(Solution) NRS 428 week 4 Benchmark – Policy Brief

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:

  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.

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.

You are required to submit this assignment to LopesWrite. Refer to the LopesWrite Technical Support articles for assistance.

Solution:

Policy Brief

Humans are in constant interaction with the environment. These interactions have a significant impact on their health disparities, their lifespan, and the quality of life. This policy brief paper presents the policy issue of exposure to lead, it includes the affected population, the level the issue occurs, and evidence. Also included are a problem statement, a suggestion for dealing with the health issue that results from the policy, and its impact on the healthcare delivery system.

The Policy Health Issue- Exposure to Lead

The healthy policy issue selected is exposure to lead, a naturally occurring metal. Lead is used in making pipes, batteries, among other commonly available products. Despite its benefits, lead has high toxicity levels and exposure to it through inhalation of contaminated dust or air, eating contaminated foods, or drinking contaminated water can cause health problems (APHA, n.d). Children may be exposed to lead by consuming paint chips made of lead or contaminated soil. Children, pregnant women, and adults are all at risk of being exposed to lead and developing health complications. Among children, exposure to lead is highly harmful as their bodies are not yet fully developed. Children are at elevated risk due to behaviors such as picking and putting objects and hands in their mouths. Among pregnant women, the lead metal can cross the placenta. It may also be passed via breastmilk. Adults are exposed to lead through hobbies and work activities e.g. gardening, rehabbing older homes, mining, construction, or consuming contaminated water and foods (Hauptman, Bruccoleri, & Woolf, 2017). The issue of lead contamination affects individuals at local, state, and national levels. According to APHA (n.d), children’s exposure to lead contamination is a major public health issue. There is no biological role of lead in the body and thus, any amount of lead, even the smallest is abnormal. Scientific evidence shows that blood lead levels (BLL) less than 10 µg/dL adversely affect infants and children (LeBrón et al., 2019). The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reduce the reference BLL value to 5 µg/dL (CDC, 2019). In approximation, significant lead paint concerns affect 3.6 million homes. These homes have at least one child. More so, approximately half a  million children in the U.S aged below 6 years have BLLs of at least ≥5 µg/dL (CDC, 2019a). The special education and medical costs for each child affected by lead are approximately $5600 (Dignam, Kaufmann, LeStourgeon, & Brown, 2019). The costs of cognitive impairments related to lead are approximated to be $50.9 billion per annum which are….Please click the icon below to purchase full answer at only $10