page within the Start Here module of
the course, prior to beginning your work to ensure your participation meets the
criteria in place for this discussion. All discussions combined are worth 40%
of your final course grade.

according to NUR 533 DQ Policy Alternatives for Achieving Health Equity, health disparities in morbidity and mortality have been recorded in the United States for decades, notably among racial/ethnic minority groups and those with lower socioeconomic position. Furthermore, it is estimated that the total cost of health inequities and premature deaths in the United States was $1.24 trillion from 2003 to 2006, and that eliminating health disparities among racial/ethnic minorities would have reduced these costs by $229.4 billion, including direct medical care. National programs such as Healthy People 2020 and the National Partnership for Action to End Health Disparities have been launched in response to health inequities. Despite several decades of Healthy People goals and objectives, and small reductions in health inequalities in the United States, persistent and pervasive inequities still exist. To achieve health equity in the United States, more deliberate, comprehensive, system-oriented, and coordinated measures are needed. The policy statement’s action items urge national, state, and local governments, as well as nonprofit and philanthropic organizations and individuals, to implement policies, practices, surveillance, and research that take a health equity lens and framework into account across all sectors of society so that everyone can live a long and healthy life.

Existing APHA Policy Statements and Their Relationship
Some relevant APHA policies that are more narrowly focused on individual social determinants of health and health disparities are included below.

Housing and Homelessness as a Public Health Issue APHA Policy Statement 20179: Reducing Income Inequality to Advance Health APHA Policy Statement 20178: Housing and Homelessness as a Public Health Issue 201710: A Comprehensive Framework for Protecting Children’s Environmental Health
Policy Statement of the American Public Health Association APHA Policy Statement 20173: Public Health and Early Childhood Education: Support for Universal Preschool in the United States 20101: Public Health and Education: Collaborating Across Sectors to Improve High School Graduation as a Means of Reducing Health Inequalities
Policy Statement of the American Public Health Association 201415: Support for Behavioral health’s social determinants and pathways to better public health APHA Policy Statement 20165: Addressing Social Determinants to Ensure On-Time Graduation APHA Policy Statement 20167: Improving Health by Raising the Minimum Wage
Policy Statement of the American Public Health Association Support for Community Health Workers to Improve Access to Healthcare and Reduce Health Inequities (20091)
Policy Statement of the American Public Health Association 20073: Obesity Disparities and Environmental Injustices: Research and Action
NUR 533 DQ Policy Alternatives for Achieving Health Equity states that APHA Policy Statement 200311: Opposition to State and Local Public Institutions Eliminating or Compromising Racial and Ethnic Data Collection APHA Policy Statement 20017: Research and Intervention on Racism as a Fundamental Cause of Ethnic Disparities in Health APHA Policy Statement 20005: Effective Interventions for Reducing Racial and Ethnic Disparities in Health APHA Policy Statement 9612: Threats to Affirmative Action Are Threats to Health
Reducing Racial/Ethnic and Socioeconomic Disparities in Preterm and Low Birthweight Births Problem Statement (APHA Policy Statement 20062)
A major public health issue in the United States is that today’s babies are likely to live shorter lives and be in worse health than babies born in other high-income countries.
[1] The United States, in comparison to other high-income, democratic countries, lacks integrated and coordinated health and social systems and does not invest as much in social services, which may explain why babies in the United States have a lower quality of life and die sooner. Limited access to primary care, a larger uninsured population, increases in certain health risk behaviors (drug abuse and firearm violence), a larger population in poverty, lower quality education for children, and lower investment in safety net social programs are all consequences of these circumstances. Furthermore, the health condition of U.S. babies varies by race/ethnicity, gender, income, education, cognitive, sensory, or physical disability, sexual orientation or gender identity, and location of residency during their lives as a result of these circumstances (geography). [2–4]

At the community, state, and national levels, efforts have been made to alleviate these “abnormal” health disparities by population and location across the United States. National programs have established measurable goals and objectives for tracking health outcomes and determinants of health across the country. Since 1979, Healthy People, a science-based 10-year health agenda, has tracked national progress in health promotion and illness prevention, and more recently, it is tracking not just health outcomes and risk behaviors, but also social determinants of health for the decade 2010-2020. Plans are currently being made to measure health outcomes and factors from 2020 to 2030. [2–4] A core idea that underlies the creation of Healthy People 2030 is eliminating health inequities and attaining health equity so that everyone enjoys optimal health (well-being). [4] Healthy People 2020 aims to mobilize communities and all sectors of society to take action to improve health in the United States. Healthy People’s vision is that its goals and objectives will be implemented in communities across the country by including diverse sectors in action, as detailed in the National Academy of Medicine’s report Communities in Action: Pathways to Health Equity. [5] The role of communities in influencing action, policy, programs, or laws to improve health equity in communities is highlighted in this paper. Partnerships between governments at all levels and nongovernmental groups (including not-for-profits, foundations, and the corporate sector) are also envisaged, with the entire nation working locally to execute effective policies and programs throughout all sectors of society.

Healthy People 2020 has a number of objectives, including achieving health fairness and creating social and physical conditions that support good health for everybody.

[2,3] according to NUR 533 DQ Policy Alternatives for Achieving Health Equity, attainment of the maximum degree of health for all people,” according to Healthy People 2020. [2,6,7] Furthermore, “[a]chieving health equality necessitates valuing everyone equally, as well as concentrated and continuing societal efforts to eliminate preventable inequalities, historical and contemporary injustices, and the removal of health and health care disparities,” according to the report. [4,8] Other definitions of health equality, such as Dr. Camara Jones’ (APHA former president) definition, state that health equity is the assurance that all individuals have access to optimal health conditions, based on the assumption that all persons are valued equally and injustice is acknowledged and corrected. [9]