Healthcare Policy Brief Essay Assignment Sample

Healthcare Policy Brief Essay Assignment Sample

Healthcare Policy Brief Essay Assignment Sample

 NURS 8100 Health Policy Proposal Analysis (Policy Brief) Essay Assignment

The assignment:

This assignment will prepare you to be involved in changing policies by creating an objective policy brief. A policy brief is a concise summary of a particular issue, the policy options to deal with it, and some recommendations on the best option. This assignment has two parts, both of which should be submitted through the assignment portal by the due date and time.

What is a policy brief?

A short document presented to decision-makers providing the most essential information about a policy and presenting specific and detailed recommendations to improve a specific policy.  It should be both informative and persuasive.

 What assumptions should be made about your readers?

Your readers are policy-makers who may need to make a decision about the policy.  Assume the policy-makers do not have detailed knowledge about the policy.  Assume that the policy-makers are busy, and need to quickly understand your arguments.

Your readers do not necessarily share your opinion on the policy, on the policy problem, or even your values. Thus, language that assumes your readers share your worldview should be avoided.

General Requirements: 

Use the following information to ensure the successful completion of the assignment:

Healthcare Policy Brief Essay Assignment Sample Question

• Everything about a policy brief should be designed with the reader (a policy decision-maker) in mind.  The format should be professional, and it should look and be easy to read. Consider using bold or italicized fonts, bullets to identify a list, single or multiple-column formats, etc.
• Use specific headings to tell your story, to communicate your take-home message, and to entice your audience to read further.
• No APA cover page, nor running heads, are needed.
• All arguments and recommendations should be evidence-based. Relevant evidence (statistics, research findings about the impact of your policy, etc.) and citations must be used to justify your policy analyses and your recommendations.
• All words, ideas, data, graphics, etc. that you have learned or gotten from other sources must be cited using either in-text citations or footnotes.  All citations must include the author’s name(s) and year, and you must include a complete reference list consistent with APA requirements at the end of your brief.
• This assignment requires that at least two additional scholarly research sources related to this topic, and at least one in-text citation from each source be included.
• Turnitin will be used to evaluate this assignment.

Directions: Order a custom nursing paper on Health Policy Proposal Analysis (Policy Brief)

Part One: (2 single-spaced pages)

Write a policy brief regarding an issue relevant to health policy of approximately 2 single-spaced pages. You need to make sure to address and discuss all points necessary to educate and persuade your policymaker readers, but should be mindful to avoid any extraneous language or information not directly relevant to your analysis.

Include the following:

1. Executive summary
2. Introduction
3. Approaches and results
4. Conclusion
5. Implications and recommendations
6. Graphics and tables may be included as appropriate
7. ***include $$ considerations

Part Two: (1 single-spaced page)

1. Locate the contact information for a state, local, or federal official for your area.
2. Locate information regarding the official’s stance on the issue you discuss in your policy brief.
3. Write an official a letter that explains your position and offers suggestions on how the official should move forward with the agenda from your policy brief. Include the brief as an attachment. (1 single-spaced page)

Related  questions around this assignment;

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Healthcare Policy Brief Rubric
Criteria	Ratings	Pts
This criterion is linked to a Learning Outcome Part One: Policy Brief Required Elements: 1. Executive summary 2. Introduction 3. Approaches and results 4. Conclusion 5. Implications and recommendations **Graphics and tables may be included as appropriate (***include $$ considerations)	50 to >45.0 pts Above Average 45 to >30.0 pts Average 30 to >0 pts Below Average	50 pts
This criterion is linked to a Learning Outcome Part Two: Letter/Email 1. State, local, or federal official for student’s area chosen. 2. Evidence of student researching the official’s stance on the issue noted in the letter/email. 3. Professionally written letter or e-mail explaining: -Student’s position on the issue -Suggestions on how the official should move forward with the agenda from your policy brief 4. Policy brief as an attachment	35 to >32.0 pts Above Average 32 to >25.0 pts Average 25 to >0 pts Below Average	35 pts
This criterion is linked to a Learning Outcome Formatting/Grammar & Punctuation Formatted using APA as described in the assignment. Grammar & Punctuation	15 to >13.0 pts Above Average 1-2 errors 13 to >9.0 pts Average 3-5 errors 9 to >0 pts Below Average > 5 errors	15 pts
Total Points: 100

Get a perfect essay nursing paper on Health Policy Proposal Analysis (Policy Brief)

The sample answer:

Healthcare Policy Brief Assignment

Part One

Novel Strategies for Reducing Substance Abuse and Drug Overdose

Executive summary

Substance abuse and drug overdose have inherently been critical health concerns in the United States. They are the leading causes of injury deaths along with social ills, related crimes, loss of productivity, poor health, and so on (Bryant, 2021). According to Swint (2009), every year, more than 130,000 Americans die due to Substance abuse and drug overdose, while the healthcare sector spends more than $275 billion on the same. Addressing the problem requires implementing promising and effective strategies for preventing, treating, and enforcing laws against substance abuse. Law enforcement should be complemented with early prevention of drug use onset and treatment of addicts, as discussed in this paper (Swint, 2009). Healthcare Policy Brief Essay Assignment Sample.

Introduction: Order a custom paper on Health Policy Proposal Analysis (Policy Brief)

Novel Strategies for Reducing Substance Abuse and Drug Overdosewill analyze effective strategies the US can consider to reduce the country’s growing use of illicit drugs and drug abuse. The current opioid epidemic further heightens the problem. According to the National Institute on Drug Abuse (2019), about 50,000 deaths were caused by opioid-involved overdoses in the United States in 2019. Almost 21 million people in the US struggle with at least one drug addiction (AddictionCentre, 2021). Among them, only 10% receive treatment. Therefore, there is an urgent need to take drastic measures to address the situation.

Approaches and Results

Many effective approaches have been proposed to curb the problem of substance abuse and drug overdose in the country. One is enhancing the ability of countries to provide drug abuse prevention services at the local level. A study conducted by the SAPT block grant reported Substance Abuse Prevention and Treatment (SAPT) Block Grant resulted in positive outcomes, such as reduced use of alcohol and other drugs, lowered involvement of the criminal justice system, and increased employment (Bryant, 2021). Additionally, the government can enforce adherence to the CDC Evidence-Based Prescribing Practices providedin the Guideline for Prescribing Opioids for Chronic Pain. A study conducted in Kaiser Permanente Southern California (KPSC) by Losby et al. (2017) found that adherence to the CDC guidelines reduced high-quantity prescriptions and high-dose opioid prescriptions. Order for nursing essay help on Health Policy Proposal Analysis (Policy Brief)

Conclusion

Substance abuse and drug overdose is a crisis in the US and should be addressed gently. This can effectively be done only by a collaboration among health, law enforcement, and social service urgencies. It is a problem that will affect individuals and the entire nation, as seen with the high mortality and government expenses associated with substance abuse and drug overdose. As such, legislators must take deliberate steps to enact policies that mandate the implementation of most of the viable strategies that have been proposed and empirically proven to curb the situation. Healthcare Policy Brief Essay Assignment Sample

Implications and recommendations

• Enhancing Compliance with Evidence-Based Prescribing Practices by enforcing adherence to the CDC Guideline for Prescribing Opioids for Chronic Pain. This move will reduce the prescription of high opioid doses and drug amounts.
• Increasing FY 2021 emergency and regular appropriations levels for the Substance Abuse Prevention and Treatment (SAPT) Block Grant in future appropriations. This will improve the positive results realized by SAPT (Bryant, 2021).
• Increasing FY 2021 emergency and regular appropriations levels for the Community and Mental Health Services (CMHS) Block Grant in future appropriations. This will improve the positive results realized by CMHS (Bryant, 2021). 

Graphics and Tables

Figure 1: A Pie Chart Showing the Distribution of the Cost of Drug and Alcohol Abuse in the US reported by Recovery Centers of America (2016)

Figure 2: Drug abuse infographic obtained from UK Addiction Treatment Centers (2018)

Financial Considerations

Though there is a high monetary cost associated with implementing these policies, the statistics released by the Recovery Centers of Americain 2019 can show the annual savings successful implementation of these strategies will bring, as shown below.

Costs	Cost (in Thousands)	Double Counting Adjustment (12.29%)	% of Direct + Indirect	% of  Total
Health	96,034,026	84,229,252	15	5.8
Productivity Loss	385,853,292	338,423,117	59	23.3
Crime, Law Enforcement, Criminal Justice	96,402,325	84,552,279	15	5.8
Research and Prevention	1,767,099	1,549,883	0.27	0.11
Fires	1,807,558	1,585,368	0.27	0.11
Public Assistance and Social Services	17,975,012	15,765,473	2.73	1.09
Traffic Collisions	59,370,133	52,072,189	9.01	3.58
Direct & Indirect Subtotal	659,209,446	578,177,561	100	40
+ Intangible Costs (Quality of Life Lost)	997,007,245	874,452,302	151	60
Direct, Indirect, Intangible Total	1,656,216,692	1,452,629,863

Healthcare Policy Brief Essay Assignment Sample

Part Two

The Honorable Sheila Jackson Lee is the incumbent United States House of Representatives of the 18th Congressional District of TEXAS, mainly covering central Houston. She is a strong advocate for the eradication of drug abuse and drug overdose in the US. In 2018, she attended the Opening of the Memorial Medical Center’s Texas Rapid Drug Detox Center and said that “the need to address the rising numbers of Americans afflicted by the scourge of drug abuse is growing more urgent by the day, which is why I am grateful for the lives which will undoubtedly be saved by the United Memorial Medical Center’s Texas Rapid Drug Center” (Boney, 2018)

A letter to The Honorable Sheila Jackson Lee

The Honorable Sheila Jackson Lee

United States House of Representatives

The 18th Congressional District of TEXAS – Houston

1919 Smith Street, St. 1180

Houston 77002

 

Date: November 20, 2021

Re: Novel Strategies for Reducing Substance Abuse and Drug Overdose

Dear Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee,

The present statistics on Substance abuse and drug overdose in the US are still alarming despite the moves and efforts that have been put in place to address the situation. More than 130,000 Americans die due to Substance abuse and drug overdose every year. Opioid abuse alone caused nearly 50,000 deaths in 2019. Among the 21 million people suffering from substance abuse, only 10% are treated. All this evidence calls for rejuvenated efforts in this area.

This policy brief has given three significant recommendations to consider for better outcomes. Namely;

• Enhancing Compliance to Evidence-Based Prescribing Practices by enforcing adherence to the CDC Guideline for Prescribing Opioids for Chronic Pain.
• Increasing FY 2021 emergency and regular appropriations levels for the Substance Abuse Prevention and Treatment (SAPT) Block Grant in future appropriations.
• Increasing FY 2021 emergency and regular appropriations levels for the Community and Mental Health Services (CMHS) Block Grant in future appropriations. Healthcare Policy Brief Essay Assignment Sample

As explained herein, these strategies are associated with major savings (40% of the current cost of drug abuse) that will cover and justify the cost required for the implementation.

It is with confidence that I urge you to advocate for this policy in congress for its consideration. With this, the milestone you have been pushing for in the fight against Substance abuse and drug overdose will surely be met.

Sincerely,

 

Carls Thomas

Nurse Research

Houston Methodist Hospital

References

AddictionCentre. (2021). Statistics On Addiction in America. https://www.addictioncenter.com/addiction/addiction-statistics/

Boney, G. (2018). Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee Has Texas Rapid Drug Detox Center Dedicated in Her Honor. Forward Times Publishing Co. https://forwardtimes.com/congresswoman-sheila-jackson-lee-has-texas-rapid-drug-detox-center-dedicated-in-her-honor/

CDC. (2021). Preventing Opioid Overdoses among Rural Americans.

The reference list follows…….