A Gap in Equity Related to Mental Health Access for Veterans
After choosing the topic for your course project from the options provided in the overview, you will work to develop your healthcare delivery systems research paper. Within the final research project you will address your chosen gap in access, including existing initiatives in place to address the gap, and economic and regulatory factors that are currently in place to address the gap.
Due date: Feb 21.
HCM 340 Final Project Guidelines and Rubric Overview The 2000 Institute of Medicine (IOM) report To Err is Human was a call to arms for the U.S. healthcare delivery system. It emphasized the need to explore the processes, structure, and outcomes related to the quality of care provided to individuals in our society. For your final project, you will research a gap in access to quality, equity, or efficiency of care (including existing initiatives in place to address the gap and economic and regulatory factors that are currently in place to address the gap). Access to care includes access to health insurance coverage, access to services and providers, and timeliness of the care received. All three of these components impact quality of care. Access can also include affordability. The quality of the care people receive in the healthcare system should not vary based upon their socioeconomic status. For your final project, you will select a healthcare delivery process gap and the population affected from the list below. Then, you will develop a healthcare delivery systems research paper. • Option One: A gap in quality related to care coordination for individuals with chronic illnesses • Option Two: A gap in equity related to mental health access for veterans • Option Three: A gap in efficiency related to rising cost of pharmaceuticals for the aging population This assessment addresses the following course outcomes: • Draw connections between current healthcare delivery systems and the context in which they were developed • Describe the impact of economic and regulatory drivers on healthcare delivery systems • Identify major gaps in access to healthcare for determining areas of opportunity for improved access to quality healthcare • Explain initiatives targeted at maintaining or improving the health status of specific populations Prompt After choosing the topic for your course project from the options provided in the overview, you will work to develop your healthcare delivery systems research paper. Within the final research project you will address your chosen gap in access, including existing initiatives in place to address the gap, and economic and regulatory factors that are currently in place to address the gap. 2 Specifically, the following critical elements must be addressed: I. Introduction A. Describe a specific gap in the delivery of healthcare. Include the specific population affected by the gap. B. Briefly describe the history of this gap in access to healthcare. Has this been an issue historically, or is it a modern issue? C. Explain the impact that the socioeconomic background of the population has on their access to healthcare. D. Describe how the healthcare delivered to the population is affected by the gap in access. E. Predict any potential implications if this gap in access is not addressed. II. Existing Initiatives A. Explain an existing healthcare initiative that was put in place to address this gap in access. B. Explain the specific goals of the existing initiative in place to address this gap in access. C. Describe the circumstances around the development of the existing initiative. Consider when it was developed and what factors were considered. D. Describe the resources required to fund the existing initiative. E. Explain why the existing initiative is not meeting its intended purpose and now requires improvement. III. Regulation A. Explain a current regulation regarding the existing initiative that has been identified and the context in which it was developed. Why is this regulation important? B. Describe the regulatory level that the existing initiative is being addressed at. Consider the potential for multiple levels of regulation. IV. Conclusion: Explain the effectiveness of the existing initiative and associated regulations in addressing this gap in the delivery of healthcare to the target population. Does the initiative align with initiative in place to support other gaps? Are there conflicting interests to be aware of?
A Gap in Equity Related to Mental Health Access for Veterans
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A Gap in Equity Related to Mental Health Access for Veterans
Introduction
When it comes to mental healthcare service delivery and accessibility, veterans should be prioritized since many of these individuals suffer when they were soldiers in the line of duty safeguarding the country. The gap in equity related to mental health access for veterans should be eliminated once and for all. The inequity problem is not new and has affected veterans for many years. For example, soldiers who suffered depression, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorders (PTSD), anxiety, traumatic brain injuries, and other mental health issues during the First World War did not access appropriate mind-related services. Besides, veterans have a high likelihood of developing mental problems since they witness traumatic events during wars, such as horrible deaths and extreme hostility. Although the gap in equity related to mental health access for veterans is a historical problem, no effective solution has been implemented to eradicate it entirely.
The socioeconomic background of veterans contributes to the problem of inaccessibility of proper mental healthcare services. During their time in service, soldiers are not well-compensated based on the challenges they encounter while in their line of duty. Not many of these individuals can afford a decent life when they retire. Moreover, society makes it hard for veterans to solve mental issues since they are isolated and not many employers want to hire them. The majority of people perceive veterans to be dangerous due to the experiences they obtain from the military. For example, according to the New Harvard Public Citizen report, in 2019, about 1.53 million veterans are the only ones who have health insurance (Public Citizen, 2020). The healthcare services delivered to veterans are affected by the gap in access to mental health services. The government does not have programs to ensure that retired soldiers are helped to overcome mental problems. For the small percentage of veterans with government health insurance, they do not know all the medical benefits they can get from public hospitals (True, Rigg, & Butler, 2015). If the equity gap in getting proper mental health services for veterans is not addressed, it will lead to devastating implications. Some of the problems that may arise include relationship problems, increased rate of organized crime, suicide, substance abuse, and violence. As such, the government should come up with proper measures to close the gap in equity related to mental health access for veterans as a way of paying back for the time these individuals served in the military to protect the nation.
Existing Initiatives
An Existing Healthcare Initiative Put in Place to Address the Gap in Equity Related to Access of Mental Health Access for Veterans
In 2008, Robert McCormick Foundation and the Major League Baseball Charities came together to form the Welcome Back Veterans (WBV) initiative to support over 2 million veterans who had been sent to Afghanistan and Iraq (RAND Corporation, 2021). The WBV has six primary academic health centers that provide high-quality mental services for veterans together with their families. Since many veterans have a high likelihood of suffering from anxiety, PTSD, stress, depression, and traumatic brain injury, the WBV ensures that these people get proper mental health services so that it can be easy for them to reintegrate into their communities.
Specific Goals of the WBV
The primary goal of the WBV is to ensure that veterans get appropriate mental health services so that they can be fully reintegrated into their communities. The best thing about this initiative is that it brings the government and non-government institutions together so that they can work toward a similar mission, which is helping veterans to overcome mental issues. Additionally, the other goal of the WBV is to work with other organizations or programs that are established to help veterans overcome mental health problems (Tanielian, Batka, & Meredith, 2018). That way, the WBV has wide coverage, which makes it possible to help many veterans even those in remote areas. The WBV gives grants to hospitals and academic institutions so that veterans can be educated on how to overcome mental issues. For example, some of the organizations that have benefited from the WBV grants are Duke University, Massachusetts General Hospital, Emory University Medical Center, Weill-Cornell Department of Psychiatry, and the University of Michigan (Robert McCormick Foundation, n.d.). Furthermore, the WBV fosters collaboration between private and public organizations so that veterans suffering from mental health problems can be helped to overcome emerging challenges directed to them by local communities.
Circumstances around the Development of the WBV
The WBV was established in 2008 by Robert McCormick Foundation and the Major League Baseball Charities. These two institutions realized that veterans suffering from mental health problems were abandoned and that they encountered difficulties to reintegrate into the society. The primary factor that initiated the formation of the WBV was to provide high-quality mental health services for former soldiers and their families. Other factors that contributed to the WBV establishment include eliminating mind issues among veterans, offering grants to health institutions or programs that help veterans to access proper mental health services, and promoting the mental well-being of former soldiers to avoid isolation during the transition to civilian life (RAND Corporation, 2021). Overall, the WBV fosters proper access to mental health services for veterans with mind issues and the inclusivity of these individuals in their respective communities.
Resources Required to Fund the WBV
Without adequate resources, the WBV would not hav...