This week we focused on healthcare policy initiatives and ways in which nurses can advocate and influence change. For our discussion, please complete the following:
1. Identify a healthcare issue within your community and explain the issue to your class colleagues. (You may use the same issue you identified in Week 2, but please expand your responses to address this week’s focus). Please review my post on week 2.
2. Describe the type of healthcare policy you would advocate for in an effort to change this issue.
3. What type of campaign would you need to launch in order to gather a network of support?
4. Compose a Tweet that describes what you have shared with your class colleagues. Remember, Twitter only allows for 140 characters so you will need to be concise.
Post week’s # 2
Explore a social determinant issue in your community that may be impacting quality of life or health care. Take a picture of this issue as it may be represented on a billboard, or like Dr. Riley, a bus stop. Upload that picture into the discussion.
Share your perspective about the social determinant issue with your class colleagues defining what role you might play in changing this social determinant in your community.
Unemployment is a serious social determinant issue that is affecting our society today. There are a lot of Americans who are searching for jobs currently and this is an indication of a very high level of unemployment. The social effects of unemployment range from financial stress, homelessness, poverty, poor nutrition, and crime, all of which affect the health of an individual. The longer an individual remains unemployed, the severe the effects of unemployment become. “Those who are unemployed report feelings of depression, anxiety, low self-esteem, demoralization, worry, and physical pain” (Health People.gov). Most lifestyle diseases related to stress such as high blood pressure, arthritis, stroke, anxiety, depression, and heart disease attack the poor. Both the physical and mental health are affected by situations such as lack of job security, underemployment, and workplace closure. Unemployment is the major cause of poverty and people who cannot be able to pay for better healthcare services. Health insurance, and proper sanitation. This is why there is a strong relationship between unemployment and poor health. According to Briody, Doyle, and Kelleher (2020), the health effects of unemployment are severe on children and young people who sometimes cannot attend school due to poverty and end up engaging in crime and drug and substance abuse. All these are detrimental to their health.
As a healthcare provider, I plan to use my role to ensure the public is aware of the health effects of unemployment and the importance of employment. I will provide educational programs to individual employees and the community at large which will focus on the long-term benefits of health and wellness. The goal of every healthcare provider is to ensure a healthier society where more and more people are supported by health nurturing jobs. This will allow people to earn enough to support their families’ wellbeing. To pursue this important public health and economic priority, I will request help from other stakeholders in the ministry of public health and the government. I will request all leaders at the community level to work with me in ensuring there is employment for the people.
The success of this initiative will also call for the participation of owners of large scale and small-scale businesses. They will help in the design and development of job training programs that are best suited to today’s employment requirements. They will also provide ideas on ways of maximizing job opportunities for the unemployed.
I will also be an advocate of the people and come up with policies such as the lowering of employment taxes such that there will be high labor demand. I will forge for discussions with employers and businesses to ensure a changed attitude towards employees, health, and community wellbeing. Other stakeholders who will contribute a lot to the creation of employment include the NGOs, different public health advocacies, social service workers, state and federal social benefit providers, and faith based organizations. They will help come up with different programs that may help generate jobs for the unemployed.
Compose a 140-character Tweet that describes what you have shared with the class. Remember Twitter only allows 140 characters so you will need to be concise. Share this Tweet in the discussion.
Tweet:
Unemployment has become the major cause of poor health among Americans. There is need for a collaboration between different stakeholders starting with the government, healthcare providers, and employers to ensure there are proper strategies of creating employment for the jobless.
References
Briody, J., Doyle, O., & Kelleher, C. (2020). The effect of local unemployment on health: A longitudinal study of Irish mothers 2001-2011. Economics & Human Biology, 37, 100859.
HealthyPeople.gov. Unemployment. Retrieved from https://www.google.com/search?client=firefox-b-d&q=unemployment+a+serious+social+determinant+issue (Links to an external site.)
