Public health
Southern New Hampshire University
Courtney Roberts
HCM-320
Mrs. Annette Webster
22 May 2022
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Introduction
This paper will address an audience regarding a topic in public health. The topic chosen
is mental health and care for veterans. This paper will explain to the audience the nature of the
chosen topic to enable them to understand and appreciate the presentation. Secondly, the paper
will give the audience mental health. In addition to the related social-economic factors and the
health care organizations impacted.
The nature of mental health
The nature of my chosen topic arose from the increased cases of suicide and attempted
suicide cases filed in recent years. The alarming rate of suicide among veterans, to be specific,
got my attention and made me look into the critical issue of mental health. Whenever we talk
about retired soldiers, what comes into our minds is the immense contribution to our safety and
national pride. We may have a glimpse of only what goes on during wars and after, but we dont
have the privilege to live through the lives of the veterans. We dont know what goes on during
wars and after they return. Do veterans return home safely? What is their state of mind when
they return home? What happens next after the assignment? These are mental probing questions
that, when they find no solutions or desired outcome, develop into feelings of loss, confusion,
failure, and unresolved question, which later develop into mental illness. Therefore, the nature of
this presentation is to assess these questions to understand how mental illness affects veterans.
Economic challenges
The lead cause of mental illness lies alongside the line of economic disparities. When
veterans return from designated destinations or retire from their duties, harsh realities about the
economy hit them hard (Watson et al.,2022). This is a result of inflation; when the general prices
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of commodities increase with low income, this leads to unsatisfied needs, leading to increased
stress levels, thus resulting in mental illness. Increased national expenditure leads to allocating of
funds to another sector of the economy, depriving the veterans of the funds for post-war therapy
sessions, leading to deteriorating mental health (Ansley and Szymanski, 2020). The other
economic barrier is the budget deficit. This arises when there is an increased need to cover the
expenses of a country, and a small allocation of resources toward the veterans social services,
thereby leading to increased poverty levels which results in mental illness.
Social-economic factors
The social-economic factors are what affect how we relate to each other. They entail
gender, income, age, and basic human interactions. Gender-based violence against retired
veterans, either on the line of duty or outside, can impose heavily on the mental status of the
veterans. Secondly, the income level, when veterans are in a position where they can not provide
the basic needs for their families, they tend to have a lot of stress and low self-esteem when
interacting with fellow peers who are employed, therefore subjecting themselves to mental
turmoil.
The next cause of mental illness is failed relationships. Most veterans spend most of their
time away from their families (Graham et al.,2019). When they return, the same amount of time
is also used to look for other opportunities, thus leading to strained family relationships, which
drive many veterans into depression and eventually mental illness.
Health care organizations impacted
The major health care organization impacted by mental health care is the WHO(World
Health Organization). The health organization has researched the possible causes of mental
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health to understand and curb its effects. WHO issued a directive for mental health starting from
(2019-to 2023). This directive included universal health coverage for mental health to enable
access to efficient mental health coverage for all affected patients (Carras et al.,2018). This has
been a great step towards healing and restoring good mental health.
Conclusion
In summary, mental health is real. Its always great to ensure that, once in a while, we check up
on each other, catch up, and talk things out. Mental health is a menace that destroys lives, and
anyone can be in a position where they are affected mentally. Therefore, it is always important to
find ways to avoid national disasters.
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References
Ansley, H., & Szymanski, A. (2020). Should Veterans Disability Compensation be Conditioned
upon Veterans Working Towards Rehabilitation and Return to Employment. UDC/DCSL
L. Rev., 23, 151.
Carras, M. C., Kalbarczyk, A., Wells, K., Banks, J., Kowert, R., Gillespie, C., & Latkin, C.
(2018). Connection, meaning, and distraction: A qualitative study of video game play and
mental health recovery in veterans treated for mental and/or behavioral health
problems. Social Science & Medicine, 216, 124-132.
Graham, S., Depp, C., Lee, E. E., Nebeker, C., Tu, X., Kim, H. C., & Jeste, D. V. (2019).
Artificial intelligence for mental health and mental illnesses: an overview. Current
psychiatry reports, 21(11), 1-18.
Watson, J. D., McDonald, S. D., Henry, R. S., Pugh Jr, M., Kuzu, D., & Perrin, P. B. (2022).
Pain, mental health, life satisfaction, and understanding from others in veterans with
spinal cord injury. Rehabilitation Psychology.
HCM 320 Milestone One Template
Use this template to compile important information and resources for your final project
presentation.
1. Public Health Issue Topic: Identify the public health issue you will use as a basis for your
final project presentation. Briefly describe why you choose this topic.
The topic that I have decided upon lies under mental health. My focus will major on health
care for veterans as my specific topic in the umbrella of mental health. The reason as to why
I chose this topic is that. First, Im a mental health advocate and I aspire to know more
about mental health, and second, is that I have had people who I know to be veterans. They
have had challenging experiences which has changed their lives and mental state. Therefore,
my research is based in understanding how this comes to be.
2. Economic Forces: Briefly describe some economic forces related to your public health issue.
Macroeconomic factors
National income; Low income leads to depression of veterans and hence a greater cause for
depression and suicide attempt. Whereas, a high income relieves anxiety levels and good
mental health.
National expenditure; When government allocates fund to treat mental illness, thus
spending the chances of mental illness become minimal (Docrat et al.,2019). Through
government mental programs for veterans the risks of mental illness become contained.
Budget deficit: Veterans, who suffer from mental illness become affected, when the
expenses of a country becomes more than the revenue acquired, this means that their mental
budget is reduced.
Inflation; General increase of goods and services leads to high cost of living, this leads to
depression, thus increased in mental health cases to the veterans.
Microeconomic Forces
Poverty; Increased mental health care cost is a great force that prevents early diagnosis and
treatment of mental health care of the veterans.
Low income; Veterans earning a lower income, tend to suffer from mental health due to the
influence of employment and earning potential.
Debts; This has been the lead cause of depression, anxiety and increased heart rates.
Microeconomic Forces:
Unemployment; veterans who are unemployed suffer from mental health due to depression
and the act of overthinking, and the urge to be providers.
3. Key Regulation Policy: Determine economic policies or regulations that currently apply to
your public health issue.
The key regulation policy was signed under public law 116-171 into law (Green et al.,2021).
This regulation policy was set to facilitate the transitioning from military life to civilian life.
In addition, it was set to prevent mental illness, suicide attempts, promote mental health
research and to increase a huge number of mental health professionals.
4.Benefits and Consequences: Identify the perceived benefits and consequences resulting from
the legislation supporting your public health issue.
Benefits of supporting the mental health of the veterans entails; One, legislation of
veteran mental health helps patients prevent suicide attempts through training programmes and
therapy sessions.
Two, legislation of mental laws leads to employment opportunities for mental health
professionals. However, the downside includes, Patients may suffer from stigma in the society
when the openly seek and receive help (Botero et al.,2020). This is because veterans are
perceived to be strong. Second, patients may pretend to be okay so as not to be incorporated to
mental health programs.
4. Impact of Regulation or Policy: Describe the economic impact resulting from the
legislation supporting your public health issue.
The veterans mental health and other care improvements Act of 2008.provided for
screening and care for veteran mental health, through national funding program (Brunet et
al.,2020). . This was a huge relief to soldiers who could not afford the services.
5. References: Provide links or citations for three scholarly resources that you will use to
support your ideas regarding your public health issue.
1. Brunet, N., Moore, D. T., Lendvai Wischik, D., Mattocks, K. M., & Rosen, M. I. (2020). Increasing
buprenorphine access for veterans with opioid use disorder in rural clinics using
telemedicine. Substance abuse, 1-8.
https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/08897077.2020.1728466
2. Botero Jr, G., Rivera, N. I., Calloway, S. C., Ortiz, P. L., Edwards, E., Chae, J., & Geraci, J. C.
(2020). A lifeline in the dark: Breaking through the stigma of veteran mental health and treating
America’s combat veterans. Journal of Clinical Psychology, 76(5), 831-840.
https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1002/jclp.22918
3. Docrat, S., Besada, D., Cleary, S., Daviaud, E., & Lund, C. (2019). Mental health system costs,
resources and constraints in South Africa: a national survey. Health policy and planning, 34(9),
706-719. https://academic.oup.com/heapol/article-abstract/34/9/706/5572608
4. Green, V. R., Panangala, S. V., Sussman, J. S., Sarata, A. K., Mendez, B. H., & Nicchitta, I. A. (2021,
July). Commander John Scott Hannon Veterans Mental Health Care Improvement Act of 2019
(PL 116-171) and Veterans COMPACT Act of 2020 (PL 116-214)[July 19, 2021]. In Library of
Congress. Congressional Research Service (No. CRS Report for Congress, R46848). Library of
Congress. Congressional Research Service.
https://www.hsdl.org/?abstract&did=857118
HCM 320 Milestone Three Guidelines and Rubric
Overview: For Milestone Three, you will address the critical elements in the Evaluation of Policy section of your final project and write a letter to the
stakeholders involved to describe and defend your proposed policy. Stakeholders could include policy makers, healthcare providers, insurers, and healthcare
consumers.
Your letter should include background on the key health issue and your assumption of the positive and negative impacts inferred by existing policies (e.g.,
unintended consequences or public reaction). The document should not be based solely on emotion, though it should not be divorced of sentiment, as it needs
to rouse the proper energy to effect change. The goal of the document is to convince the reader that your proposed policy will improve the U.S. healthcare
system in terms of quality, costs, and accessibility.
Submit your analysis in a letter format that you may use to develop speakers notes for your final presentation.
Prompt: Write a letter to a stakeholder to describe and defend your proposed policy.
Specifically, the following critical elements must be addressed:
I.
Evaluation of Policy
A. Discuss the current economic and legal landscape related to your public health issue. To what extent do existing policies (or the lack thereof)
have positive or negative impacts to the American healthcare system?
B. Explain your proposed policy using evidence and examples to illustrate.
1. What are the specific operational strategies that you believe are necessary for addressing your chosen issue and why?
2. What role do the major healthcare organizations play in your proposed policy? To what extent can their position in the marketplace be
harnessed?
C. Defend your proposed policy for addressing the public health issue with specific research and evidence.
1. How will your proposed public policy improve the American healthcare system in terms of healthcare quality, costs, and accessibility?
2. In what ways is your proposed policy informed by the larger socioeconomic factors that can influence public health?
Rubric
Guidelines for Submission: Your paper must be submitted as a 2- to 3-page Microsoft Word document with double spacing, 12-point Times New Roman font,
one-inch margins, and at least three sources cited in APA format.
Critical Elements
Evaluation of Policy:
Current Landscape
Proficient (100%)
Discusses the current economic and
legal landscape related to the public
health issue, including to what extent
existing policies have positive or
negative impacts on the healthcare
system
Evaluation of Policy:
Explain: Operational
Strategies
Explains the proposed policy in terms
of the specific operational strategies
and why they are necessary for
addressing the public health issue
Explains the proposed policy in terms
of the role the major healthcare
organizations can play to harness their
market position for addressing the
public health issue
Defends the proposed policy by
explaining how it will improve the
American healthcare system in terms
of healthcare quality, costs, and
accessibility
Defends the proposed policy by
explaining how it is informed by the
larger socioeconomic factors that
influence public health
Submission has no major errors related
to citations, grammar, spelling, syntax,
or organization
Evaluation of Policy:
Explain: Healthcare
Organizations
Evaluation of Policy:
Defend: Improve
Evaluation of Policy:
Defend: Informed
Articulation of Response
Needs Improvement (75%)
Discusses the current economic and
legal landscape related to the public
health issue, but fails to fully or
accurately qualify the extent to which
existing policies have positive or
negative impacts on the healthcare
system
Explains the proposed policy, but fails
to detail the specific operational
strategies and why they are necessary
for addressing the public health issue
Explains the proposed policy, but fails
to detail the specific ways in which the
major healthcare organizations can
harness their market position to
address the public health issue
Defends the proposed policy, but fails
to fully or logically explain how it will
improve the American healthcare
system in terms of healthcare quality,
costs, and accessibility
Defends the proposed policy, but fails
to fully or logically explain how it is
informed by the larger socioeconomic
factors that influence public health
Submission has major errors related to
citations, grammar, spelling, syntax, or
organization that negatively impact
readability and articulation of main
ideas
Not Evident (0%)
Does not discuss the current economic
and legal landscape related to the
public health issue
Value
18
Does not explain the proposed policy in
terms of the necessary operational
strategies
18
Does not explain the proposed policy in
terms of the role of the major
healthcare organizations in addressing
the public health issue
18
Does not defend the proposed policy in
terms of how it will improve the
American healthcare system
18
Does not defend the proposed policy in
terms of how it is informed by larger
socioeconomic factors
18
Submission has critical errors related to
citations, grammar, spelling, syntax, or
organization that prevent
understanding of ideas
10
Total
100%
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