Identify and provide a brief description of the population health concern you selected. Explain how each of the presidential administrations approached the issue.

Name: Academic Research Bureau
Item: Academic Research Bureau
Rating: 5
Author: Shawn Chamberlain

Mental health is an issue affecting most of the citizens in the country. In the contemporary society many people are thought to have mental illnesses. Statistics shows that many people are dealing with depression and this has led to increased suicides and drug use in the country. Through legal action some presidents have been able to address the issue, although it is clear that with the current strain of life brought up by the pandemic the increased cost of living there will be more people needing mental health attention.

Table of Contents

Agenda Comparison Grid and Fact Sheet

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.

To Prepare:

Review the agenda priorities of the current/sitting U.S. president and at least one previous presidential administration.
Select an issue related to healthcare that was addressed by two U.S. presidential administrations (current and previous).
Consider how you would communicate the importance of a healthcare issue to a legislator/policymaker or a member of their staff for inclusion on an agenda.
Use your Week 1 Discussion post to help with this assignment.

The Assignment: (1- to 2-page Comparison Grid, 1-Page Analysis, and 1-page narrative) with a title page. This is an APA paper. Use 2-3 course resources and at least 2 outside resources.

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 previous president, and their agendas related to the population health concern you selected. Be sure to address the following:

Identify and provide a brief description of the population health concern you selected.
Explain how each of the presidential administrations approached the issue.
Identify the allocation of resources that the presidents dedicated to this issue.

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 (like HHS, CDC, FDA, OHSA) would most likely be responsible for helping you address the healthcare issue you selected and why is this agency the most helpful for the issue?
How do you think your selected healthcare issue might get on the presidential agenda? How does it stay there?
An entrepreneur/champion/sponsor helps to move the issue forward. Who would you choose to be the entrepreneur/champion/sponsor (this can be a celebrity, a legislator, an agency director, or others) of the healthcare issue you selected and why would this person be a good entrepreneur/ champion/sponsor? An example is Michael J. Fox is champion for Parkinson’s disease.

Part 3: Fact Sheet

Using the information recorded on the template in Parts 1 and 2, develop a 1-page fact sheet that you could use to communicate with a policymaker/legislator or a member of their staff for this healthcare issue. 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.

By Day 7 of Week 2

Submit your final version of Part 1: Agenda Comparison Grid, Part 2: Agenda Comparison Grid Analysis, and Part 3: Narrative.

Submission and Grading Information

To submit your completed Assignment for review and grading, do the following:

Please save your Assignment using the naming convention “WK2Assgn+last name+first initial.(extension)” as the name.
Click the Week 2 Assignment Rubric to review the Grading Criteria for the Assignment.
Click the Week 2 Assignment link. You will also be able to “View Rubric” for grading criteria from this area.
Next, from the Attach File area, click on the Browse My Computer button. Find the document you saved as “WK2Assgn+last name+first initial.(extension)” and click Open.
If applicable: From the Plagiarism Tools area, click the checkbox for I agree to submit my paper(s) to the Global Reference Database.
Click on the Submit button to complete your submission.

Expert Answer and Explanation

Agenda Comparison Grid and Fact Sheet or Talking Points Brief Assignment Template for Part 1 and Part 2

Part 1: Agenda Comparison Grid

Use this Agenda Comparison Grid to document information about the population health/healthcare issue your selected and the presidential agendas. By completing this grid, you will develop a more in depth understanding of your selected issue and how you might position it politically based on the presidential agendas.

You will use the information in the Part 1: Agenda Comparison Grid to complete the remaining Part 2 and Part 3 of your Assignment.

Identify the Population Health concern you selected.	Mental Health
Describe the Population Health concern you selected and the factors that contribute to it.	Mental health is an issue affecting most of the citizens in the country. In the contemporary society many people are thought to have mental illnesses. Statistics shows that many people are dealing with depression and this has led to increased suicides and drug use in the country. Through legal action some presidents have been able to address the issue, although it is clear that with the current strain of life brought up by the pandemic the increased cost of living there will be more people needing mental health attention.
Administration (President Name)	(President Joe Biden)	(Bill Clinton)	(Jimmy Carter)
Describe the administrative agenda focus related to this issue for the current and two previous presidents.	He is the current president and his administration has worked on ensuring that mental health focuses on children, by first seeking to address the needs of the children whose lives have been changed by the pandemic (Canady, 2022). Additionally, he aims to destigmatize mental in the community and further making community behavioral centers funding permanent.	His contribution to mental health is best known when he hosted the first White House Conference on mental health. He further signed in the Mental Health Parity Act (MHPA) which aimed to address discrimination when covering mental illness (Barry et al. 2010).	This president was the first to seriously focus on mental health by signing the Mental Health Systems Act of 1980 which aimed to expand community health mental services. Additionally dedicated $800 million to fight the current mental health issues in the community, and this commenced the nation awareness of mental illness in the country (Grob, 2005). Through this contribution, he played a framework where mental health issues have been addressed with increased acceptance and with enough resources in the community.
Identify the allocations of financial and other resources that the current and two previous presidents dedicated to this issue.	Biden has contributed financially by promising that he aims to making funding the community behavioral centers permanent. This will go a long way in addressing the increased mental health in the country (Canady, 2022). Additionally, he has been addressing the issues experienced concerning the mental health, with a special focus on children unlike the previous presidents.	While there is no record of financial contributions made by Bill Clinton to address mental health, he was very vocal about it and further hosted several conferences on ways of increasing acceptance of the issues in the society (Barry et al. 2010). He also signed into law the Mental health Parity Act which fights disparities based on one’s mental health.	Carter is known to commence the movement on mental health and to bring the issue into public limelight. Through his contribution, he dedicated $800 million over the four years he was president to address the mental issues. Additionally, he signed in the Mental Health Systems Act of 1980 which was further dedicated to address the mental health issues.
Explain how each of the presidential administrations approached the issue.	Biden has approached the issue arguing that more people in the country are having mental health issues and that there are inadequate resources. Currently a big number of people in the country are depressed and this shows how important it is for the president to address mental health especially since the pandemic first struck.	Bill Clinton approached the issue by noting that there is a lot of discrimination experienced by people who got treatment for mental health issues and therefore most people tend to refuse to having the illness hence causing more severe symptoms. He argued that by addressing the stigmatization, it will be possible to have a healthier nation.	Carter approached the issue by noting the inadequate resources present in addressing mental health (Palpant et al. 2006). Through his approach, he was able to dedicate a lot of finances in addressing mental health and this further ensured that more people can have access to treatment facilities. He also sought to end stigma related to the issue.

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)	(Joe Biden)	(Bill Clinton )	(Jimmy Carter)
Which administrative agency would most likely be responsible for helping you address the healthcare issue you selected?	The administrative agency that would be most useful in addressing the issue is the Certified Community Behavioral Health Clinics (CCBHCs) which will be offering mental health levels down to the grass root levels.	The department of labor would be most influential agency under this president. He wanted to ensure that there are no disparities at the workplace based on mental health reports (Barry et al. 2010). Therefore focusing on the department of labor would ensure that I observe if there is discrimination practiced.	The best agency would be community mental health agency (Grob, 2005). Carter had increased funding for the agency and further worked to ensure that there is increased training to increase the professionalism of people covering the ailment.
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 current president has ensured that this is among the top of his agendas especially because of the COVID pandemic which greatly affected the mental health of most Americans (Canady, 2022). It will stay at the top of his agenda until statistics show a reduction of people suffering from mental health in the country.	The selected issue was on the agenda of the president but he was greatly limited by funding and this inhibited the developments and proposals he made on mental health.	The issue was on the top agenda and he worked hard to ensure that it was well implemented. Even after his retirement, he continued addressing the issue by the establishment of the carter center (Palpant et al. 2006).
Who would you choose to be the entrepreneur/ champion/sponsor of the healthcare issue you selected for the current and two previous presidents?	In this case, I would choose the president himself as he is resourceful and has the right demeanor in addressing mental health in the country.	I believe that Bill Clinton would made a good advocate. However it would be important to ensure that he has access to funds as most of his projects stalled due to lack of funding.	I would have chosen Rosalynn Carter, the president ‘s wife as she is very interested in mental health and has gone out of her way to address more issues experienced in the country.

Note: Part 3: of the Module 1: Assignment: Agenda Comparison Grid and Fact Sheet or Talking Points Brief is a 1-page Fact Sheet or Talking Points Brief the you will create in a separate document.

Why This Healthcare Issue Is Important And Should Be Included In The Agenda For Legislation

Mental health issue in the country has bee increasingly important with 1 out of 5 people suffering from depression. Currently the current pandemic has further increased the susceptibility of people to mental health illness due to loss of their loved ones, loss of work, loss of properties and loneliness due to isolation and restriction of movements (Xie et al. 2022). Currently, the cost of living has gone exceptionally high and further sent more people into depression and this can cause a hopeless state in the country To prevent suicides and homicides it is important to ensure that mental health has been avidly addressed and that there is legislation ensuring that it can be affordable to all people regardless of their income. This way, the country will be more productive and it is possible that the suicide rates will greatly decrease and that more people will be safe as everyone will have a chance to address their mental issues.

Role Of The Nurse In Agenda Setting For Healthcare Issues

It is important to understand that the nurse plays a crucial role as the patient’s advocate (Salmond & Echevarria, 2017). When compared to other people, the nurse has the most contact with patient and is likely to understand the issues they are facing better as compared to other people. Therefore it is important for the nurses to ensure that when they are treating patients, all the issues the patients are experiencing are addressed ad the only way this can happen is by being more active in legislation and creating agenda for policies involving healthcare (Oldland et al. 2020). Additionally, they can offer insight on the current health issues being experienced hence offering a sense of direction to an administration wants to improve health in the country.

References

Barry, C. L., Huskamp, H. A., & Goldman, H. H. (2010). A political history of federal mental health and addiction insurance parity. The Milbank Quarterly, 88(3), 404-433.

Canady, V. A. (2022). President Biden’s national strategy to support MH workforce, address crisis. Mental Health Weekly, 32(10), 1-3.

Grob, G. N. (2005). Public policy and mental illnesses: Jimmy Carter’s presidential commission on mental health. The Milbank Quarterly, 83(3), 425-456.

Oldland, E., Botti, M., Hutchinson, A. M., & Redley, B. (2020). A framework of nurses’ responsibilities for quality healthcare—Exploration of content validity. Collegian, 27(2), 150-163.

Palpant, R. G., Steimnitz, R., Bornemann, T. H., & Hawkins, K. (2006). The Carter Center Mental Health Program: addressing the public health crisis in the field of mental health through policy change and stigma reduction. Preventing chronic disease, 3(2).

Salmond, S. W., & Echevarria, M. (2017). Healthcare transformation and changing roles for nursing. Orthopedic nursing, 36(1), 12.

Xie, Y., Xu, E., & Al-Aly, Z. (2022). Risks of mental health outcomes in people with covid-19: cohort study. bmj, 376.