General instructions:
Research healthcare issues that have been identified in your local community. Select one problem for which you will complete a healthcare policy analysis.
Include the following sections:
Application of Course Knowledge: Answer all questions/criteria with explanations and detail.
Identify and define the local problem you will address in your analysis.
Include background information about the problem.
Describe why the topic is important.
Explain why the topic needs to be addressed now.
*Note: Peer responses should provide options for addressing healthcare problems identified by peers. 
Engagement in Meaningful Dialogue: Engage peers by asking questions, and offering new insights, applications, perspectives, information, or implications for practice:
Respond to at least one peer.
Respond to a second peer post.
Communicate using respectful, collegial language and terminology appropriate to advanced nursing practice.
Professionalism in Communication: Communicate with minimal errors in English grammar, spelling, syntax, and punctuation.
To the writer
please use single line spacing and 150 or less for each .thanks
Peer 1 post /Rekha
Health Disparities Among Homeless Individuals in Los Angeles County
I am currently working as a registered nurse in a Los Angeles County hospital . In my daily practice, I see the health disparities that individuals experiencing homelessness face, often ending up in the emergency department or urgent care for conditions that could have been managed earlier through primary care. According to the Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority (LAHSA, 2023), over 75,000 people in Los Angeles County are experiencing homelessness. Many of these individuals face barriers such as lack of insurance, transportation challenges, and fragmented healthcare services. These disparities contribute to poor chronic disease management, high rates of mental health disorders, and repeated emergency care visits (Kushel, 2021; Fazel et al., 2021).
This topic is important because health disparities among homeless individuals affect both patient outcomes and community health. Limited access to consistent, preventive care leads to preventable hospitalizations, increased healthcare costs, and worse health outcomes. As an RN working directly with these patients, I witness the human impact—patients with uncontrolled diabetes, untreated infections, or unmanaged mental health conditions often returning repeatedly to the hospital. Addressing these disparities promotes health equity, improves quality of life, and reduces system strain (Tsai & Wilson, 2021).The issue needs to be addressed now because the homelessness crisis continues to grow, and COVID-19 has exposed major gaps in healthcare for vulnerable populations. Without intervention, disparities will worsen, increasing preventable hospitalizations, morbidity, and overall system costs. Immediate action is essential to ensure these individuals receive timely, coordinated care (National Academies, 2021; Kushel, 2021).
In reviewing solutions, I considered mobile health clinics, Medicaid expansion, and permanent supportive housing. While mobile clinics and Medicaid expansion reduce some barriers, I believe permanent supportive housing is the most effective solution. It integrates stable housing with healthcare services, addresses both medical and social needs, and reduces emergency department visits. As an FNP student, I see this as an opportunity to coordinate care, deliver preventive services, and advocate for patients while engaging stakeholders—patients, providers, community organizations, and government—to create sustainable solutions (Siersbaek et al., 2021; Wilensky & Teitelbaum, 2023).
I would love to hear group thoughts:
Which of these policy options do you think could be most practical in your communities? Have you observed similar health disparities in your practice or clinical rotations, and what strategies have you seen work to improve access and outcomes for vulnerable populations?
References
Fazel, S., Geddes, J. R., & Kushel, M. (2021). The health of people experiencing homelessness. The Lancet, 397(10271), 211–222. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0140-6736(20)31869-7Links to an external site.
Kushel, M. (2021). Homelessness and health: A policy perspective. Journal of General Internal Medicine, 36(2), 1–6. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11606-020-06490-8Links to an external site.
Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority. (2023). Greater Los Angeles homelessness count. https://www.lahsa.orgLinks to an external site.
Siersbaek, R., et al. (2021). Structural barriers to healthcare access for homeless populations. Int J Equity Health, 20, 150. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12939-021-01412-0Links to an external site.
Tsai, J., & Wilson, M. (2021). COVID-19 and homeless populations. The Lancet Public Health, 6(4), e186–e187. https://doi.org/10.1016/S2468-2667(21)00053-0Links to an external site.
National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. (2021). Permanent supportive housing and health outcomes. https://doi.org/10.17226/25133Links to an external site.
Wilensky, S. E., & Teitelbaum, J. B. (2023). Essentials of health policy and law (5th ed.).
Peer 2 post /Amanda McRae
In my local community and broader healthcare system, inadequate nurse staffing continues to represent a critical and persistent healthcare issue that directly impact patient safety, care quality, and workforce sustainability. Insufficient staffing levels are associated with increased mortality, higher rates of medical errors, and significant nurse burn out, ultimately compromising both patient outcomes and organizational performance (National Academies of Science, Engineering, and Medicine [NASEM], 2021)
Background factors contributing to this issue include an ongoing nursing shortage, increasing patient acuity, and post-pandemic workforce attrition. Healthcare systems are challenged to balance financial constraints with the need to maintain safe staffing levels, often resulting in staffing decisions driven by coast rather than evidence-based patient safety standards (Mason et al., 2021) Moreover, the lack of standardized national policy for nurse-to-patient ratios creates variability across states, leading to inconsistent care outcomes and inequities in patient safety.
This issue is exceptionally important because it affects multiple stakeholders, including patients, nurses, healthcare organizations, and policymakers. For patients, inadequate staffing increases the risk of adverse outcomes and preventable complications. For nurses, chronic understaffing contributes to burnout, moral distress, and turnover, further exacerbating workforce shortages. Healthcare organizations face financial pressures, liability risks, and decreased quality metrics, while policymakers must balance public safety with economic and regulatory feasibility (Porche, 2023)
The urgency of addressing nurse staffing has intensified in the post-pandemic era, as workforce instability and burnout have reached critical levels. Policy intervention is necessary to ensure safe staffing standards, promote workforce retention, and improve patient outcomes. Without target policy changes, the healthcare system will continue to experience declining workforce sustainability and compromised patient safety, making this a priority issues for healthcare policy analysis and reform (National Academies of Science, Engineering, and Medicine [NASEM], 2021).
Reference:
Mason, D. J., Perez, A., McLemore, M. R., & Dickson, E. L. (2021). Policy and politics in nursing and health care (8th ed.). Elsevier.
National Acadamies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. (2021). The future of nursing 2020-2030: Charting a path to achieve health equity (M. K. Wakefield, D. R. Williams, S. Le Menestrel, & J. L. Flaubert, Eds.). National Academies Press. https://www.nationalacademies.org/read/25982
Porche, D. J. (2023). Health policy: Application for nurses and other healthcare professionals (3rd ed.). Jones & Bartlett Learning.
