Access to Mental Health Services in The Minority Communities

Answer

Access to Mental Health Services in The Minority Communities

One of the areas for nurses to explore is that of patient advocacy. In specific, as patient advocates, they ought to help their patients in making informed decisions regarding their health (Raingruber, 2014). Additionally, nurses are required to assist their clients in navigating the complex healthcare system. The use of social health campaigns is one of the ways of implementing health promotion initiatives aimed at educating patients about their health (Holt-Lunstad, Robles, & Sbarra, 2017). I participated in a field experience project involving the minority communities (African Americans, Hispanics, and low-income families) in the counties of Bronx County, New York County, and Westchester County. This paper provides a timeline of the community health field experience as well as a social media campaign which can be used to covey a health message to the target population.

Part 1: Field Experience Project

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Part 2: Social Media Campaign

1. Community Health Nursing Diagnostic Statement

Based on the field experience project, it was established that the minority communities, consisting of African Americans, Hispanics, Asians, and low-income families in the Bronx, NY and Westchester County had high mental health issues. In specific, they had high rates of depression, anxiety disorders, and bipolar disorders. Additionally, only a small percentage had access to mental health services.

B1. Health Inequity/Disparity

One of the primary healthy disparities between the minority communities and others in the three countries is that of access to quality healthcare. Notably, due to their low incomes, the populations are unable to access healthcare of high quality and have thus been unable to afford the expensive healthcare facilities which provide high-quality mental health services. Mainly, low-income New Yorkers are more likely to report poor mental health compared to the high-income and wealthiest ones (Betancourt et al., 2016). Additionally, minorities suffer a disproportionate burden of disease.

B1A. Primary Community and Prevention Resources

To address the disparity in access to mental health services, various primary community resources exists for the minatory groups. One of these is the Center for the Elimination of Minority Health Disparities (CEMHD) in New York which seeks to eliminate health disparities via the development of capacity and partnerships with the communities. Additionally, the US Department of Health and Human Services Office of Minority Health offers partnership grants in the quest to achieve mental health equity.

B1B. Underlying Causes

Mental health disparity in the minority communities’ studies arises from social causes, physical cause, and a lack of awareness. In specific, where the minorities live including their family income levels and community support networks, employment status, and work stress was a significant cause (Hou, 2014). Additionally, their uses of alcohol and drugs were responsible. Moreover, coping with past and current traumatic experience including abuse and played an instrumental role in causing mental health conditions (Bailey et al., 2017). Finally, a lack of awareness of the importance of seeking mental health services was a principal cause.

B2. Evidence-Based Practice

Existing evidence shows that mental health conditions affect not only the thinking but also the feeling and moods of individuals. Additionally, their personality and personal habits change which can lead to social withdrawal (Common Wealth Fund, 2014). One of the primary causes of mental health conditions are environmental factors, genetic factors, and even economic aspects (Betancourt et al., 2016). However, access to quality mental health services which include different types of therapy can ensure that the mental health issues are addressed.

B2A. Identification of Data

In New York City, approximately 239,000 people have a severe mental health issue (SMHI) while the prevalence is 7 percent in the Hispanics and 1 percent in the black populations (Common Wealth Fund, 2014). Surprisingly, nearly 40 percent of the adult New Yorkers with serious mental health illness do not receive mental health treatment annually (Bailey et al., 2017). Most of the hospitalizations result from schizophrenia and bipolar disorders.

C1. Social Media Campaign Objective

The use of social media can be one of the effective strategies which can be deployed in educating people in the three counties about the importance of seeking mental health services. The social media campaigns will aim to educate and encourage minority communities to seek mental health services for their serious mental illnesses.

C2. Social Marketing Interventions

Social marketing interventions seek to develop various activities which aim to either change or maintain the behaviors of people for their benefit as well as that of society. One of the recommended interventions for the communities in question is the use of pro-health messages which encourage the people to seek mental health services continually. The second intervention is the collaboration with local organizations in the three counties who would assist the spread of pro-mental health message through social media.

C3. Social Media Platforms

Facebook would be the best social media platform which I would use to communicate with the target population. Notably, since a majority of the minority adult populations in the three counties are in Facebook, then pro-health messages will be posted to ensure that the minorities can be encouraged to seek mental health services (Kite et al., 2016).

C3A. Benefits of Social Media Platform

Facebook is one of the platforms where real-time research and insights can be gathered. However, in seeking to spread prop-mental health messages, I will communicate with the public and improve their patient experience. I will be able to not only post pro-health message but also advise the public on ways that they can ensure their mental health. Facebook plays an instrumental role in preventative health by creating awareness on the public about the causes of different conditions and ways to prevent them (O'connor et al., 2014).

C4. Benefits of Target Population

            The mental health promotion message will create a heightened awareness on the minority populations about the mental health epidemic and the dangers of failing to seek mental health services. Additionally, it will lead to better mental health considering that they will be informed of best practices to ensure that they do not suffer from different mental health conditions (Lupton, 2014). Finally, the message will result in a healthier society as it will make sure that healthcare services are sought early in advance before the mental health conditions become critical.

1. Best Practices for Social Media

             To ensure the optimal implementation of social media tools for health marketing, one of the best practices is that of proper planning in the quest to identify the issue that will be addressed and the most effective campaign that will engage the hearts and minds of the communities (Ventola, 2014). Additionally, the message should be personalized to address the individual needs whereas the content should be accessible in multiple formats and contexts (O'connor et al., 2014). Finally, to make social media tools highly effective, the public should be socially engaged through the sharing of information and trust.

E1. Stakeholders Roles and Responsibilities

Some of the stakeholders who will play important roles include the social work practitioners, users, psychologists, and other interest groups. The social workers will help in assessing the number of people who require mental health services while the users of the health promotion message will seek to follow the health promotion message. The psychologists will provide mental health services whereas other interests will join in the efforts towards creating public awareness and reducing the rates of mental health illnesses in the communities.

E2. Potential Partnerships

Potential partnerships can be formed between the health advocate and the CEMHD to ensure that various synergies are combined in the quest to reduce the mental health disparities. Additionally, partnerships can be held with social workers to assist in the assessment of the community members who require mental health services and convincing them to seek the services. Moreover, partnerships can be formed with corporate organizations to promote a message of the importance of seeking quality mental health services for the health and wellbeing of the minority communities.

E3. Implementation Timeline

The social media health promotion campaign will see the first two months being used in the diagnosis of the social problem.  Additionally, one month will be used in designing the benefits of changing behavior. Another month will be used on setting the marketing mix in the minority communities. Next will be the designing of the health promotion message. Afterward, after one month, the actual implementation is done with the words being posted on Facebook regularly. Finally, after six months, the effectiveness of the program is monitored and evaluated.

E4. How to Evaluate Effectiveness

Various key performance indicators (KPI) will be used in the measurement of the effectiveness of the health promotion campaign. One of those will be the number of people who become aware of the importance of good mental health and hence those who seek mental health services (Raingruber, 2014). Additionally, the rates of change in the number of people in minority communities with mental health conditions will be used in the evaluation. Finally, the general health and mental wellbeing of the community members will be used in the assessment.

E5. Cost of Implementation

In the implementation of the social media campaign, the costs will be incurred during the diagnosis of the problem and the evaluation of the effectiveness of the campaign. Since posting the health promotion on Facebook will be free, no costs will be incurred in such aspects. The diagnosis of the problem will require $5,000 to be used in the study of the mental health status of the minority communities in the three counties. Additionally, in the collection of data during the evaluation of the effectiveness of the campaign, a further $5,000 will be incurred which will total to $10,000.

1. Reflection on Social Media Marketing

The use of social media marketing is undoubtedly one of the most effective methods of health promotion in the quest to advocate for the prevention of mental health conditions. Reflecting on the various ways in which social media can be used, it has been seen to be vital in ensuring that a health promotion message reaches a wide population of people (Lupton, 2014). The ability of social media platforms to initiate conversations between healthcare practitioners and the patients promotes communications which lead to better health for communities.

F1. Reflection on Future Nursing Practice

In my future nursing practice, social media campaigns would be vital as a communication channel between my patients and I. In specific I will use social media to post health promotion messages and hence encourage healthy behaviors and practices. Additionally, social media campaigns will ensure that I become an advocate of the patients by always advising them on the best ways to maintain good health and reduce any disparities in health access.

In conclusion, field experience projects are vital in the diagnosis of health issues affecting individuals and communities and the adoption of effective mechanisms to address them. In this case, the primary health disparity in that of access to mental health services by the minority communities in Bronx county, New York County and Westchester County. The primary cause of the disparities is a lack of awareness on how and when to access the services of mental health practitioners. As such, a social media campaign will be used to increase awareness on the community members about the needs to access quality mental health services. The social media campaign will be implemented with partnership from the social workers, psychologists, and corporate organizations. Assessing the effectiveness of the program will be done via the evaluation of the KPIs of rates of awareness in the community, number of people who have sought mental health services, and the general health and wellbeing of the minority populations in the community after six months.