Introduction
Veterans refer to people who served in military or disciplined forces. These groups are referred to as veterans after retiring from the disciplined forces. As of 2017, the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) projected that 46.6 million adults have mental illness issues (Alexander & Wynn, 2018). From the number given, more than 1.7 million veterans access treatment under the veteran affairs (VA) program as of 2018 (Blonigen et al., 2021). This paper discusses The National Research Action Plan (NRAP) as the current policy designed in 2013 to improve the health services for veterans, service members, and families under military covers.
The Policy Selected
The policy selected in this discussion is NRAP, implemented to ensure that veterans receive quality health care. The plan was developed in 2013 by the VA and the Department of Defense (DoD) and health and education programs under the same department. The plan ensures there is a critical understanding of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), traumatic brain injury (TBI), and other situations occurring, including suicide (Blonigen et al., 2021). Through the policy, mechanisms for combating mental illnesses among the veterans have been developing.
Diverse Population Affected by the Policy
The policy covers men and women who have served in the military, service members, and other national security agencies. The policy also includes families for the veterans and service members (Fant, 2019). The population is included because veterans have experienced trauma in their lives during their line of duty. According to research conducted by VA Palo Alto Care System, 11% of veterans would report rising cases of depression when compared to 12.8% non-veterans (Blonigen et al., 2021). The US veterans, especially those who served during World War II, may have phobias, panic disorders, and anxiety issues. Therefore, the policy intervenes to protect the population from psychological harm.
How The Policy Improves Cost-Effectiveness and Healthcare Equality
NRAP ensures that veterans, service members, and military families have access to health care without cost. The program ensures that the population can get treated at a non-veteran hospital that can be easily accessible like any other healthcare firm. Thus, healthcare equity is achieved by focusing on the threat caused by the mental issues and accessibility to clinical services without commuting to far places (Gould et al., 2019). The policy also incorporates technology in examining clinical procedures to ensure that there is the correct diagnosis.
Why NRAP is Financially Sound
The policy is financially sound because the DoD and the VA work with the US Department of Health and Human Services and the US Department of Education to offer resources that can be used. The government provides these resources, and therefore, it is included in the costs for running the departments that are run by an annual budget (Resnick & Hoff, 2021). Additionally, the veterans, service members, and military families do not need to incur costs while establishing their root of illnesses. The reason is that under the collaborative base between the department and VA, research is offered and technology to address commonly occurring issues such as depression.
How NRAP Incorporates Nursing Perspective
The nursing perspective is incorporated under the Veterans Health Administration (VHA), which promotes the integration of health and mental health care. This is based on evidence-based interventions, which are key aspects of nursing paraphernalia. Under the subject, the policy incorporates interventions such as cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) (Resnick & Hoff, 2020). There is still medical research to ascertain the cause of some disorders. Additionally, technology is used to perform procedures during the administration of clinical duties. That comes under electronic health records (EHR) (Resnick & Hoff, 2020). Therefore, these elements incorporate the nursing perspective due to the nature of the VA health care system.
How NRAP Incorporates Legal, Ethical, and Political Factors
NRAP was published in Federal Register in September 2012, and it was categorized under executive orders (Monteith et al., 2021). Therefore, it means that the perpetrators can be arraigned legally at any time there is a breach of NRAP provisions. The ethical incorporation of NRAP is that the veterans, service members, and military families were given the liberty to conceal details that would reveal government information to members of the public (Monteith et al., 2021). Politically, NRAP provides for improved medical services to the general public, but in this case, many interpreted that as a political milestone for Obama to iron his first term faults.
The State, Federal, and Global Health Goal NRAP is Related
NRAP is related to some of the global goals to achieve well-being regarding mental health. The World Health Organization (WHO) has set an objective to reduce the number of deaths resulting from mental complications. In 2013, WHO adopted a plan known as WHO Mental Health Action, which prioritized the prevention of suicide due to mental illnesses (Herbert et al., 2017). Therefore, NRAP’s framework is related to the plan by WHO. The US has also set a plan known as Health People 2030, which focuses on preventing, screening, assessing, and treating mental disorders to improve health and quality of life.
The Degree to Which Each Helps Achieve Equitable Health Care
WHO’s plan is meant to provide critical care for people with depression, trauma, and other mental disorders. Equity is achieved by setting resources to ensure the process is completed successfully, just like any other ailment. WHO does not overlook any illness and takes mental illness with equal intensity as other illnesses (Gould et al., 2019). The US plan to reduce the number of cases for people with mental illnesses is one way to protect all the citizens, either civil servants or other members of the society. Equality is achieved by establishing resources efforts to navigate mental illness just like other infections may be dealt with.
Advocacy Strategies
Under the NRAP policy, there are priorities in performing analyses of existing measures for PTSD, TBI, and other mental aspects. Therefore, it means that the program advocates for developing processes that standardize and share appropriate data concerning mental disorders (Alexander & Wynn, 2018). There was increment to access results of federally sponsored scientific research on mental issues. NRAP advocates for utilizing tools such as technology, research, and support system that can be put under one framework to ensure patients are given standard care (Alexander & Wynn, 2018). Lastly, there is an adaptation of the inventory of scarce research elements such as tissue samples and cerebrospinal fluid.
Professional and Moral Obligations from a Christian Perspective
For the master’s prepared nurses, the supreme good, God, is the common good that guides one when in professional conduct. It means that the aspect should guide these nurses to understand the need to respect the rights and responsibilities of all persons they come (Thomas et al., 2017). Under this perspective, the nurses should be committed to ensuring that the veterans, service members, and military families get sufficient care for mental health. Thus, the nurses owe similar tasks to themselves as to other people. Thus, with such understanding, it is easy to promote health for veterans with mental health issues.
Conclusion
Veterans, service members, and military families get mental health services under VA. NRAP was developed in 2013 to promote mental health for the population. Under the policy, all commitments such as research, technology, and other elements are taken equally. NRAP recommends a comprehensive venture in research to understand mental issues such as suicide depression, among others. The nursing perspective is incorporated by providing clinical duties to treat mental illness. The common good must guide Masters’ nurses to deliver exemplary duties, promoting health and human dignity. Thus, the diverse population is assured of safety and improved lifestyle in the US and other parts.
References
Alexander, S., & Wynn, S. (2018). Improving the perceived quality of life of US military veterans with serious mental illness. Mental Health Practice, 21(8), 38-43. Web.
Blonigen, D., Shaffer, P., Smith, J., Cucciare, M., Timko, C., & Smelson, D. et al. (2021). Recidivism treatment for justice-involved veterans: Evaluating adoption and sustainment of moral resonation therapy in the US Veterans Health Administration. Administration and Policy in Mental Health and Mental Health Services Research, 48(6), 992-1005. Web.
Fant, G. (2019). US Veteran population projections, 2015 through 2040: Implications for health planning and monitoring population health outcomes. Public Health – Open Journal, 4(1), 33-37. Web.