Healthcare Policy and Economics HCA-320__BK8 - Module 1- Advocacy and Healthcare Policy

Why the Policy Matters

With the negative effects of the opioid crisis being heavily felt in society, there is a need for better policies that will effectively help in eliminating the issue. The first step in overcoming the challenge is providing better data so that better surveillance on the issue can be undertaken in society (Dasgupta et al., 2018). When better surveillance is undertaken, it will be easier to get correct figures on the opioid crisis, leading to a situation whereby positive outcomes can be achieved from the data collected. Secondly, better pain management needs to be looked into so that the use of opioids can be eliminated (Dasgupta et al., 2018). The continued use of opioids in pain management means that more people are likely to be addicted to opioids, hence increasing the impact of the crisis in society. There is, therefore, a need for better research and development efforts so that less addictive and more effective measures of pain management will be developed in the process.

Furthermore, the policy should also improve the access and availability of treatment, preventive, and recovery measures. The majority of the addicts cannot access the resources that will help them overcome addiction and offer moral support to help them stay away from opioids (Dasgupta et al., 2018). When this happens, it will be easier to prevent future cases of opioid addiction, manage the people who are currently addicted and help those who have overcome addiction not to get back to the vice. Furthermore, the policy will help in increasing the availability of overdose-reversing drugs. The reduced access to the overdose-reversing medication has resulted in a situation whereby more deaths have been experienced due to overdoses (Dasgupta et al., 2018). A policy whereby drugs that can reverse opioid overdoses will be readily available in society will help in reducing the number of overdoses experienced in society. Lastly, cutting-edge research has to be supported by the proposed policy so that better outcomes can be achieved in the process. Cutting-edge research will help get to the root cause of opioid addictions. Instead of treating the outcomes, the policy will help address the psychosocial issues that could lead to opioid addiction and the crisis being currently experienced (Dasgupta et al., 2018). When this happens, it will be possible to prevent the occurrence of opioid addiction that negatively impacts society.

The Role that I would Play as an Advocate

As an advocate involved with the policy, I would play the role of a community mobilizer. Community mobilization refers to how communities are engaged so that the issues being addressed can be discussed. Community mobilization also includes identifying priorities in the program, the resources available to undertake the project, the needs of the community, and the development of solutions so that positive outcomes can be achieved in the process (Fraser et al., 2018). Community mobilization involves representation, participation, good governance, and change while involving the community that has been affected. When this happens, the community will not resist executing the policy since they will have been involved in the whole process and because the solutions adopted will have come from them.

As a community mobilizer, I will have different responsibilities. First, I will play the role of identifying and accessing the worst-hit communities. Using reliable data will help achieve positive outcomes in the process of executing the policy since the worst-hit communities will be highlighted so that immediate intervention programs can be set up there for better outcomes (Fraser et al., 2018). Furthermore, it will be easier to determine the resource allocation process so that the areas where the opioid crisis will get more resources than the areas where the crisis is mildly felt. I will also be involved in selecting and training community mobilizers at the grassroots level (Fraser et al., 2018). Having mobilizers at the grassroots will help ensure that the policy will have accurate information and people who understand the communities in question better, hence improved chances of producing positive outcomes in the process.

Another role that I will play is setting up formal communication structures that information can flow. Communication structures will help determine the direction that communication will flow through and the people who will be involved in the process (Fraser et al., 2018). This being the case, it will be easier for the stakeholders involved in the program to access and distribute information that will lead to positive outcomes in addressing the opioid crisis. Finally, I will play the role of identifying and implementing the activities involved in community mobilization (Fraser et al., 2018). By understanding the communities to work on, I will look for the most appropriate and a