Description
The benchmark assesses the following competencies:
1.4 Participate in health care policy development to influence nursing practice and health care.
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. (State of Florida if Possible)
- 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.
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Explanation & Answer
Attached.
Running head: LEAD POISONING
Lead Poisoning
Name
Institution
LEAD POISONING
Lead Poisoning
Lead poisoning seriously harms children, pregnant women, and adults. The state of
Florida is also affected. Healthy Homes and Lead Poisoning Prevention Program data shows
a need for the state to make changes to protect people and the healthcare system from the
effects of the contaminant. Lead poisoning adversely affects the growth of children. The
environmental contaminant also affects the growth of fetuses and may lead to congenital
issues among the unborn. The adults may also incur organ problems in cases involving severe
exposure. Therefore, the state must implement effective strategies for tracking at-risk groups,
preventing and treating poisoning by the material.
Policy Issue and Affected Population
Children below the age of 6 are very vulnerable to lead poisoning. Therefore, the state
of Florida has seen high numbers of lead poisoning involving the population (Florida
Department of Health, 2011). According to the Healthy Homes and Lead Poisoning
Prevention Program (HHLPPP), in 2011, when the most recent data is available on the state
website, there were 197 children poisoned by lead. The number decreased from 2010 when
254 cases had been reported among the population (Florida Department of Health, 2011). The
state requires that babies screen for lead poisoning at their first and second anniversary.
Problem Statement
Exposure to lead causes serious health problems for children. When children are
exposed to high lead levels, it may affect the brain and the CNS and lead to comas,
convulsions, and in excessive cases, lead may cause death. Even though extreme lead
poisoning may be treated sometimes, children may remain mentally retarded and behavioral
abnormalities that will affect their lives (Miracle, 2017). Lower levels of lead are not known
to have observable symptoms. However, such exposure still causes problems to different
LEAD POISONING
organs in the body, and the long run, continuous exposure to low levels of lead in the
environment may lead to children having low IQs, antisocial behaviors, attention deficit,
kidney impairment, and anemia, among other problems. Lead levels of as low as five µg/dL
may affect the brain (Hauptman, Bruccoleri & Woolf, 2017). Also, there are no uses of lead
in human bodies known, and therefore, any level of lead is excessive in the body and should
be avoided. Even though the Florida Healthy Homes and Lead Poisoning Prevention Program
was established to monitor cases and drive policy change, the program has failed in its role,
as evidenced by the lack of data since 2011 and the high levels of lead poisoning in children
(Florida Department of Health, 2019). Therefore, better policies are needed to solve the issue.
Solution
The HHLPPP should be improved to solve the problems rather than primarily monitor
and report data on lead poisoning. It is important that apart from the screening of babies at
their 12 and 24 months, inspection is done in the houses to ensure that they are safe for
children (Florida Department of Health, 2011). Landlords should be required to have their
houses inspected to ensure that they are safe for young children, especially for families
expecting to have babies. The department of he...