Trends in policy, politics, and health all over the world

Trends in policy, politics, and health all over the world
As the healthcare business has grown quickly, policies, laws, and rules have been changed to make sure that people get good care. Issues in healthcare policy today can be put into two big groups: expanding coverage and dealing with prices. The main goal of these health care policies is to make sure that people can easily get health care at lower prices. (Leichliter et al., 2016). Even though these laws cover many different health issues, teen health is one of the most important ones. Because the environment teens live in affects their health, health policies for teens should take into account the family, home, school, and neighborhood environments. Also, these rules should try to encourage good behavior because behavior has an effect on a teen’s health. This talk suggests a change in local strategy to improve the health of teenagers, with a focus on STDs. (STIs).

Issues of public policy

Healthcare is a big problem in American politics, and coverage and access to healthcare are big points of contention. In this conversation, we’re talking about how sexually transmitted infections affect the health of teenagers. Teenagers are still very likely to get sexually transmitted diseases in the community, and there isn’t enough public support for this problem. In the US, 18–24-year-olds have a high rate of sexually transmitted infections. According to reports, not enough education and knowledge are the main reasons for this problem. For example, the 2013 compendium of state laws shows that most policies focus on making testing, treatment, and partner therapy mandatory. Little is known about the policies in the country that support teaching and awareness of STIs.

In today’s healthcare system, it can be hard for teens to get access to STI services that are kept private. Research shows that many young people may want to keep their sexual lives private, even if that means waiting to get health care. Even though the healthcare industry tries to make sure that sexual health services for teens are delivered safely, access to STI services is limited by legal problems. A rule that lets minors give their permission to get STI services is an example. Supporting evidence suggests that the best way to avoid STIs in young people is through education, especially for college and university students. Teens in these schools can learn a lot about sexually transmitted infections (STIs) through a mandatory education program. This can help a lot with STIs in 18–24-year-olds.

Issue Selection

Even though childhood is a good time for physical, mental, and social growth, it is also a time when big changes happen that will affect you for the rest of your life. These people have problems with things like crime, mental health, sexual health, alcohol, and drugs. Teens’ healthy sexuality is an important part of their growth, and making policies to guide their sexual health is the best way to improve their health. I chose this topic because there has been a scary rise in STIs in the US recently. Researchers recently said that there were 67.6 million STIs that were common and 26.2 million that happened. About 45% of these cases were found to be teenagers between the ages of 15 and 24. Chlamydia, trichomoniasis, genital herpes, and human papillomavirus were found to be the most common diseases in teens. Even though these diseases are becoming more common, there isn’t a program to teach young people about them that is based on facts. There is a pressing need to stop the rise in STIs among young people, and policies that focus on education can have a big impact on how young people act sexually.

Issue Relevance

STIs are not only dangerous diseases, but they also help spread other diseases like HIV. Getting rid of sexually transmitted infections (STIs) among young people is one way to make sure they have a good life. STIs can cause major problems, especially for women who are of childbearing age. Untreated STIs can lead to infertility, cervical cancer, pelvic inflammatory disease, and problems with the baby. (Leichliter et al., 2016). For instance, congenital syphilis is a major cause of death and illness in babies around the world, and it can also have serious effects on the health of people who have it. It is very important to set up rules about how to teach teens about their sexual lives. The goal is to help teens become more self-reliant in preventing STIs and lowering their risks. Also, the policy problem will help reduce the costs of treating STIs in the country. The cost of treating STIs in the US was expected to be $16.7 billion in 2013, and it has gone up even more in recent years (World Health Organization (WHO), 2019). A change in policy on this problem will lower the cost of health care and improve the quality of life for teenagers.

Financial Impact

Sexually spread diseases are very expensive for the people who get them and for the community as a whole. Healthy People 2020 says that over 20 million new cases are reported each year in the US, which means that over $16 billion is spent on STI treatment each year. (Healthypeople.gov, 2020). Also, every year, undiagnosed STIs make over 24,000 women in the US unable to have children. The suggested policy change will make sure that teens know how to prevent diseases, which will lower the cost of health care. Because of the change in policy, schools will also need more money to run their teaching programs. Adding STI education to the university education program will also take money.

Personal Values

Personal values are the moral compass that tells us what to say, how to act, and what decisions to make in life. The ideals of professional competence and respect for human dignity lead me to support the new policy change in sexual education. As a nurse practitioner, I think it’s my job to help people’s health by using evidence-based practices and supporting policy change efforts. The new approach will make people healthier and save lives, just like what I do for a living. Second, I think every person has the right to get the care they need in a safe way. Teenagers are asking for help with their sexual health, and my support for the new policy will make sure that their health needs are met.

Ethical Theory or Principle

The principle of justice is what makes me agree with the suggested policy change. Justice is about treating people the same way and being fair when it comes to their health and the health of the whole community. Distributive justice makes sure that everyone gets the same amount of health care services. The new policy change will make sure that all teenagers have access to health education that will help their sexual health. The new strategy will make sure that justice is given to young people based on their needs and health issues.

Makes decisions

The suggested policy will be sent to Ms. Elizabeth Hertel, who is the Director of the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services.

Explanation

Public health has known for a long time that healthcare rules are important for encouraging healthy behavior. Sexually transmitted diseases are a problem that needs to be addressed by lawmakers so they can come up with plans to reduce the number of diseases among teens. The first reason policymakers should think about this idea is that the current policies haven’t helped lower the number of STIs in the country. For instance, expedited partner therapy (EPT) is a strategy that lets people with STIs treat their sexual partners. Many people of all ages are covered by this policy, but it doesn’t seem to help teenagers. (Leichliter et al., 2016). Many teenagers choose to keep their sexual lives secret, which makes it hard to treat them. There are also rules about screening for sexually transmitted infections (STIs), such as programs for pregnant women. These laws can make a big difference in the number of STIs in the county, but only if the youths know how important it is to get tested for STIs and use safe sexual practices.

The second reason to talk to the policymaker about the planned change is that the number of STIs in the county and the country as a whole is going up. About 20 million new STI cases are found each year in the United States, and most of the people who get them are between 15 and 24 years old. This policy topic is being brought up in Michigan county because the number of chlamydia infections and other STIs has gone up since 2014. Recent data shows that 456.2 out of every 100,000 people are identified with STIs every year. This number is much higher than the national average. (Michigan Department of Health & Human Services, 2020). Evidence-based practice study shows that educating teens about STIs like HIV can be a good way to make them more aware of them. (Mason-Jones et al., 2016) The teaching programs make sure that young people know how important it is to have safe sex, make screening more important, and encourage the use of condoms and other ways to protect against STIs.

Challenges

There are many things that can make it hard for STI prevention laws to pass, such as the need for money, the involvement of politicians, and not enough support from leaders. To reduce the number of STIs in the community, the new policy change calls for universities and colleges to set up an education program based on data. With this new strategy, the health care and education sectors will need to work together. It also means that schools have to change their lessons to include sexual health and hire new people to teach the kids. The costs of these changes will be high, which will be hard for the county, state, and national governments to pay for. Another problem that has been seen is that there isn’t enough strong leadership in healthcare to help move bills through the state and city governments. Several other healthcare policies are on hold because of political interests that make it hard to make them. For the new policy change to work well, it will need a lot of help from nursing and other medical areas.

Options/Interventions

The policymaker’s first main choice is to accept the policy brief as is and work to make the plan a law in the state. This is a real choice because evidence-based practices back up an educational approach to STI prevention. The second choice for the policymaker is to accept the new change but make changes to fit the political climate while still helping people’s health. For instance, the new policy can be changed so that STI education programs for teens are only available during their first year of school. This is a real option because it will help cut down on the money needed to change the education curriculum as was first suggested. The third choice for the policymaker is to turn down the new idea and work to make the current STI policies better fit the needs of teens. This choice will depend on the policymaker’s argument and the strength of the evidence backing the new change. I think the policymaker will find it interesting to back the policy brief because it offers an alternative to the state’s ineffective STI prevention policies.

Steps to take

A lot of decisions about health care in the United States are made at the state level. To make a new policy, you need to know about the American political system, including diversity, incrementalism, federalism, and civil rights. To make sure this policy works, the person making the choice needs to involve state politicians and other powerful people in politics. It is important to find groups that share the same goals so they can help push for the new policy during the law-making process. The person making the choice should involve the state health department fully. The state health department will talk to the governor about the policy issue to make sure there is enough support for the bill in the senate. Also, the state education department needs to be involved because the policy change will have a direct effect on the education sector. The person making the choice can talk to the Public Instruction Superintendent at the Michigan Education Department about how the new change will affect college students and the community. If these powerful and influential stakeholders back the new strategy enough, it will be successful.

Policy Brief’s success

The decision-maker and other leaders’ acceptance of the policy brief is the best way to judge its success. If the bill passes the committee stage of the law-making process, it will become state law in the future. The decision-maker, the state’s health department, and the education department will work together to reach a shared goal. The policy’s success will depend on how well these teams work together. Long-term success tactics include lowering the number of STIs among teens in the state and making sure that the program to teach about STIs in colleges and universities stays around.

Organization or Community Named

Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia is a health care group that has shown it wants to raise awareness about sexually transmitted infections (STIs) among young people. Through the “IknowUShould2” campaign, the group has worked to keep 13–24-year-olds in Philadelphia from getting sexually transmitted infections (STIs).

Brief Synopsis of Expressed Interest

STIs like syphilis, chlamydia, gonorrhea, and HIV are becoming more common among young people in the country. Current suggestions and policies focus on screening for diseases on a regular basis, which doesn’t solve the problem of STIs in the US. IknowUShould2 is a media program that started in 2012 to teach teens more about sexually transmitted infections (STIs) (Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, 2019). The Adolescent Initiative at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP) is in charge of the effort and uses the media to reach out to young people. The program has grown to include teaching people about HIV. This group can help support the suggested policy to teach about sexually transmitted infections (STIs) in schools.

CBPR Principles

The following CBPR ideas will be used to deal with the change in policy:

CBPR encourages partnerships that are fair and work well together in all stages of research. It also includes a process of empowering people and sharing power.
CBPR strikes a balance between study and action for the good of all partners.
CBPR supports a process that takes a long time and a commitment to survival.

Approach and Teamwork

To work with CHOP, I’ll send an email to the team and ask for a meeting with their team head. During the meeting, I will talk about how the new policy change will help the teens and why their support will be important. During the process of changing the policy, people will work together by meeting with the person making the choice, sending them emails with updates, and keeping the lines of communication open with phone calls.

Goal Alignment

The goal of the policy brief is to stop sexually transmitted infections (STIs) among teens by using education in colleges and universities. This goal is similar to the goal of the chosen group, which is to help teens learn more about sexually transmitted infections (STIs) like gonorrhea, chlamydia, syphilis, and HIV and test themselves more often. (CHOP, 2019).

What to do

The first step will be a review of the literature to find strategies that have been shown to work to lower STIs among teens. After reading the literature, I will find out who makes decisions about the new policy change and get in touch with them. I will also talk to CHOP and other groups that have shown an interest in the policy problem to see if they will help. During the process of making policy, I will keep the lines of communication open with the key stakeholders and talk with the policymakers when necessary. I think the suggested policy will become a law governing STI education in the state with the help and guidance of the decision makers.

Roles/ Responsibilities

During the process of changing a policy, I will work with the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia. The organization’s job will be to help with the chosen policy problem by using their expertise in policy and advocacy. Following state debates on the policy problem, members of the organization and the person making the decision will be involved. As part of the capacity-building job, CHOP will help get other influential parties involved and teach the senate about how important it is to prevent STIs.

Main Parts of an Evaluation Plan

The first CBPR principle is about working together in a fair way in all stages of study. Using this principle as a guide, the evaluation plan will show how the policy change was approached from different perspectives, how successful partnerships were made, and how good communication with team members was set up. The second CBPR principle is about finding a balance between study and action that helps everyone. For this principle to be evaluated, STI prevention evidence will need to be presented well, and the suggested change will need to be approved by the committee. The third CBPR concept is about keeping long-term processes going and making a promise to be sustainable. As part of evaluating this method, communication channels during the law-making process and the number of STI cases among teens after education will be looked at.

Plan for your group or community

The organization’s plan will be judged on how well it works based on the relationships formed during policymaking and the results seen after the policy has been changed. The first approach will be to get members to support the proposal and be available to help guide the process of making a law. The second plan is for members to take an active role in meetings and for the group to keep clear lines of communication open. Lastly, making the proposed change a law will show that the group is doing well.

How well each method works

For this change in policy, the top-down method was used to figure out who made the decision and what should be done. This method works well because it shows that the policy change process is under control by directly involving the person who makes the choice. Also, this method makes it easy to judge how well the policy worked, whether the plan is accepted or not. The bottom-up method is used to figure out which group is backing the project and what steps need to be taken. This method is good because it makes it clear how policy is made and what each person’s part is in the policy-making process.

Problems with each approach

The problem with the top-down method is that choices are only made from one central point. The end of every effort will depend on whether or not the plan is accepted. The method doesn’t take into account what other team members have to say. On the other hand, the bottom-up method is bad because it wastes time because it involves many team members. It’s also hard to judge how well the project worked because making policy involves so many steps.

Approach That Works Best

I would suggest using a top-down method to prevent sexually transmitted infections (STIs). This method will make sure that the proposal gets to the person who makes decisions on time and that supporting information is used to help make decisions. Because policymaking in the US is so complicated, the top-down approach will be the best way to deal with the chosen public policy problem.

References

Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia. (2019) Policylab. Iknowushould2: A campaign to raise awareness about sexually transmitted infections among youth in Philadelphia. https://policylab.chop.edu/project/iknowushould2-campaign-raise-awareness-about-sexually-transmitted-infections-among-youth

Healthypeople.gov. (2020). Sexually transmitted diseases. https://www.healthypeople.gov/2020/topics-objectives/topic/sexually-transmitted-diseases

Leichliter, J. S., Seiler, N., & Wohlfeiler, D. (2016). Sexually transmitted disease prevention policies in the united states: Evidence and opportunities. Sexually Transmitted Diseases, 43(2 Suppl 1), S113–S121. https://doi.org/10.1097/OLQ.0000000000000289

Mason‐Jones, A. J., Sinclair, D., Mathews, C., Kagee, A., Hillman, A., & Lombard, C. (2016). School‐based interventions for preventing HIV, sexually transmitted infections, and pregnancy in adolescents. Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, (11). https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5461872/

Michigan Department of Health & Human Services. (2020). STD trends in Michigan, 2019. Retrieved from https://www.michigan.gov/documents/mdhhs/2010-2019_STD_trends_in_Michigan_tables_summary_697339_7.pdf

World Health Organization. (2019). Sexual and reproductive health: Sexually transmitted infections. https://www.who.int/reproductivehealth/publications/stis-evidence-brief/en/

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