As patient advocates in their different specialties, nurses seek changes to the healthcare delivery to improve access and quality of care for different patient populations and health conditions. Nurses engage elected representatives to create changes through advocacy on different healthcare issues including access to mental health and the opioid epidemic among other problems (Hughes et al., 2021). The opioid epidemic remains a critical national health concern that requires change through legislation. The purpose of this paper is to discuss nurses’ focus on creating change using advocacy by engaging elected representatives.
| Problem In no more than 250 words, describe the problem, who is affected, and the current ramifications. Explain the consequences if the issue continues. | ||
| The United States is battling a serious opioid epidemic that threatens the future of the health system and population. The opioid epidemic is a public health issue affecting the country and causing overdose deaths. According to statistics from federal agencies like the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), and National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) (2023), more than 1 million Americans have died from drug overdoses, with an increasing share of the deaths happening from opioids. For instance, in 2022 over 100,000 individuals died from drug overdose. As such, drug overdose is now the leading cause of injury mortality in the country, and surpasses motor vehicle accidents and gun violence. Additionally, opioids account for over 83,000 deaths from overdose. According to reports fentanyl, a synthetic opioid, is the leading cause of the rising deaths among Americans aged 18 and 49 years. In their article, Truong et al. (2023) assert that the COVID-19 pandemic and economic insecurity exacerbated the situation with the opioid epidemic rising as more Americans used drugs during these times. The pandemic led to social isolation and prevented many individuals from seeking addiction treatment. The majority of those affected by the opioid epidemic are American citizens, mostly those between 18 and 49 years. Apart from causing devastating loss of life in families and communities, the opioid epidemic accounts for close to $1 trillion in annual costs for the healthcare system and the criminal justice system (National Institute on Drug Abuse, 2024). The country also loses productive population because of premature deaths emanating from the crisis. The continuation of this issue will lead to more deaths, a rise in spending on healthcare, and more people getting addicted leading mental health issues. | ||
| Idea for Addressing Solution In no more than 250 words, outline your idea for addressing the issue and explain why legislation is the best course for advocacy. | ||
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The opioid epidemic requires effective measures through a whole-of-government, society-wide approach as proposed by Truong et al. (2023) because of the multifaceted nature of the drug supply market. For instance, Fentanyl, which is responsible for over two-thirds of overdose deaths and drug abuse incidences, is mainly imported as synthetic opioid from abroad. The article notes that as a complex public health crisis and issue, the U.S. can reduce and prevent the increasing prevalence by focusing on the root causes of drug abuse, expanding access to treatment and developing harm reduction strategies. Additionally, the country can develop measures to reduce the supply of illicit opioids entering the United States from other countries. Accordingly, Congress and policymakers at different levels of government should develop measures to expand access to evidence-based community harm reduction, treatment, and recovery options (CBO, 2022). These policies should focus on the social determinants of health, improve access to treatment options, especially in the most affected areas, communities, and populations. For instance, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) (2023) in collaboration with health departments in 47 states, Washington DC, two territories and 16 cities and counties collects data on overdose for effective action through surveillance and prevention activities. Legislation is the best course for advocacy for this issue because of its complex nature. The implication is that having Congressional actions as advanced by many studies will enhance access to health care through strategies aimed at treatment and harm reduction as well as preventing access market to the drugs, especially imported synthetic drugs like fentanyl that is the biggest cause of abuse and the opioid crisis. Existing legisl
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