NRS 428 Assignment: Benchmark Policy Brief
NRS 428 Assignment: Benchmark Policy Brief
NRS 428 Assignment: Benchmark Policy Brief
Assignment: Benchmark Policy Brief
Policy Brief- Lead Contamination
The selected policy health issue from the “Topics and Issues” in the American Public Health Association (APHA) website is Lead contamination. Lead is a type of metal highly used in manufacturing car batteries and pipes. Lead exposure occurs through inhaling contaminated air or dust, or consumption of contaminated water and food (WHO, 2019). Regarding Lead contamination, this paper seeks to discuss the policy health issue on Lead contamination, suggestions to address the health issue, and its impact on the health care delivery system
Population Affected By Lead Contamination
Lead exposure affects all individuals across the lifespan. The main routes of Lead exposure are water, air, and household environment (WHO, 2019). Children, especially infants and toddlers, are exposed to lead contamination due to behaviors such as putting their hands and objects in the mouth. Exposure to Lead is mostly harmful to children owing to their developing bodies. Besides, those living at or below the
federal poverty level and in old houses have the highest risk of Lead exposure (WHO, 2019). Besides, children from minority racial and ethnic groups, such as non-Hispanic African-Americans, are also at higher risk for exposure to lead. NRS 428 Assignment: Benchmark Policy Brief
Lead exposure is particularly harmful to pregnant women. It crosses the placenta affecting the fetus, which increases the risk of congenital abnormalities. Besides, Lead can also be passed from the mother to an infant through breast milk. Adults are exposed to lead through occupational activities, consumption of contaminated food and water, and during recreational activities. Families can also be trained in ways to make water safe for drinking, such as boiling and chlorination. NRS 428 Assignment: Benchmark Policy Brief
Level Lead Contamination Occurs
The policy health issue on Lead contamination occurs at the local and State level. At the local level, Lead exposure occurs mainly at industrial sites. Statistics by the National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH), reveal that more than 3 million workers in the U.S. are possibly exposed to lead. Lead contamination occurs at the State level at the State’s public water systems, which are made of Lead pipes that contaminate water meant for human consumption.
Environmental Lead exposure occurs from activities such as mining, manufacturing, smelting, and recycling. In some countries, the sustained use of leaded paint, leaded gasoline, and leaded aviation fuel have significantly contributed to lead exposure. Consumption of water from lead pipes or pipes fused with lead solder is a major cause of Lead poisoning from contaminated water.
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Evidence about Lead Contamination
The Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation (IHME) approximated that in 2017, Lead exposure accounted for 1.06 million mortalities and 24.4 million years of healthy life lost globally due to its long-term effects on health (Levin, 2016). Low-and middle-income countries experience the highest burden of disease from adverse effects of Lead poisoning (WHO, 2019). IHME also revealed that in 2016, lead poisoning was linked with 63.2% of idiopathic developmental and intellectual disability globally. Lead exposure also accounted for 10.3% of hypertensive heart disease, 5.6% of ischemic heart disease, and 6.2% of stroke globally (Wani, Ara & Usmani, 2015). Lead toxicity affects almost every body system. The most affected body systems include the Renal, Nervous, and Reproductive system. In the Renal system, Lead toxicity causes reduced kidney function (Wani, Ara & Usmani, 2015). Children’s nervous systems are most affected, which results in slowed growth, learning difficulties, mental retardation, and behavioral disorders. Other risks include anemia and toxicity of the immune and reproductive systems. NRS 428 Assignment: Benchmark Policy Brief
Problem Statement
The general population is at a high risk of Lead exposure from environmental factors. Even so, the children and adults are exposed to lead every day, which puts them at risk of adverse health conditions. Regarding this problem, this study seeks to propose suggestions that will address Lead contamination and lower the prevalence of Lead exposure to the general population.
Suggestions for Addressing Lead Contamination
Lead contamination can be addressed at the household, local, and State levels. Health promotion can be conducted at the household level to educate families on measures to reduce the risk of Lead exposure (Ettinger, Leonard & Mason, 2019). For instance, caregivers can be advised to keep products containing Lead out of children’s reach to reduce exposure through hand-to-mouth transfer. In addition, basic home hygiene should be emphasized, such as regularly washing children’s hands and toys and regular mopping of floors and house surfaces (Ettinger, Leonard & Mason, 2019). Individuals should also be advised against using lead-based paint that peels.
County authorities can conduct lead poisoning prevention education and child blood lead testing (LeBrón et al., 2019). Local departments of health can conduct lead poisoning prevention education for caregivers, health care providers, and local agencies (LeBrón et al., 2019). Besides, they can conduct outreach services to increase lead testing for children who are at a high risk of lead exposure.
State governments can have regulations that require the use of lead-free pipes and fixtures in public water systems or in facilities that provide water for human consumption (LeBrón et al., 2019). The State governments can also adopt regulations that require the testing of consumers’ taps to assess Lead and copper annually. Besides, State laws can be enacted that prohibit the sale and manufacture of toys containing lead-based paints or lacquers that surpass the lead content permitted by the federal government (LeBrón et al., 2019). Furthermore, State governments can establish housing standards for human occupancy and laws that require the disclosure of lead-based paint hazards to buyers.
ORDER NOW FOR AN ORIGINAL PAPER ASSIGNMENT: Assignment: 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. Assignment: Benchmark Policy Brief
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 four 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, An abstract/thesis is required.
Topic 4 DQ 1
Research the delivery, finance, management, and sustainability methods of the U.S. health care system. Evaluate the effectiveness of one or more of these areas on quality patient care and health outcomes. Propose a potential health care reform solution to improve effectiveness in the area you evaluated and predict the expected effect. Describe the effect of health care reform on the U.S. health care system and its respective stakeholders. Support your post with a peer-reviewed journal article. NRS 428 Assignment: Benchmark Policy Brief
Topic 4 DQ 2
The Affordable Care Act was signed into law by President Barack Obama in March 2010. Many of the provisions of the law directly affect health care providers. Review the following topic materials:
“About the Affordable Care Act”
“Health Care Transformation: The Affordable Care Act and More”
What are the most important elements of the Affordable Care Act in relation to community and public health? What is the role of the nurse in implementing this law? NRS 428 Concepts in Community and Public Health
Topic 5: Emergency Preparedness and Disaster Management
Objectives:
Explain the role of the public health nurse in disaster management.
Appraise systems designed for emergency and disaster preparedness.
Apply levels of prevention to natural and manmade disasters.
Describe the spiritual considerations surrounding disasters.
Community Teaching Experience Approval Form
Before presenting your “Community Teaching Plan: Community Presentation” to the community, seek approval from an agency administrator or representative. Upon receiving approval from the agency, submit the completed “Community Teaching Experience Approval Form.”
AttachmentsNRS-428VN-RS5-CommunityTeachingExperienceForm.doc
You must proofread your paper. But do not strictly rely on your computer’s spell-checker and grammar-checker; failure to do so indicates a lack of effort on your part and you can expect your grade to suffer accordingly. Papers with numerous misspelled words and grammatical mistakes will be penalized. Read over your paper – in silence and then aloud – before handing it in and make corrections as necessary. Often it is advantageous to have a friend proofread your paper for obvious errors. NRS 428 Assignment: Benchmark Policy Brief
