Response to Nicole Evaro
Nicole points out that human needs are unlimited, and the worst part is that every single individual is only putting efforts to ensure that he or she meets her own needs. But, it is good to identify how the needs vary in the healthcare context. For instance, patients are characterized by varying needs ranging from physical to psychological needs. For their needs to be made, policies should ensure that they receive quality, affordable, and accessible healthcare. Health experts, on the other hand, require monetary incentives and a favorable working environment, free of any restrictions (Kerry &Porr, 2018). According to Kerry and Porr (2018), hospitals, healthcare organizations have shifted their operations to a more corporate or business model. They have put more effort into ensuring that organizational effectiveness is achieved and costs are contained, leaving patient outcomes behind.
It is of the essence to note that the needs of patients, health experts, and hospitals revolve around “cost.” This explains why the majority of Americans seeking mental health services face significant barriers (Collins et al., 2019). As noted by Nicole, most people with mental illness are not eligible for working due to their mental state. Such people lack enough cash to pay foreither insurance coverage or medical bills (“National Council for Behavioral Health, “2018). Meaning, they rarely get routine checkups, but when a mental health crisis arises, they are rushed to Emergency Departments.
Generally, no matter the existence of policies to address the issue of increased hospital readmissions, due consideration should be made regarding the requirements of the mental health community. The policies that address both the prevention and treatment of mental illness should be enacted just as noted by Nicole (Collins et al., 2019). Notably, policies that promote community engagement approach, improved quality and access to care as proposed in the healthcare payment reform should be advocated for.
Response to Grace Levy-Baldwin
As much as the healthcare institutions are struggling for cost containment, another significant challenge facing them as Grace reveals, is the high rates of nurses quitting their jobs. This has considerable impacts on healthcare organizations in terms of costs associated with recruiting, training, and integrating new RNs into the workforce. Most healthcare organizations opt to work with the few remaining nurses. Meaning, nurses have to work for excess hours to fill the gaps in nursing shortage, thus increased rates of nurse burnout.
Another noticeable issue decreasing the nurse’s morale to work is the healthcare reform. The reform requires nurses to lead in the provision of leadership roles, leaving few nurses to undertake medical services. This has increased patient to nurse ratio, making the patient load to be overbearing to the nursing staff, especially during disease outbreaks. Besides, as noted by Grace, restrictions imposed on nurse practitioners reduce their morale to work when they see patients waiting for long hours for physicians. This is termed as unethical; in the nursing profession, ethics is a professional behavior that is crucial to the role and the profession. Kerry and Porr (2018) point out that a nurse is a direct care provider who requires being exclusively in touch with patients plus their families in all illnesses and health matters throughout their working duration.
In general, Grace should have highlighted that hiring an appropriate nurse, training, and integrating him or her into an organization workforce is overwhelming and expensive. This is likely to trigger organizations to advocate for policies that enhance a favorable working environment for nurses. More importantly, the policies should focus on matters related to retaining contented, affianced, and motivated nursing workforce (Henry, 2019). This will achieve the deliverance of efficient, high-quality healthcare, as proposed in the Affordable Care Act, payment reform.