Advocacy to Impact Population Health Through Written Testimony Essay

Advocacy to Impact Population Health Through Written Testimony Essay

Advocacy to Impact Population Health Through Written Testimony Essay

(I) Identify

My name is (Nurse name and designation); I am a nurse at 640 Jackson St Parking Hospital, Jackson, Minnesota. I am currently in pursuit of a master’s in (Specialization). I have lived and practiced in this area for over three years. I am interested in the high health disparities among African Americans in Jackson, Mississippi. More cases of heart disease and hypertension are reported among the black population than the white population. Evidence suggests that the quality of healthcare services given to the African American population is inferior to that accorded to whites.

(S) Situation

As an experienced healthcare worker, I am concerned about the staggering number of patients who present to the hospitals with heart disease and hypertension, especially among African Americans. The public healthcare system needs to innovate ways to have this under control. If the health disparities are not addressed, a large number of finances in tunes of billions of dollars of taxpayers will be used to treat these cases. The Accountable Care Act of 2010 was adopted to ensure all people access quality healthcare without financial hardships. Through Medicare and Medicaid, these people can access care and management of their conditions. Despite the availability of funds through the act, there are no adequate measures that have been put in place to control hypertension and heart diseases among the populations, even though they are preventable (Di Palo & Barone, 2020). There is not enough public awareness about the effects of health disparities and how they can negatively influence the health of those affected by these deplorable conditions (Di Palo & Barone, 2020). African Americans have lost trust in the current healthcare system, and all agree that tremendous adjustments must be made to meet their healthcare needs. The proposed resolution is that healthcare accessibility should be extended to disadvantaged populations, and health awareness about health disparities should be implemented.

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(B) Background

Your tenure has seen increased efforts in fighting the existing health disparities. I have worked in the state for more than three years and have been in a workforce that aims to decrease health disparities in Jackson. These enormous experiences have made me proficient in these matters. There is a disproportionately high rate of hypertension and heart disease among African-Americans in the United States (Ogunniyi et al., 2021). Almost half of all Black adults have hypertension. Black people also suffer from significant rates of extremely high blood pressure and earlier onset of the condition than any other demographic (Ogunniyi et al., 2021). Some of these numbers can be attributed to historical and systemic reasons. Inadequate healthcare access, unhealthy eating options, and other socioeconomic factors contribute to the disparities observed (Spruce, 2019).

Lower adherence to blood pressure drugs may be caused by several causes, including difficulty getting prescriptions and distrust of healthcare workers based on prior discrimination. To obtain the desired blood pressure (BP) management, two or more drugs may be necessary for some African Americans. I am interested in fighting these disparities because I saw the misery these patients experienced in my neighborhood while growing up. I vowed to make efforts to change this situation as a healthcare worker. I believe in equity and serving all humankind regardless of their background.

• Assessment

Health disparities still exist in modern-day healthcare. There are discernible differences in disease rates among the African Americans in Jackson, Mississippi, compared to their counterparts. Most of these disparities exist because of a lack of public awareness, prejudices from the healthcare workers and the effects of the social determinants of health (Di Palo & Barone, 2020). Adopting the ACA has positively affected the population of interest as the primary stakeholders. African Americans in Jackson can now access healthcare through Medicare and Medicaid provided by the ACA. Their health outcomes are improving daily, and with increased efforts to make healthcare cheaper and enhance public awareness, they will improve in the future. New stakeholders have joined the fight to decrease health disparities. For instance, the Jackson Heart Study is a private organization researching heart disease in the population and developing measures to control it. More other stakeholders are expected to join the fight in the future.

(R) Recommendations

Health disparities affect access to work, inexpensive, healthy meals, medical treatment, and other essential health and wellness determinants. Nutrition policies and programs, such as those that encourage establishing small stores in low-income societies and efforts to promote the growth and eating of healthy foods, should be adopted (Benson & Koroshetz, 2022). Providing high-quality education to low-income communities of color can improve students’ health and promote health equity (Benson & Koroshetz, 2022). To sum it up, all initiatives adopted should aim at decreasing the effects caused by social determinants of health in this vulnerable population. I assure you that you can count on my service to help promote health equity. Thank you for your time, and I wish you success in improving the population’s health.

Yours sincerely,

Your name and title

Credentials

Contact information

References

Benson, T., & Koroshetz, J. (2022). Health disparities: Research that matters. Stroke, 53(3), 663–669. https://doi.org/10.1161/strokeaha.121.035087

Di Palo, E., & Barone, J. (2020). Hypertension and heart failure. Heart Failure Clinics, 16(1), 99–106. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.hfc.2019.09.001

Ogunniyi, O., Commodore-Mensah, Y., & Ferdinand, C. (2021). Race, ethnicity, hypertension, and heart disease: JACC focus seminar 1/9. Journal of the American College of Cardiology, 78(24), 2460–2470. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jacc.2021.06.017

Spruce, L. (2019). Back to basics: Social determinants of health. AORN Journal, 110(1), 60–69. https://doi.org/10.1002/aorn.12722

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Advocacy to Impact Population Health Through Written Testimony

Discussion

Purpose

The purpose of this discussion is to demonstrate advocacy skills in health policy related to the selected population and practice problem. This week, you discovered that the DNP-prepared nurse needs to develop an advocacy plan to impact healthcare policy with an emphasis on population health. In this discussion, you will create written testimony that can be used to advocate for change to improve the outcomes for your selected population and practice problem.

Instructions

Review the lesson and readings about advocacy, especially the Jurns (2019) article on ISBAR. Then, using the population, population problem, and policy from previous weeks, prepare written testimony advocating for policy change or implementation. Using the ISBAR format presented by Jurns (2019), provide written testimony about policy change you would like to propose. You may address any policymaker from the local to national level but please identify your audience.

(I) Identify

Address the person to whom you are speaking.

Introduce self and provide credentials.

Present expertise/experience and interest in issue.

(S) Situation

Describe the issue.

Identify the policy and provide the bill name and number if applicable.

Present the consequences if the policy is not enacted using data.

(B) Background

Acknowledge the decisionmaker’s interests.

Restate your expertise and ability to comment on the issue.

Share a personal note of interest or brief story.

(A) Assessment

Give your expert professional assessment of the situation.

Provide evidence supporting how the policy positively affects stakeholders.

Identify support from stakeholders, special interest groups, and/or coalitions.

(R) Recommendation/Request

Offer your recommendation for a course of action.

Thank the policymaker for their time/attention.

Offer your assistance and expertise.

Salutation

Your name and title

Credentials

Contact information

Please click on the following link to review the DNP Discussion Guidelines on the Student Resource Center program page:

Link (webpage): DNP Discussion GuidelinesLinks to an external site.

Program Competencies

This discussion enables the student to meet the following program competencies:

Analyzes health care policies to advocate for equitable health care and social justice to all populations and those at risk due to social determinants of health. (POs 2, 9)

Translates a synthesis of research and population data to support preventative care and improve the nation’s health. (PO 1)

Leads others in professional identity, advanced clinical judgment, systems thinking, resilience, and accountability in selecting, implementing, and evaluating clinical care. (PO 1)

Course Outcomes

This discussion enables the student to meet the following course outcomes:

Critically analyze the history, formation, and implementation of local, state and national health policies from the perspectives of stakeholders and the profession of nursing. (PC 5; PO 2)

Synthesize ethical and legal principles to advocate for value-based, equitable, and ethical health policies at the micro, meso, and macrosystem levels. (PC 5; PO 9)

Assimilate epidemiology principles and interventions to impact the social determinants of health, Global Burden of Disease, and population health outcomes. (PCs 7, 8; PO 1)

Formulate strategies for providing culturally relevant and high-quality healthcare to vulnerable and high-risk populations to address social injustice and health inequities. (PCs 7, 8; PO 1)

Demonstrate collaborative interprofessional leadership and political competency to develop and implement healthcare policy to improve healthcare delivery and population health outcomes. (PC 5; PO 2)