Structure your lobbying plan following this standard outline incorporating appropriate heading levels:
This is your final submission. Your paper should be 3,325 to 5,425 words in length and be based on articles from the last ten years. You are required to use APA formatting for in-text citations and references. For further guidance, refer to the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association (6th ed.).
Your assignment should be complete and integrate the feedback you received from your instructor following the submission of your rough draft.
Cheung, R., & Ardolino, A. (2011). Behavioural science in public health policy. British Journal of Healthcare Management, 17(4), 140-144.
Durbin, A., Durbin, J., Hensel, J., Deber, R., & Hensel, J. M. (2016). Barriers and enablers to integrating mental health into primary care: A policy analysis. Journal of Behavioral Health Services & Research, 43(1), 127-139. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11414-013-9359-6
World Health Organization. (2003). Quality improvement for mental health. Retrieved fromhttp://www.who.int/mental_health/resources/en/Quality.pdf (Links to an external site.)
Pgs. 54-58
American Psychological Association. (2010). Publication manual of the American Psychological Association(6th ed.). Washington, DC: Author.
Katrina, H., Heather, P., Doris, C., Daniel, S., & Julian, E. (2015). Factors for success in mental health advocacy.Global Health Action, 8(0), 1-9. https://doi.org/10.3402/gha.v8.28791
McKeown, M., Ridley, J., Newbigging, K., Machin, K., Poursanidou, K., & Cruse, K. (2014). Conflict of roles: A conflict of ideas? The unsettled relations between care team staff and independent mental health advocates.International Journal of Mental Health Nursing, 23(5), 398-408. https://doi.org/10.1111/inm.12069
Open States. (n.d.). Find your legislator. Retrieved from https://openstates.org/find_your_legislator/ (Links to an external site.)
United States House of Representatives. (n.d.). Find your representative. Retrieved fromhttp://www.house.gov/representatives/find/
Mental Health LegislationLobbying Plan
Introduction
Accreditation in mental health agencies and facilities follows legislation that not only results in the provision of quality mental health care but also provides a framework for the agency’s structure and management. These frameworks ensure that quality assurance and improvements are provided in the mental health agency. Compliance with the regulations and policies set will enable the agency to be accredited, increasing the reputation of its performance. The facility gains recognition for offering accredited services, enhancing accountability, and conformance to accepted standards in mental health care.The accreditation further ensures that mental health care is integrated into society through effective and quality services as well as comprehensive strategies to improve mental health care. Community awareness of quality services offered by mental facilities is disregarded. Further, parity and insurance coverage in mental health care are issues at large that ought to be addressed.
Description
The lobbying plan aims at advocating for legislation compliance in mental health facilities for public awareness, parity, and mental health covers.The agencies aim at offering quality services through assurance and improvement by ensuring that legislation policies are followed. This will be enabled through the accreditation of processes and system frameworks to be utilized. Mental health quality and awareness aids in achieving parity in health care systems. The plan is to offer equality and quality of care through availability and accessibility. Through this, activities undertaken in diagnosis, treatment, evaluations, and interventions will align with the policies. The mental health patients will receive equitable care as in any other health centers to create parity in the health system. Through the agency plan, awareness of mental health parity will be enhanced, ensuring that the community members seek the agency services. Positive mental health outcomes are based on improvements in mental health services, awareness and education to community members, and accessibility to mental health care services.
Statement of Objectives
To identify how accreditation has impacted professionalism in mental facilities.
To advocate for parity between physical and mental health.
To examine accreditation in providing quality mental health services in the community.
To advocate for equal funding opportunities through accreditation.
To identify improvement measures required through accreditation.
Argument section
Findings
The increased need for accreditation of organizations from a global level has ensured that professionalism is regarded in organizations. Additionally, the accreditation ensures that the development and improvements in work standards are aligned to the credentialing processes (Shallcross, 2012). This has influenced how organizations, especially in mental health counseling, offer mental intervention and treatment. Advancements in technology also impact counseling sessions provided to patients (Shallcross, 2012). Therefore legislation provides a ground in which the professionals obtain identity unity besides protecting the public. The joint commission standards stipulated ensurethat they have quality input in mental health care professionals in improving and measuring performance, according to the joint commission (2007).
The legislation results in the accreditation of the mental health agencies enhancing quality provision. This not only displays conformance with international standards but also ensures accountability of mental health facilities as per,Carf behavioral health organization (2016). Quality of both inpatient and out-patient outcomes is characterized to depend on the quality improvements of mental facilities. The accreditation program has enabled reviewing, assessing, evaluation, and planning of practice guidelines (Al-Sughayir, 2016). Additionally, the standards have been utilized to develop strategies in mental health care improvement.
The conformance to the standards is inclined to addressing quality improvements and assurance on professionalism. This raises issues on how the public is informed on quality services accessibility and availability in the community settings. Additionally, the accreditation does not cover policies on insurance as well as mental health parity in health centers. Informing and educating the public on mental health problems will increase acceptance and access to the services (Willging et al., 2013). This not only impacts approaches in accepting mental health patients in society but also covering for mental health treatment, especially for low-income earners. Funds to support the agencies and facilities are based on the accreditation, which focuses on well-established organizations. This can increase bureaucracy and costs in behavioral health care.
Current actions
Current actions in accreditation ensure that guidelines are followed in mental health care practice for quality outcomes. This will enhance the development of effective and efficient mental health care in the future as per the World Health Organization (2003). Quality has been a priority in the mental health care agenda is based on the establishment of accreditation procedures. Additionally, the review systems are based on the proceedings in assessing services. The services are evaluated for positive outcomes in performance besides been utilized as outcome indicators, according to the World Health Organization (2003).The standards assessment also reflects on employee performance in the workplace (Willging et al., 2013). The reforms in the sector have ensured that the delivery of services is efficient from the health care professional and financial agencies in covering mental and behavioral health care. This has tried to improve on mental health parity as well as mental health costs through insurance.
Improvement areas
The accreditation is working well in the control of professionals and agencies offering mental health care services. Consistency in service delivery is enhanced, changing the quality of mental health facilities according to the World Health Organization (2003). Additionally, the accreditation offers guidelines to be followed in diagnosis, treatment, intervention, and support given to mental health patients. Treatment, interventions, and evaluations will offer the physicians with activities to provide quality, ensuring patients are able to live productive lives. Facility records are reviewed for assessment of planning and compliance with the policies. Further, the accreditation of the health care facility follows guidelines that offer quality assessments and regulatory compliance American Psychological Association Practice Organization (2013). Through the evaluations, the agency will be able to impact changes in society by creating awareness on accepting and treating mental problems.
Improvements have to be made through the accreditation to ensure mental health parity. Mental health services quality and awareness are imperative in the achievement of parity in health care systems. The agencies have to offer equality and quality care, which integrates both mental and physical care (Lee, 2014). This provides an opportunity for community members to access mental health services. Further, addressing parity ensures mental health insurance coverage increases the accessibility and availability of services. Funding opportunities for the facilities are determined by the accreditation processes with the intent of improvements (Lee, 2014). This prompts donors and well-wishers to contribute to the established facilities. This might have an impact on upcoming settings thatdepend on government funding for growth.Thus accreditation should not be limited to large organizations offering mental care but also to small community facilities with the aim of increasing their fund’s pool.
Accreditation legislations should enhance improvements in mental health care awareness. The awareness will inform and educate community members in changing their perceptions of mental disorders, according to the World Health Organization (2003). Additionally, people will be educated to unite in addressing risk factors in adverse mental outcomes. The awareness also ensures that the public members are able to advocate for policies that develop mental health services through accreditation procedures and guidelines. This reduces the poor quality of care in mental health facilities as well as stigma and discrimination associated with mental health disorders, according to the World Health Organization (2003). The policies impact legislation, which initiates changes in the accreditation process for the implementation of positive outcomes. Therefore, the accreditation assessments ought to offer organizational review in raising awareness of mental health services.
Action section
Resources
Mass media, as well as social media platforms, have proven to be effective methods of communication. By conveying messages to a lot of people as well as offering the people platforms for discussion, the social media platforms will be significant in the plan. Well-informed members ensure support from public members on legislations, thus requiring effective communication channels (Smucker, 1999). News stories, articles, and editorials influence legislators’ and supporters’perspectives influencing public opinion.Additionally, follow-ups by telephone calls can be useful in garnering supporters as funders for the plan (Smucker, 1999). This will be effective in obtaining legislators’ support. A lobbying campaign on various social media platforms will ensure that internet users get feedback and interact with supporters for sufficient information. Direct communication with supporters increases access to updates and issue analyses (Smucker, 1999). A cumulative outreach is attained in the dissemination of the information.
Plan Execution
Gaining legislators, as well as volunteers support, is essential in the mobilization of the plan. Guidelines are to be followed on lobbying to avoid disputes (Smucker, 1999). Raisingawareness on quality mental services provision will be a priority to ensure that the public is informed. Additionally, planning, evaluation, and collection of opinions will accompany the action plan in advocating for new policies to be included in the legislation. Empowerment of the masses results in the implementation and reinforcement of policies for legislation as per the World Health Organization (2003). The plan also enables the public to identify mental health facilities offering quality services and accredited according to legislation. This increases accessibility and availability of the health services reducing disparity in the sector. Additionally, having a competent workforce will increase continuous improvement activities in the treatment and evaluations of patients in accordance with accreditation guidelines. Accountability will enhance quality achievement in the facilities.
Measuring Improvements
Improving mental health care requires policies that address disparities in mental and physical health services. Screening and intervention services by the population through the plan will result in quality services that ensure lowered costs in health care. This will reduce limitations and barriers in the utilization of mental agency services. Further, the plan advocates for increased mental health coverage in insurance plans. This will be stipulated through the implemented health care plans from insurance houses and accepted in the mental health facilities. Raising awareness on mental health will be articulated through communication strategies undertaken by the mental health facilities not only to inform the public on services offered but also on care and support that should be offered to behavioral health patients.
Conclusion
Even with the accreditation of mental facilities, awareness of mental disorders to the public is limited. Treatment limitations to health care benefits lead to parity in health services. These disparities impact how patients with mental conditions in accept, access, and approach professionals for mental health support. Legislations implemented should not only be geared towards enhancing mental health benefits but also enhance awareness and information availability.The legislations on mental awarenessare to impact changes on acceptance, treatment, and intervention of mental illnesses. Additionally, the legislation will have a positive impact on funds allocated to newly establishedmental health community settings. New models and Acts on health treatment and care advocate for legislation that ensures parity. This parity can be meaningless if the public is not aware of its existence.
Advocacy on parity and insurance covers in mental health as it is in physical health will ensure that society has access to quality mental health care. The awareness should not be limited to which facilities an individual is able to get quality outcomes but also expanded on health costs to be covered. This will ensure that the accreditation extends to provide that practice guidelines do not limit quality service provision due to the limitation on insurance covers. Additionally, mental facilities affordable offering quality health services will be recognized and accredited. Therefore accreditation should not only be based on quality in professionalism but also on other aspects that the facility is undertaking to communicate and raise awareness to the public on mental health problems. The lobbying plan shows how support and initiation of the change in legislation required in the accreditation of mental health agencies and facilities should involve public awareness. This will ensure that people are informed on quality accessibility to mental health information and treatment besides been educated on mental health parity policies that impact their well-being.