NUR 550 Select an effective current health policy that focuses on or affects population health

NUR 550 Select an effective current health policy that focuses on or affects population health

Effective public health policies ensure that different health populations have better outcomes and communities enjoy better access to care. The Healthy People 2030 is an effective public health policy aimed at improving the lives and wellbeing of Americans through encouraging and implementing initiatives targeted at different demographics through primary care interventions. The Healthy People 2030 focuses on keeping people safe and healthy through laws and policies at local, state, territorial and federal levels. Through using evidence-based approaches and interventions, the policy helps to prevent disease and promotes health (Giroir, 2021). The public health framework establishes informed policies and initiatives targeting individual patients, communities, and health populations to improve outcomes, establish interventions customized to their needs and reduce healthcare expenditure through cost cutting primary care activities like encouraging physical exercise and healthy dietary habits.

As a public policy, this framework has different components that target different demographics, from children to the elderly and recommends diverse measures for people to improve their lives and wellbeing. The policy has several objectives like tobacco use and smoking cessation as well as aspects to improve access to water and reduce disparities, especially among low-income and racial minority groups in the country (Hasbrouck, 2021). The development of this policy arose from the need to improve the health of Americans through primary care initiatives. Factors like increased prevalence of lifestyle and non-communicable diseases like diabetes, hypertension, and obesity, need to optimize resources, and ensuring better care outcomes influenced the development of this initiative. The Healthy People 2030 develops ten-year goals to improve health care by eliminating factors which have negative effects on primary health and wellness (ODPHP, 2022). The implication is that this framework is essential in enhancing the lives of Americans and eliminating increased prevalence of non-communicable diseases.

References

Giroir, B. P. (2021). Healthy people 2030: A call to action to lead America to healthier lives.

           Journal of Public Health Management and Practice, 27(6), S222.

DOI: 10.1097/PHH.0000000000001266

Hasbrouck, L. (2021). Healthy people 2030: an improved framework. Health Education &

           Behavior, 48(2), 113-114. DOI: 10.1177/1090198121997812.

Office of Disease Prevention and Health Promotion (ODPHP) (2022). Health Policy.

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An effective current health policy that focuses on population health is vaccination. As discussed in Topic 7 DQ 1, vaccination continues to be one of the most powerful and cost-effective disease-prevention tools among populations (Association of State and Territorial Health Officials, 2022). Populations benefit from vaccination to prevent the spread of contagious diseases. An estimated 6 million deaths per year are prevented due to vaccinations (Rodrigues & Plotkin, 2020). Human use of preparations for prevention of infectious diseases date all the way back to 1500 AD and the first vaccine for smallpox was developed in 1798 (Rodrigues & Plotkin, 2020). Vaccine development continues today with the most recent development of the COVID-19 vaccine in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. It is important for populations to understand the impact of vaccination to safeguard the health of populations not just today but also in the future. 

The Expanded Program of Immunization (EPI) was founded in 1974 to promote routine vaccination to all children by 1990 (Rodrigues & Plotkin, 2020). Vaccines are meant to prevent illnesses and deaths from infections through direct and indirect protections. Decreased rates of diseases due to vaccination reduces healthcare costs as it is better to prevent its occurrence than to actually treat infected individuals, especially when the disease is at its advanced stage. Hence, the article by Rodrigues & Plotkin (2020) reveals that “cost-effectiveness analyses of vaccination programs demonstrate that they are overwhelmingly worth the investment.” Vaccinations have been saving lives and continue to foster healthy populations. 

References

Association of State and Territorial Health Officials. (2022). ASTHO Unveils Top 10 Public Health Policy Issues to Watch in 2023. https://www.astho.org/communications/newsroom/2022/astho-unveils-top-10-public-health-policy-issues-to-watch-in-2023/

Rodrigues, C. M. C., & Plotkin, S. A. (2020). Impact of vaccines; Health, economic and Social Perspectives. Frontiers. Retrieved March 20, 2023, from https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fmicb.2020.01526/full 

One currently health policy that affects population health is the encouragement, and even for some a requirement that all college students attending in-seat classes receive the meningococcal vaccine prior to attending classes. Meningococcal disease is typically spread in group settings among infants, teens, and young adults, with college students being at a slightly higher risk because of the close proximity to others who may be infected (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2022). The vaccine was first developed in the UK in 1999, and was later implemented in African countries that were experiencing meningococcal meningitis outbreaks, and then later in the US (Edwards, 2020). The World Health Organization began working together with several other organizations on a global plan to defeat meningitis by 2030, which included recommendations for vaccination in certain age groups, such as college students (Edwards, 2020) Since college students are at a higher risk, and since the disease can be very serious and possibly even deadly, requiring vaccination before attending in-seat classes does help reduce the risk of contracting and spreading the disease significantly (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2022). 

References

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2022, February). Meningococcal Disease. Retrieved from Centers for Disease Control and Prevention: https://www.cdc.gov/meningococcal/about/risk-factors.html

Edwards, H. (2020, October). THe History of Meningitis. Retrieved from Meningitis Research Foundation: https://www.meningitis.org/blogs/the-history-of-meningitis

One health policy that is on the up rise and becoming mandatory is screening and assessment for suicide in the emergency department. Suicide has become a overall global issue, and is the second leading cause of death amongst the young generation around the world (Ask Suicide-Screening Questions Toolkit, n.d.). Information gathered by the Centers nof Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in 2015 alone count more than 5,900 youth and adolescents successfully took their life. In February 2016, the Joint Commission issued a Sentinel Event Alert that all patients are to be screen for suicide and then treated in the appropriate manner. They had discovered that the majority of those that had completed suicides had seen medical or at least seen a healthcare provider within a few months prior even if it was not due to needing to be seen for mental instability.

Reference

Ask Suicide-Screening Questions (ASQ) Toolkit. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://www.nimh.nih.gov/labs-at-nimh/asq-toolkit-materials/index.shtml

Population health policy prioritizes early detection, treatment, and mitigation of, and rehabilitation following, disease among at-risk and symptomatic individuals. Policies can be implemented at many different levels, from an individual school or worksite to municipalities, regions, states, and even the national level Evidence-based health policies can help prevent disease and promote health. (Bhattacharya et al., 2017) . For example, policies requiring community water systems to provide fluoridated water can improve oral health. Community Water Fluoridation (CWF) is one of the supportive policies held by American public health association (APHA). Tooth decay (dental caries) is one of the most common diseases in our country, affecting almost the total population. Although the scientific evidence base supports CWF as the foundation for improving a community’s public health by minimizing the prevalence and severity of tooth decay. many communities have not successfully initiated or continued this public health measure. APHA objectives are to provide expert guidance to regulatory agencies on decision-making regarding CWF standards and regulations, improve public health education about the safety and efficacy of CWF, specifically education for public health and other health professionals, decision makers, and the public; and promote sufficient funding for federal, state, and local CWF programs. There is an increasing call for a “health in all policies” approach among population health academic and practice leaders. (apha.org, n.d.)

References:

Bhattacharya, D., & Bhatt, J. (2017). Seven Foundational Principles of Population Health Policy. Population health management, 20(5), 383–388. https://doi.org/10.1089/pop.2016.0148.

There are many effective health policies that focus on population health. One policy that is important is the public health policy. It was realized in history to make communities healthier it would be important to develop laws around how healthcare providers cared for the population. This policy was influenced into practice because many providers were not complying. The public health policies influence how our nation’s overall health is (CDC, 2023). According to the CDC (2023).  the public law health program works to improve the lives of the public by developing tools and providing technical assistance to health practitioners. It is because of these laws that are followed in all levels (State, tribal, local, and jurisdiction) this policy is effective. The mission of the public health policy is to advance health through law with three goals: improve the understanding and use in the law; 2: to apply laws to achieve the health goals; 3: To develop legal preparedness to address all public health priorities (CDC, 2023). Overall, this policy is effective because it forces healthcare providers to take actionable steps in approving the lives of many important public health issues. This policies allows for guidance for physicians to overall better the health of the public.  

Center for Disease Control and Prevention. (2023). CDC policy-focused offices and programs. https://www.cdc.gov/publichealthgateway/policy/cdc-offices-programs/index.html