Review the websites in the Resources and then select one topic (see below #1-4) for your discussion. You only need to choose one for your initial post. You will respond to your classmates on their topics. Your initial post should include literature searches and have an organized review of your thoughts which clearly reflects your understanding that is supported by scholarly, peer-reviewed references. Also, you will need to follow APA format which means following the correct format for APA in-text citations and a reference list at the end of your posts.
1. How does the definition of health affect the way we care for populations? How have settings for healthcare changed in recent decades?
2. What implications does expanding access to health care have for nurses and community health?
3. What is Healthy People 2030 and how does it influence the healthcare system related to a policy of prevention and improvement of health status?
4. What is epidemiology? How is a population€™s health measured?
Your original post is due by Friday 10:59 PM. You must respond to at least 2 of your classmates’ posts by Sunday 10:59 PM. Discuss things such as your opinion and analysis of the point mentioned, why you hold that opinion, what you see wrong or right with the point mentioned, how you see the point consistent/inconsistent with what you have learned so far, implications for the future, consistencies/inconsistencies within the article, readings, or reference material itself, and so forth. In other words, critiquing an article/reference material means analyzing the good and/or bad aspects of the material and justifying your analysis. Do not just tell us that the reference material states…. We already know this.
Discussion Board
One of the ways to address health inequalities is to expand healthcare access to vulnerable populations. The rise in chronic conditions and the increasing costs of care are preventing populations from accessing quality healthcare services. Health policies such as the Affordable Care Act (ACA) have expanded access to health care for United States populations (Maier et al., 2018; Cleveland et al, 2019). The purpose of this discussion is to explore the implications that expanding access to health care have for nurses and community health.
Expanding healthcare access has significant implications for nurses. According to Cleveland et al. (2019), health policies such as ACA that have expanded access to health care for populations continue to put pressure on the nurses to engage in innovation, utilize transformative leadership strategies, coordinate with major stakeholders, and advance healthcare quality. Nurses have a responsibility to engage in quality practices that reduce costs of care at both organizational and national levels. In this manner, the nation will be able to utilize its limited financial resources to ensure that people have continued access to healthcare services. The best way to achieve this is to advance their education in order to acquire additional knowledge and skills that they can apply to provide safe and quality health services to patients (Salmond & Echevarria, 2017). As the access to health care services for populations continues to expand, nurses are now becoming fully contributing members of interprofessional teams involved in providing care to populations. Again, their contributions to advocacy are increasing as they engage extensively in the development and implementation of population health policies.
Expanding access to care equally has great implications for community health. For instance, increasing access to health services for populations has been linked with positive health outcomes for communities. People with health coverage are able to receive quality and safe healthcare services at reduced costs (Maier et al., 2018; Cleveland et al., 2019). Generally, the expansion has promoted effective management of chronic illnesses and other diseases at the population level.
References
Cleveland, K.A., Motter, T., Smith, Y. (2019). Affordable care: Harnessing the power of nurses. OJIN: The Online Journal of Issues in Nursing, 24(2). Manuscript 2. doi: 10.3912/OJIN.Vol24No02Man02. https://doi.org/10.3912/OJIN.Vol24No02Man02.
Maier, C.B., Budde, H. & Buchan, J. (2018). Nurses in expanded roles to strengthen community-based health promotion and chronic care: policy implications from an international perspective; A commentary. Israel Journal of Health Policy Research, 7, 64. https://doi.org/10.1186/s13584-018-0257-5.
Salmond, S. W., & Echevarria, M. (2017). Healthcare transformation and changing roles for nursing. Orthopedic Nursing, 36(1), 12–25. https://doi.org/10.1097/NOR.0000000000000308