The United States Constitution guarantees all citizens access to quality, affordable health care (Maxwell, et al., 2015). Yet, some people, particularly the elderly, chronically ill, and mentally challenged, continue to be denied access to services. The majority of nurse practitioners (NPs) focus on school health, women's health, psychiatry, oncology, and pediatrics (Cowen & Moorhead, 2014). As a result, they appear to have neglected the need for family medicine, which brings services closer to individuals by visiting them at home. Disorders such as broken hips, long-term diabetes, heart disease, and hypertension necessitate thorough monitoring of the rehabilitation process (Christensen, Bohmer & Kenagy, 2000). Unfortunately, most people with these and other complicated disorders lose lives due to lack of care and access to timely quality health care.
The community in which I reside needs Visiting Nurse Services. I look forward to initiating a bill to establish a Visiting Nurse Program in the community and the entire state. The program will involve visiting and providing health care to the elderly who are sick and also terminally ill residents. During the visits, NPs will volunteer to teach the target group on health care. The new policy will ensure that no person loses life due to lack of access to health care. The bill will further require the states through the health care sectors to provide enough drugs and increase the appropriation for the health care sector to improve service delivery (National Conference of State Legislatures, 2017).
The policy will change how NPs address the well-being of the community and individuals by extending the service at homes (Heidesch, 2008). Adoption of the policy will further decrease the cost of health care through reduced transport expenses and other spendings incurred upon visiting health care centers. Therefore, initiating the program will improve access to health care in the community and make me a prominent NP in the society. The program will enable me to leave a memorable legacy by introducing a service that people in the community have missed for many years. Overall, the program will improve the health of the residents hence enabling them to engage in their normal daily lives.
References
Christensen, C. M., Bohmer, R. M. J., & Kenagy, J. (2000). Will disruptive innovations cure health care? Harvard Business Review, 78(5), 102-112, 199.
Cowen, P. S., & Moorhead, S. (2014). Current issues in nursing. London: Elsevier Health Sciences.
Heidesch, T. (2008). Disruptive innovation NPs are true health care reformers. Advance Healthcare Network for NPs & PAs, 16(12), 94. Retrieved from http://nurse-practitioners-and-physician-assistants.advanceweb.com/Article/Disruptive-Innovator.aspx
Maxwell, E. W., Crain, E., Jones, M., Davis, M. L. & Wlezein, C. (2015). Texas politics today. Boston: Cengage Learning.
National Conference of State Legislatures (2017). Glossary of legislative terms. Retrieved from http://www.ncsl.org/research/about-state-legislatures/glossary-of-legislative-terms.aspx
