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Running head: PART 2 ADVOCACY CAMPAIGN 1
PART 2 ADVOCACY CAMPAIGN 4
Part 2 Advocacy Campaign
Renee Lucci
Walden University, NURS-6050N
April 15th, 2018
Part 2 Advocacy Campaign
Stigma towards people with mental illnesses exists at the individual, organizational, group, and institutional levels in the American society. The stigma has affected patients negatively as most of them delay or refuse to seek medical services. In the past, the government has enacted various policies and laws to try to reduce the stigma. However, discrimination is still a problem among the people with psychological issues. The purpose of this paper is to propose the enactment of a policy to end mental health stigma among high school students.
Creation of New Legislation
The strategy is to recommend the creation of a new policy that would ensure high school students with mental disorders do not face discrimination. Essentially, the legislature would require every state in the country to develop a policy to initiate advocacy campaigns against mental health stigma. The teachers and the students would receive training on psychological disorders. Therefore, the policy would ensure both the teachers and the students change their attitudes and behaviors towards the mentally ill. Well, I don’t think education can “ensure” a change in attitudes and behaviors of any kind. Training would be carried out using various methods such as social media and videos. Currently, some states already have policies that try to reduce discrimination of those with mental conditions (Hersen & Sturmey, 2013). Nonetheless, the majority of the states do not have such policies and the existing are not exclusively targeting stigma in high schools. Most people develop either positive or negative attitudes as teenagers hence the need to teach them at a young age.
Impact of Existing Laws on Proposed Advocacy
The existing regulations on mental health are likely to affect the proposed policy. The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act is a regulation focusing on the rights of young people with both physical and mental disabilities. The law does that by ensuring that the youths with disabilities have access to free public education (Office on Women’s Health, 2010). Besides, according to the act, schools have to address the unique needs that students have so that they could succeed. The proposed policy encourages students and teachers to accept the teenagers struggling with mental disorders. As a result, the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act would assist in the implementation of the proposed policy. The act makes schools accept more students with mental disabilities including illnesses thus the stigma should reduce. Besides, interacting with many classmates who have mental disorders is an effective way of minimizing prejudice.
Influencing Legislators Using the “Three Legs” of Lobbying
The legislators must be convinced of the necessity of the proposed policy, and the three legs is an effective method of influencing them. The first stage of the technique is the inclusion of the professional lobbyists who are the representative of groups with special interests (Milstead, 2016). In this case, the input of the American Nurses Association (ANA) and the American Psychiatric Nurses Association (APNA) is necessary. These associations have nurses who are experts in mental health conditions and will persuade the policymakers to pass the regulation. I’m still not sure exactly what you are trying to pass. The “three legs” technique also consists of the grassroots lobbyists who are the constituents of the legislators. The step is vital in creating a network of people to support the proposed policy. For instance, approaching the media, parents of children with mental illnesses, school directors, and other educators would develop grassroots supporters. Moreover, the grassroots supporters will be educated on the adverse effect of stigma on the teenagers with mental conditions. The grassroots supporters must also understand the lengthy process of policymaking and the need to develop strong relationships and is committed to the campaign.
Finally, money plays a fundamental role in the lobbying process. Without adequate finances to support the advocacy campaigns, it is difficult to influence the legislators (Milstead, 2016). Therefore, money would be raised from the nursing professional organizations and the grassroots supporters. The biggest mistake that nurses sometimes make is ignoring the importance of financial support in advocacy campaigns. The organizers of the campaign to end mental health stigma in high schools are committed to raising the necessary finances. The ANA and the APNA offered financial support to advocacy efforts in the past.
Anticipated Obstacles and Ways of Overcoming Them
One of the obstacles that might affect the legislative processes the timing of the advocacy campaigns. The likelihood of influencing the policymakers depends on the timing of the political climate. Milstead (2016) claimed that nurses should be smart and politically savvy to succeed in lobbying. Hence, the best time to approach the legislators would be during the election period when policymakers are campaigning. Another challenge is lack of adequate finances to support the legislative process. A significant amount of funds is required to educate the grassroots members and to approach the policymakers. Seeking sponsorships and partnerships with other interested healthcare organizations, businesses, NGOs, and famous personalities would raise the required finances.
In brief, developing a new policy would be useful in minimizing mental illness stigma in schools because the existing laws have not adequately addressed the issue. The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act would have a positive influence on the campaign. Moreover, using the “three legs” technique would be useful in seeking the help of the legislators. The technique involves raising finances and using both professional and grassroots lobbyists. The legislative procedure might be affected by challenges such as timing and inadequate funds, but effective strategies would overcome the obstacles.
References
Hersen, M., & Sturmey, P. (2013). Handbook of evidence-based practice in clinical psychology, adult disorders. Hoboken, N.J: Wiley.
Milstead, J. A. (2016). Health policy and politics: A nurse’s guide (5th ed.). Burlington, MA: Jones and Bartlett Publishers.
Office on Women’s Health. (2010, March 29). Americans with Disabilities Act and mental illness. Retrieved from https://www.womenshealth.gov/mental-health/your-rights/americans-disability-act.html
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