Lack of access to healthcare services, chronic disease management and health disparities are three critical challenges affecting the American low- and middle-income families. Similarly, the above challenges prevent United States healthcare organizations from achieving excellent health outcomes, especially for chronic diseases that require long-term care and management. Nevertheless, I believe that physical, psychosocial and cultural considerations and community resources can contribute toward these challenges.
Lack of access to medical services
According to the National Library of Medicine (2018), people utilize healthcare services to diagnose, cure and alleviate injury. Others use healthcare services to access information about their health status. However, limited access to medical services is an impediment that subject these individuals to severe health condition. Considering the psychosocial, physical and cultural issues and scarce community resources, I recommend that the US Department of Health should create a team of community health volunteers. The community health volunteers will visit patients at their houses and offer the necessary treatment. The program will also issue a toll-free hotline number to all US residents so they can call when they have a health challenge. The program should begin in the new year and extend for one year.
The community health clinics will provide the necessary resources to all the volunteers when providing healthcare services to patients. They will provide transportation, equipment, social and emotional support to respective volunteers. Additionally, all patients will have the right to make consent before receiving any treatment from the doctors. The volunteers will also communicate ethically with patients from different cultural backgrounds. Autonomy and informed consent are vital priorities that volunteers will discuss with the patients before providing healthcare services.
Chronic Disease Management
Nurses and other healthcare practitioners play critical roles in managing chronic diseases. They help lower the progression of illness among patients, allowing them to have good mental status (NCBI, 2017). However, it is challenging to offer these services when community resources are scarce. Similarly, negative cultural beliefs towards chronic disease management can influence health outcomes in the community. Nevertheless, I propose that the Affordable Care Act, enacted in 2010, should be amended to offer medical support to all patients with severe medical conditions. Currently, patients are required to pay excessive out-of-pocket expenses to access care for their chronic medical conditions. Myerson and Crawford (2020) mention that ACA implementation and coverage for chronic illness have diminished significantly since 2017. Besides, ACA nurses will educate patients with negative cultural practices and beliefs toward healthcare to achieve positive health outcomes. The program should begin the new year and extend for three years.
Article 1, Section 8, Clause 18 of the US Federal Laws allows Congress to make all necessary and proper laws for execution (Constitution.Congress.gov, 2023). Therefore, with the help of Congress, I believe that the ACA will be amended to give excessive medical support to patients with chronic health conditions. Informed consent and respective patient cultural values is a priority in this intervention that the ACA nurse should discuss with the patient or family before providing the necessary medical care. The ACA nurse shall address questions regarding the safety of a treatment plan or patient information.
Health disparities
Health disparity is a chronic healthcare problem in the United States. According to Healthy People 2030, health disparity is linked with social, economic and environmental disadvantages. The National Library of Medicine assures that racial and ethnic disparities are arguably the main issues causing unequal access to healthcare services in the United States. Nevertheless, to cure this healthcare problem, I propose that the US Congress should pass policies that command the US healthcare organizations to cultivate diversity in their workplace. This policy will ensure that every healthcare facility shall have a sufficient number of healthcare practitioners from different cultural groups. The US House of Representatives should vote in favor of the policy and enact the US federal laws as soon as possible.
A diverse workplace will enable healthcare practitioners to provide health services to patients from different cultural backgrounds. It will include language barriers and inequality in healthcare. Once implemented, coordinators from different cultural backgrounds shall respect patients’ cultural values and the security of their health information. Nevertheless, patient confidentially is a priority that the coordinator will discuss with the patient. Article 1, Section 8, Clause 18 of the US federal laws allows the US Congress to implement necessary and proper laws (Constitution.Congress.gov, 2023). This is a policy that I believe will be effective in helping me achieve the patient-centered intervention. Perhaps it is a positive intervention towards positive health outcomes, mainly due to language barriers and culture-related challenges in healthcare.
References
Congress.gov. (2023). ArtI.S8.C18.1 overview of necessary and proper clause. https://constitution.congress.gov/browse/essay/artI-S8-C18-1/ALDE_00001242/[’14’,%20’amendment’]
Healthy People 2030. (2023). Health equity in healthy people 2030. Health Equity in Healthy People 2030 – Healthy People 2030. https://health.gov/healthypeople/priority-areas/health-equity-healthy-people-2030
Myerson, R., & Crawford, S. (2020). Coverage for Adults With Chronic Disease Under the First 5 Years of the Affordable Care Act. Medical care, 58(10), 861–866. https://doi.org/10.1097/MLR.0000000000001370
NCBI. (2017). The state of Health Disparities in the United States. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK425844/
NCBI. (2018). 2 factors that affect healthcare utilization – national center for … https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK500097/
Ndugga, N., & Artiga, S. (2023, May 24). Disparities in health and health care: 5 key questions and answers. KFF. https://www.kff.org/racial-equity-and-health-policy/issue-brief/disparities-in-health-and-health-care-5-key-question-and-answers/#:~:text=Racism%2C%20which%20the%20CDC%20defines,greater%20risk%20for%20poor%20health
write