NURS 6050 Discussion Presidential Agendas

Click here to ORDER an A++ paper from our Verified MASTERS and DOCTORATE WRITERS: NURS 6050 Discussion Presidential Agendas

Introduction

In both history and at present, almost every American has had to deal with a crisis that started at some point and rose to the presidential level, and became a presidential agenda. Be it terrorism, economic calamity, a natural disaster, or a political scandal, the Presidents have handled them using their own means, which sometimes attract praise and criticism in equal measure (Darlene, 2020). This brief paper looks into how the last three American former presidents handled health care and what could have been done differently

The Presidential Responses

In the year 2003, President Bush had to handle the issue of the AIDS epidemic crisis and SARS. His commitment to fight AIDS received praises from both Democrats and Republicans alike. One way in which he handled AIDS was through the creation of the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) that ensured huge amounts of funds were made available to help fight AIDS. President Obama also made strides in his response to the AIDS epidemic. During his campaigns, he promised a comprehensive National HIV/AIDS strategy for the USA. True to his word, President Obama delivered on the same promise (Crawley, 2020). The strategy set up by the Obama administration is still the guiding force behind the collective efforts. Besides, Obama brought for the first time consistent yearly HIV prevention increases.

Even though there have been research efforts to help end AIDS, the epidemic is still there, and President Trump also has to deal with the same in his own way. President Trump set up a ten-year initiative to end the HIV epidemic (Hiers, 2020). The plan had federal resources to help in implementing the plan. The plan was a good one since the effort included so many rural and southern areas. However, I feel that the plan is wholly medical. Therefore, in his position, I would advocate for more emphasis on strategies that can help the community to adhere to the treatment plan.

References

Crowley J.(2020, January, 29). PRESIDENT OBAMA’S LEGACY OF LEADERSHIP ON HIV/AIDS.https://oneill.law.georgetown.edu/president-obamas-legacy-of-leadership-on-hiv-aids/.

Darlene S. (2020, March, 23). Presidents in health crises: Trump more hands-on than many

https://apnews.com/article/3bab4e7404ecb093dc89181d40988d41.

Hiers, K. (2020). Implementing the Trump Administration’s “Ending the HIV Epidemic” Plan in the Southern United States. Doi: 10.2105/AJPH.2019.305452

Unfortunately, VA healthcare reform is faced with similar challenges of establishing universal health care but on a smaller scale. Agendas, interest groups, insurance stakeholders, pharmaceutical suppliers, and access to care are all variables in creating policies that appear to be relentless barriers to healthcare reform; however, change is a process. The evolution of the CHOICE act to the Sgt. Ketchum Rural Veterans Mental Health Act of 2021 is promising. Findings from this living body of veteran health data and research will continue to shape policy improvement. I am hopeful that with each future bill and amendment passed, a new layer of protection will be provided to those who have sacrificed their lives to protect us.
References
Albanese, A. P., Bope, E. T., Sanders, K. M., & Bowman, M. (2019). The VA mission act of 2018: A potential game changer for rural GME expansion and Veteran health care. The Journal of Rural Health, 36(1), 133–136. https://doi.org/10.1111/jrh.12360
American Association of Colleges of Nursing. (2016, December 13). VA ruling on APRN practice: a breakthrough for veterans health care. Message posted on the American Association of Colleges of Nursing Listserv:web@aacn.nche.edu
Department of Veterans Affairs (2018b). VA National Suicide Data Report: 2005–2015. Retrieved from
https://www.mentalhealth.va.gov/ docs/data-sheets/OMHSP_National_Suicide_Da ta_Report_2005-2015_06-14-18_508-compliant.pdf
Monteith, L. L., Wendleton, L., Bahraini, N. H., Matarazzo, B. B., Brimner, G., & Mohatt, N. V. (2020). Together with veterans: Va national strategy alignment and lessons learned from community‐based suicide prevention for rural veterans. Suicide and Life-Threatening Behavior, 50(3), 588–600. https://doi.org/10.1111/sltb.12613
VA.gov: Veterans Affairs. RURAL VETERANS. (2016, January 19).
https://www.ruralhealth.va.gov/aboutus/ruralvets.asp.
Veterans Health Administration, D. U. S. for O. and M. (2013, May 8). VA.gov: Veterans Affairs. Enhanced RANGE Program. https://www.lexington.va.gov/services/Enhanced_RANGE_Program.asp.

Reply Quote Email Author

Click here to ORDER an A++ paper from our Verified MASTERS and DOCTORATE WRITERS: NURS 6050 Discussion Presidential Agendas

Thank you for the question. I see this health care disparity as a priority within the context of social determinants of health because of its pervasive nature. According to the Health People 2030 objectives, social determinants of health (SDOH) are the dynamic qualities and characteristics of the environment an individual is born into, lives, learns, works, plays, worships, and ages. These environmental qualities and characteristics are considered social determinants because they will directly or indirectly determine or impact the health, functioning, risks, and quality-of-life outcomes of the people living within it (Office of Disease Prevention and Health Promotion, 2021). The Healthy People 2030 Framework identified the following five domains of SDOH: economic stability, education access and quality, health care access and quality, neighborhood and built environment, and social and community context.
Shortages of mental health care providers and poor access to mental health care services, especially in rural areas, fit perfectly under the health care access and quality domain; however, these same disparities have direct and indirect impacts on the existing four domains as well. Most mental illness diagnosis and disorders include a variable of pathology impacting your quality of life, or the impairment of your perception that thereof. Thus, the psychiatric mental health patient population in general, including veterans, require a scaled-up version of services due to the vary nature of the pervasiveness of untreated mental conditions on all domains of health and functioning. Effective mental health treatment has the power to help an individual function at work (economic stability), encourage self-actualization and improvement (by harnessing access to education or investing in their children’s), and find purpose and belonging in a community (neighborhood and community context). I would say the mental health provider shortage and poor access to mental health care services in the rural veteran community is a good place to start developing interventions and policies that can be translated to a larger population of people in need.
References
Office of Disease Prevention and Health Promotion. (n.d.). Social determinants of health. Social
Determinants of Health- Healthy People 2030. https://health.gov/healthypeople/objectives- and-data/social-determinants-health.
Chisholm, D., Sweeny, K., Sheehan, P,. Rasmussen, B., Smit, F., Cuijpers, P., & Saxena, S. (2016). Scaling-
up treatment of depression and anxiety: A global return on investment analysis. The Lancet Psychiatry, 3(5), 415-424. https://doi.org/10.1016/s22150366(16)30024-4

Reply Quote Email Author

Pilar,
Thank you for your post. Suicide continues to devastate the military community at an alarming rate. This nurse is personally aware of 5 deaths within this past year alone at the base we were stationed at. This can be attributed to the culture of the military when it comes to how a person who is suffering from mental illness is treated. I can speak firsthand to this as I have a very close friend that has been struggling with her mental health and when she hinted at it to her bosses she was made to feel as if her job was in jeopardy because heaven forbid military men and women are human and suffer mentally. Active-duty members are not allowed to seek mental health treatment from an outside provider, Tricare mandates that all active-duty members must receive a referral from their Primary Care Provider to receive mental health services (Military One Source , 2020). I would like to see a President change that requirement, as many military men and women do not seek treatment because they must go through their PCP and that goes on their permanent record. I believe mental health services should be covered without a referral.

Reference:
Military One Source . (2020, August 12). 7 Counseling Options for Service Members and Their Families. Retrieved from Military One Source : https://www.militaryonesource.mil/confidential-help/non-medical-counseling/military-and-family-life-counseling/7-counseling-options-for-service-members-and-their-families/

Reply Quote Email Author
I do agree with you that the presidential agenda has been crucial in enactment of policies that have had a resounding impact on the general well-being of the American public. One of the key presidential agenda is the CHOICE Act of 2014 under the Obama administration (Ohl et al., 2018). Some of the salient features of this act include; improvement of access to care from non-VA providers, additional expansion of access to care and reviewing and expanding capacity and processes (Sayre et al., 2018). Under the Veterans Choice Act, there is the veteran’s choice fund and this was to be in operation for three years until the exhaustion of the fund. Moreover, the VA is mandated to develop a system of tracing and paying the claims for the care provided to the veterans by the non-veterans under the program or any other non-VA entities. This is meant to help the veterans in the rural areas to be able to access quality care a month them proper mental health guidance and assistance after years of war (Kaboli & Fihn, 2019).
References
Kaboli, P. J., & Fihn, S. D. (2019). Waiting for Care in Veterans Affairs Health Care Facilities and Elsewhere. JAMA Network Open, 2(1), e187079–e187079. https://doi.org/10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2018.7079
Ohl, M. E., Carrell, M., Thurman, A., Weg, M. V., Pharm, T. H., Mengeling, M., & Vaughan-Sarrazin, M. (2018). “Availability of healthcare providers for rural veterans eligible for purchased care under the veterans choice act.” BMC Health Services Research, 18(1). https://doi.org/10.1186/s12913-018-3108-8
Sayre, G. G., Neely, E. L., Simons, C. E., Sulc, C. A., Au, D. H., & Michael Ho, P. (2018). Accessing Care Through the Veterans Choice Program: The Veteran Experience. Journal of General Internal Medicine, 33(10), 1714–1720. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11606-018-4574-8

NURS 6050 Discussion Presidential Agendas