Running Head: PROFESSIONAL MEETING 1

Professional Meeting

Faith Walker

Professor Catherine Mikelaites, MSN, RN-BC, CMSRN

Bon Secours Memorial College of Nursing

NUR 3140

April 23rd, 2017

Honor Code “I pledge..”

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Professional Meeting

NAMI Central Virginia is a local branch of the National Alliance on Mental Illness, the

nation’s largest organization for mental illness. Their purpose is to promote the recovery of

mental illness by dedicating themselves to improving the lives of Central Virginians with serious

mental illness. This is done through advocacy, public education, support, and numerous

resources. This organization meets once a month. At the meeting in March, there was a guest

speaker from Treatment Advocacy Center, Lisa Dailey. She is the legislative and policy counsel

for Treatment Advocacy Center, and she advocates for state civil laws, increased funding for

mental health systems, and better laws and policies on decriminalization. During the meeting,

she spoke on mental health reform and mental health laws in Virginia.

Application of Course Material

One of the laws that was discussed by Lisa Dailey during the meeting was the 21st

Century Cures Act that was signed by President Obama on December 13th, 2017. This bill is the

first major mental health legislation to be passed in nearly ten years (Szabo, 2016). The 21st

Century Cures Act contains several provisions related to the Health Insurance Portability

Accountability Act (HIPAA) privacy and security rules. HIPAA is a national policy that helps

define and regulate the security and privacy of health data. “Title XI of the Cures Act…aims to

clarify HIPAA’s requirements governing the delivery of mental health services” Feldmen (2016).

It also directs Health and Human Services to help clarify which situations under HIPAA would

justify a covered entity to divulge information to family members and caregivers (Feldmen,

2016). These HIPAA provisions are important in helping clarify and define the standards of

when and to whom to share a patient’s medical history.

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Advocacy is the core of nursing. A nurse’s advocacy is driven by moral and ethical

principles that seek to influence policies by pleading or debating within political, economic and

social systems for a cause that can lead to resource provisions that promote the profession of

nursing, nurses and all of healthcare (Matthews, 2012). The National Alliance on Mental Health

(NAMI) is an advocate for improving the lives of those with serious mental illness. According

to their website, 60 million children and adults in America live with a mental condition, and of

those 50 percent do not receive the services that they need. As congress looks towards reforming

health insurance options, NAMI is advocating for keeping what works and making it better when

it comes to ensuring affordable, quality health insurance (NAMI, n.d.). Currently,

the Affordable Care Act requires health plans to cover essential benefits including mental health

services. It also requires that these mental health services are at least of an equal level to the

benefits that are offered for the treatment of physical health issues (Behavioral Health

Treatments and Services, 2017). “Mental illness costs our nation an estimated $193.2 billion in

lost earnings alone every year” NAMI (n.d.). If Congress reforms these aspects of health

insurance options in America, the nation is looking at in increase in these lost earnings along

with the risk of putting these patients out of school, out of work, in jail, on the streets or dead.

Health plan safeguards that are currently protected by the ACA are crucial in helping guarantee

that people can get and keep health coverage that provides them with access to the mental health

services that they need to live a healthy and productive life (NAMI, n.d.).

“Simply put, health care quality is getting the right care to the right patient at the right

time—every time” What is Health Care Quality and Who Decides? (2009). The 21st Century

Cures Act addresses improvements and provisions that are aimed at increases the quality of

healthcare to those seeking mental health services. At the meeting, Lisa Dailey called it ones of
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the most significant pieces of mental health legislation in nearly a decade. “The 21st Century

Cures Act places a strong emphasis on science” Szbao (2016). It insists federal agencies to fund

only programs that are supported by concrete, evidence based research (Szbao, 2016). This

provision helps promote a culture of safety while improving the standards of care by

emphasizing firm research. This ensures that quality care is being provided to those seeking

mental health services. Another provision made by the 21st Century Cures Act is mandating data

collection on patient outcomes (Carroll, 2016). This data collected on patient outcomes will be

essential in applying quality improvements to the question, ‘Are these patients really being

helped?’ The Cures Act also strengthens the laws that were already in place which require parity

for mental and physical health care and includes grants to help fight the shortage of

psychologists and psychiatrists (Szabo, 2016). Through helping combated this shortage, the

Cures Act is fostering a quality improvement to increase access to mental health services for

those who are seeking help.

Application to the Profession of Nursing

Professional organizations in nursing are essential for creating the energy, influx of ideas,

and hands-on work vital to maintaining a profession that advocates for the needs of its patients,

nurses and society. “The Code of Ethics of Nurses with Interpretive Statements provides a

framework for nurses to use in ethical analysis and decision making” Matthews (2012). This

framework is essential to upholding the values of the nursing profession. The concept of

advocacy and collaboration of nurses is discussed multiple times in the Code of Ethics of Nurses

with Interpretive Statements. It is stated that the nurse should participate “in establishing,

maintaining and improving healthcare environments and conditions of employment conductive

to the provision of quality health care and consistent with the values of the profession through
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individual and collective action” Matthews (2012). This speaks to the importance of

collaborating with others to help improve the profession of nursing, which is the mission of

many nursing organizations. Another part of the code states, the nurse should participate “in the

advancement of the profession through contributions to practice, education, administration and

knowledge development” Matthews (2012). This is another value of nursing that is maintained

through professional organizations which help collaborate and advocate for the health needs of

society. The fellowshipping, collaborating and advocating of professional organizations in

nursing are important and beneficial to upholding the values of the nursing profession.

Reflection

A nurse’s involvement in their workplace and the healthcare community is vital to the

continual growth of the profession. Being an advocate for patients, families, the nursing

profession and society is one of the most important roles of a nurse. I believe that through

advocating, nurses are able to foster a culture that helps deliver safe, quality and affordable care

to those in need.

Through this experience, I learned that we as nurses are extremely essential to the

progress and changes we want to see. It is our responsibility to be advocates. At the NAMI,

meeting there were patients who were there advocating for themselves. When they spoke up

they were shown nothing but the up most respect and support as they voiced various issues and

concerns they had in regards to mental health laws in Virginia that were impacting them. In that

moment, I realized the extension of professionalism for nurses that exceeds the bedside, hospital,

or other various health care settings. Seeing the loving, kindness that was practiced by these

nurses and other healthcare providers outside of the healthcare setting will shape future decisions

I make as a professional nurse.

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References

Behavioral Health Treatments and Services. (2017, April 19). Retrieved April 22, 2017, from

https://www.samhsa.gov/treatment

Carroll, H. (2016, December). 21st Century Cures Act. Retrieved April 22, 2017, from

http://www.treatmentadvocacycenter.org/fixing-the-system/21st-century-cures-act

Feldmen, D. (2016, December 23) Twenty-First Century Cures Act Includes HIPAA Provisions.

Retrieved April 23, 2017, from http://www.natlawreview.com/article/twenty-first-

century-cures-act-includes-hipaa-provisions

Matthews, J. H. (2012). Role of Professional Organizations in Advocating for the Nursing

Profession. The Online Journal of Issues in Nursing,17.

doi:10.3912/OJIN.Vol17No01Man03

NAMI. (n.d.). Retrieved April 23, 2017, from https://www.nami.org/Learn-More/Mental-Health-

Public-Policy/2017-National-Policy-Priorities/Safeguarding-Mental-Health

Szabo, L. (2016, December 07). Mental Health Advocates Celebrate Passage of 21st Century

Cures Act. Retrieved April 22, 2017, from

https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/2016/12/07/mental-health-advocates-celebrate-

passage-21st-century-cures-act/95094674/

What is Health Care Quality and Who Decides? | AHRQ Archive. (2009, March 18). Retrieved

April 23, 2017, from https://archive.ahrq.gov/news/speech/test031809.html