A close study of California’s policy responses to the mental health crisis reveals that funding mental health services in the community is the most valuable and helpful solution. The goal of this policy is to make it easier for people in the community to get mental health services and to make mental health care more proactive, welcoming, and effective. In line with the holistic care philosophy of nursing, it stresses the importance of community support for mental health treatment and prevention.
This policy choice is crucial for nurses. Nurses are critical to mental health care because they take care of patients directly. By pushing for funding for community-based services, nurses can make sure that patients get complete, on-time care outside of the hospital that is sensitive to their culture. This helps nurses do their jobs as teachers, caregivers, and leaders in preventing illness and promoting health, and it improves the health of their patients. The policy lets nurses work in places with lots of resources that match the preventive and whole-person care training they have had, with a focus on early intervention and ongoing support (Kwame & Petrucka, 2021).
The “selling point” of this policy is that it can help build a robust, community-based mental health care system that lowers the number of times people have to go back to the hospital, stops mental health crises from getting worse, and treats their underlying causes in a way that is sensitive to different cultures. Manderius et al. (2023) say that this strategy meets the medical needs of the community and improves mental health resilience. This policy should be a top priority for nursing advocacy and health policy development because community-based care can improve the health of many people. As Siantz et al. (2023) say, nurses can spread the word about patient-centred care and how it helps patients, communities, and healthcare systems.
The nurse with a master’s degree promotes and follows this policy in a number of ways. These advanced practice nurses can make policies, execute them, and evaluate their effectiveness. They can make community-based mental health programs and add them to existing healthcare services (Wiedermann et al., 2023) by using their clinical knowledge, leadership skills, and knowledge of the healthcare system to push for funding. Master’s-level nurses can also raise awareness and help prevent mental illness by telling their patients, coworkers, and the community about available services.
People who work in mental health, community leaders, lawmakers, and patients all have an impact on health policy. To make the policy work, these groups must work together. Mental health professionals know what the community needs and have clinical knowledge. Leaders in the community can help make services fit the needs of the area’s culture and people, and policymakers can help with legal and financial support. Patients and their families can give helpful feedback on how well and how easily mental health services are available. This makes sure that the policies continue to meet the needs of the people they help.
To sum up, the best way to fix California’s mental health crisis is to give money to community-based mental health services. As a nurse, I believe in holistic and preventive care, and this program offers long-term, all-inclusive mental health care. Making this policy a top priority can completely change mental health services in California and make sure that everyone has the help and resources they need to live long healthy lives.
References
Kwame.A & Petrucka.P. (2021). A literature-based study of patient-centred care and communication in nurse-patient interactions: barriers, facilitators, and the way forward. BMC Nursing, 20(1). https://doi.org/10.1186/s12912-021-00684-2
Manderius.C, Clintståhl, K., Sjöström, K., & Örmon, K. (2023). The psychiatric mental health nurse’s ethical considerations regarding the use of coercive measures – a qualitative interview study. BMC Nursing, 22(1). https://doi.org/10.1186/s12912-023-01186-z
Siantz, E., Hiller, S., Ojeda, V. D., & Gilmer, T. P. (2023). Barriers to Accessing Mental Health Care under the Mental Health Services Act: A Qualitative Case Study in Orange County, California. Community Mental Health Journal, 59(2), 381-390.
Wiedermann, C. J., Barbieri, V., Plagg, B., Marino, P., Giuliano Piccoliori, & Engl, A. (2023). Fortifying the Foundations: A Comprehensive Approach to Enhancing Mental Health Support in Educational Policies amidst Crises. Healthcare, 11(10), 1423–1423. https://doi.org/10.3390/healthcare11101423
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