1.4 Participate in health care policy development to influence nursing practice and health care.

Research public health issues on the “Climate Change” (https://www.apha.org/topics-and-issues/climate-change) or “Topics and Issues”(https://www.apha.org/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:

1. 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.
2. Create a problem statement.
3. 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.
4. Discuss the impact on the health care delivery system.

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

Answer preview

Dealing with hurricanes has never been easy, not only in the United States but across other territories in the world (David, 2020). Besides the destruction of property and loss of lives occasioned by hurricanes, they also pose a significant health risk to people living in areas hit by hurricanes. The issues associated with these natural phenomena are compounded by the fact that the United States is currently dealing with the COVID-19 pandemic. The United States is amongst the countries hardest hit by the virus, and as such, instituted numerous movement and interaction restrictions to help curtail the spread of the virus (David, 2020). Even though some of these restrictions are beneficial, they are getting in the way of helping people affected by hurricanes.(973words)