[ANSWERED] Research public health issues on the Climate Change or Topics and Issues pages of the American Public Health Association

Last Updated on March 1, 2024 by Admin

Research public health issues on the Climate Change or Topics and Issues pages of the American Public Health Association (APHA) website. Investigate a public health issue related to an environmental issue within the U.S. health care delivery system and examine its effect on a specific population.

Write a 750-1,000-word policy brief that summarizes the issue, explains the effect on the population, and proposes a solution to the issue.

Follow this outline when writing the policy brief:

Describe the policy health issue. Include the following information: (a) what population is affected, (b) at what level does it occur (local, state, or national), and (c) evidence about the issues supported by resources.
Create a problem statement.
Provide suggestions for addressing the health issue caused by the current policy. Describe what steps are required to initiate policy change. Include necessary stakeholders (government officials, administrator) and budget or funding considerations, if applicable.
Discuss the impact on the health care delivery system.

Include three peer-reviewed sources and two other sources to support the policy brief.

Prepare this assignment according to the guidelines found in the APA Style Guide, located in the Student Success Center. An abstract is not required.

This assignment uses a rubric. Please review the rubric prior to beginning the assignment to become familiar with the expectations for successful completion.

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Expert Answer and Explanation

Healthcare Environmental Policy

Introduction: Problem Statement

The American government has done a lot to ensure that people have clean air with US jurisdiction. Taucher et al. (2018) argue that the government has also contributed to the improvement of air quality across the globe by funding some of the UN’s environmental protection programs. In 1963, the US legislature passed an act known as the Clean Air Act. This act was enacted to regulate all practices in the US to ensure that all practices within the US soil do not pollute the air.

The law is one of the most recognized environmental regulations in US history. The law has helped curb many environmental issues, and this has greatly reduced pollution-related diseases. The law is enforced by a body known as the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). However, the EPA has made several changes to the law, and this has raised concerns about air quality in the US. This paper changes made to the Clean Air Act by the EPA has improved the emission of toxic substances into the air.

The Policy Heath Issue

The policy health issue, in this case, is air pollution. The changes made by the EPA have given manufacturing companies in the US a mandate to produce and emit toxic substances in the US air, and this has caused serious health conditions. The impurities released by manufacturing companies in the US can affect people’s hearts by causing diseases, such as stroke, heart failure, and many other heart conditions. According to Wilner et al. (2017), many people have contracted heart-related diseases in the US due to the air pollution caused by factories and manufacturing firms.

Apart from heart conditions, the pollutants released in the air are associated with many reports about mental conditions, such as Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease, and other types of dementia. The pollutants have also negatively impacted the lives of children in the US. Over one million children between the age of five and below die from pneumonia each year in the US (DeSalvo et al., 2016). The prevalence of this disease in the country is linked to excess air pollution. The high rate of miscarriages in the country has also been linked to air pollution.

Population Affected

The population affected by the issue includes all American citizens, including children, youth, adults, and elderly people. The law was made to regulate air pollution across all American states. Thus, when the EPA made changes, the effects of the transitions have been felted across the US. The issue occurs at the national level.

Suggestions to Address the Issue

The US government, together with other stakeholders, should develop a solution to solve the issue because it escalates and impacts the US drastically. The first suggestion is that the US government should turn to green energy and abandon oil and gas energy. Taucher et al. (2018) argue that 90% of air pollution is caused by the use of oil, gas, and their products. Therefore, if these elements are discarded, the US will improve its air quality by about 80%. For this initiative to work, the government, American citizens, and corporations should work together. Installing green energy in the US can cost the government about $180 billion (Wysokińska, 2016).

Second, the issue can be solved by making EPA a totally independent body. The Clean Air Act changes might have been made due to political pressure and interferences. Thus, the government should involve the Americans in creating laws that improve the independence of the EPA. A bill can be tabled in the House of Representatives and debated on as prescribed by the American constitution. The public must be given chances to give their opinions. Apart from government initiatives, Americans should take personal initiatives to ensure that they protect themselves from air pollution.

Some of the activities include wearing gas masks in public places, instating air clear gadgets in homesteads, and avoiding busy roads during exercises. These activities can help people stay safe as the government, together with other stakeholders, such as environmental bodies, debate on the best policies therein.

Impact on Healthcare Delivery

The healthcare delivery systems will be affected by the changes in the policy. The first impact is overcrowding on hospital facilities. Hospital organizations will be overcrowded because many people will be admitted due to diseases caused by air pollution. Overcrowding of hospitals will force hospitals to increase the number of healthcare professionals, and this will increase the cost of health services (Eckelman & Sherman, 2016).

In places were more employees have not been increased, the nurses there will be overwork, and they may quit as a result. Also, healthcare innervations will not be researched because the money that should be used in funding health-related researches will be used to mitigate air pollution effects. As a result, patients will not get quality treatment and outcomes.

Conclusion

The changes made by EPA to Clean Air Act will drastically affect the health of Americans. The pollution affected will be all American citizens. The quality of healthcare will be reduced because of overcrowding. Thus, the governments should turn to green energy and enact laws that protect the independence of the EPA. People should also take personal initiative to protect themselves from air pollution.

References

DeSalvo, K. B., O’Carroll, P. W., Koo, D., Auerbach, J. M., & Monroe, J. A. (2016). Public health 3.0: time for an upgrade. American journal of public health, 106(4), 621.

Eckelman, M. J., & Sherman, J. (2016). Environmental impacts of the US health care system and effects on public health. PloS one, 11(6), e0157014.

Taucher, V., Rainer, P., Ablasser, K., Berghaus, T. M., Zechner, P., Weihs, W., … & Von Lewinski, D. (2018). P2545 Association analysis of air polution on acute coronary syndrome and myocardial infarction in a large cohort. European Heart Journal, 39(suppl_1), ehy565-P2545.

Wilner, D. M., Walkley, R. P., Pinkerton, T. C., & Tayback, M. (2017). The housing environment and family life. In People and Buildings (pp. 189-201). Routledge.

Wysokińska, Z. (2016). The “new” environmental policy of the European Union: A path to development of a circular economy and mitigation of the negative effects of climate change. Comparative Economic Research, 19(2), 57-73.

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