Essay on Healthcare Advocacy: Addressing HIV, Health Insurance, and Mental Health in the Community

Introduction

Healthcare is a necessity for the well-being of individuals. Insufficient healthcare in communities has augmented drawbacks that influence the long-term effects and overall economy due to disease severity. Healthcare workers have to develop a plan for healthcare advocacy to serve the purpose of controlling the probable outcomes. This paper will examine issues in HIV/AIDS, health insurance coverage, and mental health illness that influence my local community, and a plan for healthcare advocacy to address these health challenges.

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Issues in the Local Community

HIV/AIDS is a persistent issue in my local community. As a healthcare administrator operating with individuals in the local communities have realized that numerous individuals living with HIV/AIDS. Also, most of the young people have contracted this disease due to irresponsible sexual behavior and drug abuse. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (2020), young individuals who had new HIV diagnoses accounted for 21% in 2018. Rare cases of contracting HIV include childbirth and breastfeeding. In combat against HIV, lack of concern and shame are some of the most adverse issues. Shame can avert people from revealing their HIV status to their sexual partners. Victimizing people living with HIV and low training leads to minimum quality of care to sick individuals. These victimization issues scare potential individuals pursuing treatments.

The unavailability of health insurance for some individuals influences the delivery of health services to all people. Social inequalities in the community make people lack health insurance covers. The financial constraints of providing care restrict the healthcare providers in the society leading to a reduction of hospital-based services, accessibility to specialists, and emergency rooms. According to the Census Bureau, more than 41 million people under the age of 65 had no health insurance for one year or longer (Berchick et al., 2019). The rising healthcare charges and numbers of people lacking insurance are likely to grow in the community. Most of the people in the community face challenges in raising medical bills in situations that require higher quality care. These difficulties force them to seek treatment from herbalists due to their incapability to meet the demands of healthcare. The augmentation in the condition severity results in chronic states and, to some extent, succumbing.

Moreover, mental health and illnesses are another issue affecting my local community. Individuals with mental health challenges experience distress, marginalization discrimination, and complications with their finances, relationships, and employment. According to the CDC (2018), mental illnesses influence an individual’s emotions, thinking, and behavior such as anxiety, sexual assaults, child abuse, schizophrenia, and depression. Also, people in the local community have challenges in relating and maintaining associations with people each day. Most of these people with mental illness face periods of social, psychological, and physical well-being. Difficulties with physical health like chronic illnesses can have a severe effect on mental health, minimizing an individual’s ability to contribute to recovery and treatment. Thus, mental illness has led to a host of challenges comprising pain, disability, or death.

Advocacy Plan

There exist only preventative drugs that avert the severity of the HIV illness and prolong the lifespan. Stigmatization mostly accompanies people living with HIV making them resist the medical instructions. However, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (2020), it is vital to ensure that all people get practical skills and education to safeguard themselves and others from contracting HIV infection. Establishing movement programs within the community as a joint unit will help integrate awareness to people by offering education regarding preventable methods and avoiding victimization. The knowledge and skills provided help people examine the core degradation and separation drivers while assisting them in understanding their specific mentalities regarding HIV.

The advocacy for health insurance is through creating awareness of the significance of the coverage. Associations should raise awareness through the use of radio and videos while answering real client queries. Enlightening individuals regarding health insurance benefits will enable them to comprehend its significance in monetary terms. Raising awareness of Obama Care healthcare insurance coverage will help the unemployed, less fortunate, and the aged obtain better medical care. According to Berchick et al. (2019), the Census Bureau advocates for health insurance coverage as it aids chronic patients to receive quality care, protecting them from unanticipated and higher medical expenses. As a healthcare administrator collaborating with the community will help in creating awareness on appropriate health insurance covers. Making the community accept subscribing to affordable health covers will help in enhancing adequate health standards.

Additionally, counseling can be advocated as a plan to battle mental illness. Counseling entails performing therapy to mentally ill people with the help of trained mental health experts such as a psychotherapist or a counselor. Also, a multidisciplinary group encompassing social workers, psychiatrists, and nurses can be useful in offering treatment to mentally ill people. According to the CDC (2018), performing counseling in the community can enable individuals to talk freely without facing the fear of judgment or criticism. Counseling views individual necessities within a humanistic setting as having the capability to perceive challenges arising from usual responses to developmental modifications. Hence having counselors in the community may help people focus on personal growth through learning the skills and coping with the skills to handle life situations and changes effectively.

Conclusion

In conclusion, these healthcare advocacy plans will help in managing the issues influencing the community, such as HIV, health insurance coverage, and mental illness. Collaborating, as a community, is a framework for discovering the solution to societal needs. Implementing these advocacy plans will be the most outstanding achievement in society.

References

Berchick R.E., Barnett. C. J. and Upton. D.R (2019). Health Insurance Coverage in the United States: 2018. https://www.census.gov/content/dam/Census/library/publications/2019/demo/p60-267.pdf

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (2018). Mental Health. https://www.cdc.gov/mentalhealth/learn/index.htm

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (2020). Sexual Risk Behaviors: HIV, STD, & Teen Pregnancy Prevention. http://www.cdc.gov/healthyyouth/sexualbehaviors/index.htm Bottom of Form