Evaluating Public Health Policy Effects on Nursing & Advocacy

This discussion board post analyzes the impact of public health policies, specifically the Comprehensive Addiction and Recovery Act (CARA), on nursing practice and healthcare delivery in the USA. It examines how CARA addresses the opioid epidemic through prevention, treatment, and recovery initiatives, noting its allocation of $181 million for promotion. The discussion assesses the effectiveness of CARA in reducing morbidity and mortality rates associated with opioid addiction, highlighting the policy's potential to increase healthcare costs due to expensive medications and interventions. It applies Kingdon's model to understand the problem, political, and policy streams involved in mitigating the opioid crisis, emphasizing the need for ethical considerations to ensure broader access to treatment. The analysis also discusses the importance of nurses as advocates in shaping health policies to improve patient care and outcomes.

HEALTH CARE POLICY

The adaptation of the public healthcare policies is widely recognizable for the holistic
development of the healthcare in the USA. The Comprehensive Addiction and Recovery Act
(CARA) (2016) has been adapted for the situational development of opioid epidemic (CARA.
(n.d.). Recovery, prevention, treatment, law enforcement, overdose reversal, and justice reform
are six basic components of CARA policy on which 181 million was spent on promotion.
The adaptation of effective interventional process of CARA policy can provide a holistic
outcome of the opioid epidemic. It would increase the availability of the availability of the
naloxone, the promotional activities of needle change expansion of anti-addiction medication and
the psychological counseling. The CARA policy would increase the healthcare cost due to wide
costly medicines and intervention process. (CARA. (n.d.).
Policy authentication
The CARA policy is capable to achieve the intended result. It is notable that more than 130
people in the USA died every day due to the opioid epidemic ("Health Information from the
Government | USAGov", 2018). Moreover, 2.1 million people use to suffer from the opioid
disorder and 886,000 youths are addicted to heroin ("Health Information from the Government |
USAGov", 2018). However, the implementation of CARA policy has reduced the rate of
morbidity and mortality over the last five years as 17,087 deaths have been witnessed in 2016-17
(CARA. (n.d.) as compared to the previous year's 20,258. A policy change may be impactful to
reduce the opioid epidemic.

Picture; Opioid epidemic data in the USA
Source: https://www.hhs.gov/opioids/sites/default/files/inline-images/opioids-by-the-numbers-
091918v.png
Policy change
The incorporation of the policy change can provide a successful outcome. The change in
healthcare policies can be effective for the successful implementation of the CARA regulations.
Policy effects
The implementation of the policy can increase the healthcare costs. It requires a wide range of
medications and health awareness programs that requires around more than $180 million which
is beyond the normal treatment cost. However, the CARA policy is capable to provide a quality
outcome for the prevention of opioid epidemic due to the excessive increase in inappropriate

medication. Naloxone, the promotional activities of needle change expansion of anti-addiction
medication and the psychological counseling is capable to provide a quality outcome. Moreover,
it ensures the equal right for the youths and adults of access the USA healthcare facilities
(Iverson et al., 2013)
Implementation of Kingdon's model to mitigate public health policy
Kingdon's model is helpful to mitigate the healthcare problems through three different streams
like problem stream, political stream, and policy stream.
The problem stream analyses the identified healthcare issue. The increase in care costs with
CARA policy Opioid epidemic is identified as the issue on which the public health policy has
been developed. Around 13.80% of the Latina population is affected by opioid epidemic
("Health Information from the health insurance.
The political stream indicates the sharing of the problem among the communities. Accession is
the healthcare driver in USA healthcare system (Iverson et al., 2013). The opioid epidemic has
become one of the common symptoms among the youths of the USA. The public policies
associated with CARA has aligned priority to health programs with that has secured the.
Policy stream indicates the development of public policy to mitigate health issue (Bauer, Briss,
Goodman & Bowman, 2014). The CARA policy must be developed maintaining the ethical
considerations of CARA policy to nullify the financial value of the treatment process. This
would allow a larger number of population to come in the intervention process(CARA. (n.d.)

Reference list
Bauer, U. E., Briss, P. A., Goodman, R. A., & Bowman, B. A. (2014). Prevention of chronic
disease in the 21st century: elimination of the leading preventable causes of premature death and
disability in the USA. The Lancet, 384(9937), 45-52.
Comprehensive Addiction and Recovery Act (CARA) | CARA. (n.d.). Retrieved from
https://www.CARA.org/comprehensive-addiction-and-recovery-act-cara
Health Information from the Government | USAGov. (2018). Retrieved from
https://www.usa.gov/health-resources
Iverson, K. M., Litwack, S. D., Pineles, S. L., Suvak, M. K., Vaughn, R. A., & Resick, P. A.
(2013). Predictors of intimate partner violence revictimization: The relative impact of distinct
PTSD symptoms, dissociation, and coping strategies. Journal of traumatic stress, 26(1), 102-110.