Chapter 54 – Environmental Policy

Research public health issues on the \\\”Climate Change\\\” or \\\”Topics and Issues\\\” pages of the American Public Health Association (APHA) website. Investigate a public health issue related to an environmental issue within the U.S. health care delivery system and examine its effect on a specific population.

Write a 750-1,000-word policy brief that summarizes the issue, explains the effect on the population, and proposes a solution to the issue.

Follow this outline when writing the policy brief:

1) Describe the policy health issue. Include the following information: (a) what population is affected, (b) at what level does it occur (local, state, or national), and (c) evidence about the issues supported by resources.

2) Create a problem statement.

3) Provide suggestions for addressing the health issue caused by the current policy. Describe what steps are required to initiate policy change. Include necessary stakeholders (government officials, administrator) and budget or funding considerations, if applicable.Chapter 54 – Environmental Policy

4) Discuss the impact on the health care delivery system.

Include three peer-reviewed sources and two other sources to support the policy brief.

Prepare this assignment according to the guidelines found in the APA Style Guide, located in the Student Success Center. An abstract is not required.

issue: air pollution in Houston, TX

instructions:

The other assignment due this week is the Policy Brief. For this assignment, think about an environmental issue that affect the community you used for the Community Assessment. This is an example to give you an idea of what to include. Let’s say that the community has problems with air pollution. In the beginning of the paper, you could explain that issue and what consequences there are from air pollution for the community. Maybe you can find out how many people are diagnosed with asthma, etc. After this explanation, you need to provide one proposal to remedy the problem. Maybe the community could encourage carpooling or ride sharing. Maybe there could be more emphasis on public transportation to limit the number of cars on the road. Whatever you would suggest for the remedy. It does not need to be something that you will be looking to see implemented – it just one of your ideas. Make sure that you are including a thesis statement and a conclusion.

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Policies are proposed to address various public health issues. Therefore, policies play a significant role in addressing the challenges faced by the public. This paper will focus on a policy brief for addressing air pollution in Houston, TX. Describe the policy health issue. Specifically, the paper will discuss the affected population and the level at which the problem occurs. Additionally, the paper will have a problem statement. Suggestions for solving the health issue caused by the current policy will also be covered. Besides, the paper will discuss various steps, which are required to initiate policy change. Finally, the paper will address the effects of the issue on the health care delivery system.

The Policy Health Issue

The selected health issue is air pollution in Houston, TX. According to the State of Air Report published in 2019 by the American Lung Association, Houston city was number 9 in the level of ozone pollution in the country. A weighted average in three days was approximately 26.7, above the standards (Environmental Protection Agency, 2019). Air pollution occurs at a local level. It affects Houston City residents, specifically active children and adults and individuals with various respiratory diseases, including asthma, Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD), lung cancer, chronic bronchitis, cystic fibrosis, and pneumonia.Chapter 54 – Environmental Policy

A Problem Statement

Air pollution in Houston, TX, compromises the health and quality of life of the City residents. Houston’s high level of corruption led to about 5,000 early deaths of the city residents and approximately $49 billion in economic damages in 2015 (Sexton et al., 2015). Therefore, the issue needs to be addressed to prevent further damages from occurring in the city.

Policy Change

A change is required to address the high rate of air pollution in Houston. The initiation of policy change will involve a series of steps. The first step consists of gathering evidence about the level of air pollution in Houston and its impact on public health. According to Sexton and Linder (2015), the highest levels of hazardous air pollutants in the US have been experienced in Houston. The degree of pollution in the city is significantly high despite recording a steady decline in the past 30 years. The second step involves identifying stakeholders who will lead the policy development and implementation process. Specifically, government officials and area administrators will be on the front-line during policy development and implementation. These officials will support the proposed policy and provide the required funds.

The third step will involve presenting facts about air pollution and its effects on the selected stakeholders. The identified officials will support the initiation of a new policy based on the level and impact of air pollution in the region.  The fourth step involves preparing a draft policy. The draft will give an idea of how the final policy will look like and the required amendments. Consulting the government officials and area administrators will be the next step. These stakeholders will advise on the areas that should be changed to enhance the proposed change’s effectiveness. The next step involves preparing a final copy of the policy, indicating a measure for reducing the city’s high pollution rate. For instance, the policy can propose the relocation of some chemical manufacturing plants. Houston has approximately 400 chemical manufacturing facilities. Additionally, 2 out of the four biggest refineries in the country are located in the city. The last step will involve implementing the new policy to lower the high rate of air pollution in the area.

The Impact of Air Pollution on the Health Care Delivery System

The high level of air pollution in Houston has a negative impact on the healthcare delivery system. Air pollution increases the cases of various respiratory diseases, including asthma, Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD), and lung cancer. In turn, an increase in these cases raises the number of patients seeing care services in medical facilities, thus increasing healthcare organizations’ workload. Additionally, the high patient population raises the overall cost of care. The quality of care delivered to patients is likely to decline when their number increases (Eckelman & Sherman, 2016).Chapter 54 – Environmental Policy

Overall, air pollution is a significant health issue facing Houston residents, especially active children and adults and individuals with various respiratory diseases, including asthma, Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD), and lung cancer. Therefore, a new policy needs to be introduced to curb the high pollution rate in the region. The new policy will be developed in various steps, including gathering evidence about the level of air pollution in the city of Houston and its impact on public health, identifying stakeholders, presenting facts about air pollution and its effects to the selected stakeholders, preparing a draft policy, consulting the government officials and area administrators, preparing a final copy of the policy, and implementing the new policy. Once implemented, the new policy will reduce the high rate of air pollution in the area.

References

Eckelman, M. J., & Sherman, J. (2016). Environmental impacts of the US health care system and effects on public health. PloS one, 11(6), e0157014.

Environmental Protection Agency. (2019). Policy assessment for the review of the national ambient air quality standards for particulate matter, external review. https://www.iqair.com/us/usa/texas/houston

Sexton, K., & Linder, S. H. (2015). Houston’s Novel Strategy to Control Hazardous Air Pollutants: A Case Study in Policy Innovation and Political Stalemate. Environmental health insights, 9, EHI-S15670.

Sexton, K., Linder, S., Delclos, G., Stock, T., Abramson, S., Bondy, M., … & Ward, J. (2015). A closer look at air pollution in Houston: Identifying priority health risks. Mayor’s Task Force on the Health Effects of Air Pollution. https://www3.epa.gov/ttnchie1/conference/ei16/session6/bethel.pdf

Chapter 54 – Environmental Policy