Agenda Comparison Grid Assignment Template Paper
Agenda Comparison Grid Assignment Template Paper
The United States is experiencing a worse opioid epidemic than other countries around the round. According to Jalali et al. (2020), a public health crisis has occurred due to the increase in opioid misuse over the last 25 years. It is estimated that in 2017, twelve million individuals in the United States misused opioids, and there were over 47,000 opioid overdose-related deaths. Over the past numerous years, the opioid epidemic has attracted the attention of politicians, health professionals, and researchers.
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Age, gender, and race are social determinants that most affect opioid misuse and opioid use disorder. According to Jalali et al. (2020), opioid misuse is high among individuals between 18 and 25 years. Initiating opioid misuse early increases an individual’s risk for developing opioid use disorder, and thus, young adulthood and adolescence are significant risk periods for misusing opioids. Also, gender plays a vital role in the misuse of opioids. Compared to men, females have a high likelihood of being prescribed opioids, and there are sex differences in opioids’ pharmacological effects. Also, race plays a role in the opioid epidemic. Non-Hispanic whites have a high likelihood of being prescribed opioids, which increases the risk of exposure. In ethnic and racial minorities, pain is usually undertreated or untreated.
In October 2017, the opioid epidemic was declared a public health emergency by President Trump. In 2018, Trump secured six billion US dollars to curb opioid use disorder via the Stop Opioid Abuse initiative (Wen & Sadeghi, 2020). President Biden has addressed the opioid epidemic by making it a major priority in his administration’s Unity agenda and launching the Overdose Prevention Strategy. This strategy is expanding access to opioid use disorder medications and increasing the country’s harm reduction and treatment capacity.
I would address the opioid epidemic by funding overdose education and naloxone distribution (OEND) programs. These programs can equip and train individuals with the likelihood of being close to a person who has overdosed on an opioid to respond by administering naloxone, an opioid antagonist. At the population level, these programs can reduce opioid-related deaths.
References
Jalali, M., Botticelli, M., Hwang, R. C., Koh, H. K., & McHung, R. K. (2020). The opioid crisis: a contextual, social-ecological framework. BMC Research Policy and Systems, 18,87.
Wen, L. S., & Sadeghi, N. B. (2020). The opioid crisis and the 2020 US election: crossroads for a national epidemic.Lancet, 396(10259), 1316-1318. doi: 10.1016/S0140-6736(20)32113-9Links to an external site.
Part 1: Agenda Comparison Grid
| Population Health concern | Opioid misuse and opioid use disorder among youths
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| Description
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Opioid misuse and opioid use disorder
Opioid misuse and opioid use disorder are a growing epidemic in the United States. Warren et al. (2023) noted that in 2021 alone, the U.S. recorded 107000 deaths from drug overdose, most of which were associated with opioid abuse. Jalali et al. (2020) observed that in 2017, there were 47000 opioid overdose fatalities. The researchers reported the rate of deaths has been increasing rapidly since 2015 compared to the period between 2001 and 2016. The opioid abuse or opioid use disorder (OUD) has attracted the attention of past administrations, as evidenced by their efforts to contain the issue during their tenure. In 2017, The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services took a drastic measure concerning the opioid pandemic when it recognized the problem as a public health emergency (Jalali et al., 2020). In the following sections, a review of the initiatives by Trump’s and Biden’s administrations to counter opioid use disorder is presented. ORDER HERE |
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| Administration (President Name) | President Donald Trump | President Joe Biden |
| President Donald Trump addressed the opioid crisis in the U.S. by unveiling the “Stop Opioid Abuse” in 2018. The initiative had two core goals: reducing over-prescription and demand for opioids. Another objective was to curtail the supply by cracking down on international and domestic drug suppliers. The other goal was to help those with opioid addiction through evidence-based treatments and recovery support programs.
The president also implemented the Safe Prescribing Plan to cut opioid prescriptions by a third in three years. He also intensified border crackdowns to reduce drug smuggling. At the same time, he pushed Congress to pass an umbrella act, SUPPORT, to address the opioid crisis (The White House, 2018).
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Since starting his term in office, President Joe Biden focused on addressing the opioid overdose pandemic. Biden outlined critical measures his administration was to make to increase access to evidence-based treatment, prevention, harm reduction, and recovery services. Just like Trump, Biden also implemented a plan for reducing the supply of opioids, such as fentanyl. The president also committed to dismantling criminal organizations by targeting their supplies, distribution channels, and networks. The strategy also allowed partnerships with community-based organizations to prevent opioid use disorder and misuse among school-going children and young adults (18 to 25 years) (The White House, 2022a). | |
| The Allocations of Resources to the Opioid Crisis | The Trump administration committed to this cause by allocating $6 billion by October 2018 (The White House, 2018). | The Biden administration in 2022 also awarded states $1.5 billion in the form of grants to facilitate them in controlling opioid addiction and crisis. The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) also stated the government had allocated over $104 million for treatment and recovery programs in rural areas (The White House, 2022b). |
Part 2: Agenda Comparison Grid Analysis
Using the information, you recorded in Part 1: Agenda Comparison Grid, complete the following to document information about the population health/healthcare issue you selected
| Administration | |
| Administrative Agency |
The administrative agency that would help address opioid use disorder and misuse among youths is the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). The HHS is most helpful because it is the primary agency that rolls out health and healthcare programs nationally. Besides, the HHS already has running programs for the prevention, treatment, and recovery of opioid addiction. The HHS also partners with non-governmental organizations, healthcare providers, and community-based organizations.
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| How the healthcare issue might get on the presidential agenda? | The only way to get the opioid crisis among youths on the presidential agenda is by doing advocacy at the federal level. By joining dedicated lobbying agencies such as the American Nurses Association (ANA), the issue can be propelled to policymakers and legislators, including the president’s office. Continued follow-up would ensure the issue remains a critical component of the presidential agenda. It would not be a challenge since the administration has shown commitment to controlling the opioid crisis in its National Drug Control Strategy (American Nurse Association, n. d.). |
| Champion | The champion for the opioid crisis would be the U.S. senator for Pennsylvania, Bob Casey. The senator has been sponsoring and cosponsoring legislation for addressing drug trafficking, including fentanyl. Casey has also been advocating for grants to address opioid overdoses, such as through the POWER Act in 2018. The senator would be interested in creating a federal policy to facilitate overdose education and the distribution of naloxone (Casey, 2024). |
Part 3: Fact Sheet
Opioid use disorder among youths is an ensuing pandemic. The rate of overdose deaths recorded in recent years indicates opioid abuse is a public health crisis. In 2021, there were about 107000 deaths associated with drug overdose, most of which were linked to opioid misuse. The deaths have been increasing since 2001, with steep rises evidenced from 2015 onwards. The fatalities indicate the prevalence of opioid abuse and opioid use disorder. Overdose deaths are preventable if those in opioid addiction have access to harm reduction services. Education on opioid overdose and distribution of naloxone are interventions for preventing overdose-related deaths. Effective management of opioid overdoses requires federal legislation to support funding for the programs (Jalali et al., 2020; Warren et al., 2023). The funding would enable healthcare providers and community health workers to educate and provide naloxone to individuals with opioid addiction to prevent overdose deaths.
The nurse’s role in agenda-setting concerning healthcare issues, such as the opioid crisis, is critical. The nurses are primary caregivers. They understand healthcare issues, including opioid use disorder. The nurses also have the knowledge and research capacity to inform policy development to address healthcare issues. The nurses participate in agenda-setting through advocacy. They help legislators understand nursing or healthcare problems well by developing policy briefs. The nurses also identify evidence-based interventions for various issues. Furthermore, nurses apply nursing knowledge to clarify healthcare problems and potential solutions. They explain to legislators the significance of the opioid crisis. The nurses can also highlight at-risk groups at risk, such as adolescents and young adults (American Nurses Association, n. d.). In a nutshell, the nurse’s role in agenda setting for the opioid problem is essential as they provide professional guidance to legislators.
References
American Nurse Association (n. d.). Federal advocacy. American Nurses Association. https://www.nursingworld.org/practice-policy/advocacy/federal/.
Casey, B. (2024). Senator Casey’s work fighting the opioid crisis. Bob Casey. https://www.casey.senate.gov/senator-caseys-work-to-combat-the-opioid-crisis.
Jalali, M., Botticelli, M., Hwang, R. C., Koh, H. K., & McHung, R. K. (2020). The opioid crisis: a contextual, social-ecological framework. BMC Research Policy and Systems, 18(87), 1-9. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12961-020-00596-8.
The White House (2018). Ending America’s opioid crisis. The White House Archives. https://trumpwhitehouse.archives.gov/opioids/.
The White House (2022a). President Biden releases National Drug Control Strategy to save lives, expand treatment, and disrupt trafficking. The White House. https://www.whitehouse.gov/ondcp/briefing-room/2022/04/21/president-biden-releases-national-drug-control-strategy-to-save-lives-expand-treatment-and-disrupt-trafficking/.
The White House (2022b). Fact sheet: Biden-Harris administration announces new actions and funding to address the overdose epidemic and support recovery. The White House. https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/statements-releases/2022/09/23/fact-sheet-biden-harris-administration-announces-new-actions-and-funding-to-address-the-overdose-epidemic-and-support-recovery/.
Warren, L. K., Adams, J., & Bobashev, G. (2023). Trends in opioid misuse among individuals aged 12 to 21 years in the US. JAMA Network Open, 6(6), e2316276. https://doi.org/10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2023.16276
Agenda Comparison Grid Assignment Template Paper
