Healthcare Policy and Analysis

Walden University

Healthcare Policy and Analysis: NURS-8100C

Dr. Mark Wells

December 7, 2024

Nursing Values and Ethics in Addressing Mental Health Access for Low-Income Populations

Nursing values and professional ethics are essential to addressing advocacy priorities like increasing access to mental health for low-income individuals. The American Nurses Association (ANA) Code of Ethics outlines the principles of justice, advocacy, and equity, which are relevant to this issue. Nurses have an ethical duty to protect the rights of the vulnerable and marginalized people, including providing equal access to appropriate health care. Low-income populations are one of the most vulnerable groups in terms of mental health, as they are often unable to access adequate care due to financial constraints, lack of available providers, and cultural perceptions of mental illness (Hodgkinson et al., 2017). Responding to this issue aligns with the value of compassionate care in nursing, which includes the mental aspect of health as a part of the person.

Further, the ANA Code of Ethics mandates that nurses must “promote health and safety of the patient,” which aligns with the prioritization of this issue. Mental health care is not just a medical issue but a human rights concern. Promoting justice also forms part of ethical nursing practice, where it is required that barriers to care be removed through advocating for policy change especially where they impact the marginalized groups. Professional code of ethics demands that nurses contribute to the development and advocacy for policies that eradicate health disparities so that each individual has a chance at the best possible health.

Why Nursing Values and Ethics Demand Action

Given that mental health access for low-income populations is a matter of equity and justice, nursing values and ethics require that the issue remain on the policy agenda. Justice in nursing means fair and reasonable distribution of healthcare resources. These populations will continue to endure preventable mental health crises if there are no specific policies addressing their needs, resulting in poverty and poor health cycles. Moreover, nursing values like advocacy and respect for individuals’ worth point to the profession’s obligation to redress these imbalances (Essex et al., 2024). Failing to treat mental health in low-income people goes against these tenets and lets unnecessary pain persist.

The Role of Law, Ethics, and Politics

When contrasting this issue with law, ethics, and politics, it is evident that while politics and law are practical forces that create the most substantial change and impact, ethics is the driving force behind an advocacy agenda. Ethical considerations compel nurses to recognize problems and seek change, but policy change is the way through which such changes can be implemented. For instance, the Mental Health Parity and Addiction Equity Act (MHPAEA) shows how legislation can go a long way in improving mental health services. Despite this, political will is crucial to ensure the enforcement and financing of these laws properly. For example, raising Medicaid reimbursement for mental health services is possible only with legislative support and political lobbying to make it sustainable.

However, it is the combination of politics and law that has the greatest influence in terms of addressing systemic change. The advocacy efforts must be directed towards the policy makers to ensure that they consider the mental health access and make provisions for people who cannot afford to pay for their services (Scott & Scott, 2021). Given the nature of their profession, nurses are well positioned to be advocates for the rights of low-income patients with mental health disorders, translating policy into practice and vice versa. It is therefore possible to advance the ethic and value of nursing by ensuring that low-income groups have access to mental health services through engaging law and politics. This approach is consistent with our professional responsibility to pursue justice, to advocate for and to defend human worth and value.

References

Essex, R., Mainey, L., Dillard‐Wright, J., & Richardson, S. (2024). Political action in nursing and medical codes of ethics.
Nursing Inquiry, e12658.

Hodgkinson, S., Godoy, L., Beers, L. S., & Lewin, A. (2017). Improving mental health access for low-income children and families in the primary care setting.
Pediatrics, 139(1)..

Scott, S. M., & Scott, P. A. (2021). Nursing, advocacy and public policy.
Nursing ethics, 28(5), 723-733.