Tennessee Nurse - May 2022

More documents

Recommendations

Info

Page 10 Tennessee Nurse May, June, July 2022 Government Affairs Advocacy and Legislative Session Update Kathleen Murphy TNA Director of Government Affairs and Lobbyist As I write this update for you, the Legislature is still in Session, although they are closing committees for the year and the Governor’s budget had been announced. Both of those activities are signs that the end is near, or the official adjournment motion is “sine die.” Sine die means with no appointed date for resumption. This is the second year of the two-year General Assembly. The next General Assembly will return the second Tuesday in January 2023. We will be emailing out and posting on our website a more comprehensive update of legislation of interest shortly after they adjourn. Until then, I feel it is important to update you on two pieces of legislation Kathleen Murphy impacting the nursing profession. First is the Transition to Prescribing legislation sponsored by Sen. Jon Lundberg and Rep. Bob Ramsey supported by TNA and the Access to Care Coalition. After several weeks of being rolled to the next calendar in the Senate Commerce Committee in an effort to work out amendments with other Senators, the legislation SB176/HB184 was sent to a summer taskforce. Senator Lundberg informed the committee how talks and negotiations between the Tennessee Medical Association/Coalition for Collaborative Care and the nursing community coalition, TNA and the Access to Care Coalition had not happened because the physician community would not come to the table in a meaningful way. Senator Lundberg did an outstanding job this session for this legislation. His commitment to working with other legislators to work out areas of disagreement should be commended. He is a true supporter of nurses. We cannot thank him enough for his efforts alongside the House Sponsor, Rep. Bob Ramsey. While we did not make it through committee, crucial contacts and connections were made with legislators. The committee made real commitments to hold a task force before next legislative session that will bring the medical community and stakeholders together to work through areas of disagreement. While this is not the progress we wanted this year, it is still progress. To quote one Senator, “APRN Full Practice Authority is coming, we must pass some legislation.” The other piece of legislation I wanted to tell you about is a big victory for the nursing profession. SB2401/HB2148 establishes the Tennessee Center for Nursing Advancement within East Tennessee State University and passed the House and Senate without any negative votes! The funding for this center has been provided in the Governor’s budget in addition to other funding sources to provide for the center. The Center will: Develop a strategic statewide plan for nursing manpower based on a detail analysis of workforce needs; Establish and maintain a database on nursing workforce needs; Routinely convene representatives of nursing professionals, healthcare; professional organizations, business and industry leaders, and other stakeholders to solicit: (A) Reviews and comments on data analysis provided by the center; and (B) Recommendations for systematic changes and strategies to implement the recommended changes; and Enhance and promote activities for nurses in this state to be recognized, rewarded, and renewed. We know first-hand that the demand for nurses will only increase in the decades ahead due to the health needs of the aging Tennesseans, increases in behavioral and mental health conditions, increases in lack of access to primary health care, high maternal mortality rates, and other sociodemographic factors and health workforce imbalances. This Center will do important work gathering information so that legislators, educators, employers, and nurses can make decisions to improve the nursing profession and understand our workforce needs. TNA has already been assisting and contributing information in shaping the future of this center and look forward to continuing and supporting the work it will do. TNA is committed to fighting for access to health care for all Tennesseans. We serve as the voice for every Tennessee nursing professional, and that is a responsibility we take seriously. Tennessee is home to incredible health care professionals, and we are grateful for the progress made. We will keep you updated on the timeline of the task force and how you can help keep the momentum growing. TNA Member Benefit Focus Member Options is here to help you find the most auto, home, pet and more! Multiple Auto Insurance Quotes Save Time & Money You can get multiple quotes from up to five top-rated carriers in a matter of minutes. Save hundreds of dollars per year on auto, home, pet and more. Switch Carriers Anytime We help make switching carriers mid-policy simple and fast. We Make It Easy There are countless options for auto insurance. One quick call with a licensed insurance agent is all that stands between you and your new insurance policy. Call 833.378.8224 for your FREE no-obligation quote today! Or go online at member-options.com/tna
May, June, July 2022 Tennessee Nurse Page 11 Spotlight on Practice Older Adult Mental Health Megan Simmons, DNP, PMHNP-BC Assistant Professor, PMHNP Program Vanderbilt University School of Nursing Practicing at Vanderbilt University Medical Center’s Outpatient Geriatric Psychiatry Clinic Suicide awareness and prevention is an important topic for any age group, yet the older adult population is often overlooked when assessing for and addressing mental health issues. Getting older does not mean your mental health should suffer, and depression is not part of normal aging. Mental health issues have been linked to negative outcomes in older adults, such as cognitive impairment, mortality, hospitalization, and nursing home placement (1). As healthcare providers, it is important to be aware of and educate our patients on the prevalence, risk factors, signs and symptoms, and resources available for those with mental health concerns. As the older adult population Megan Simmons rises across the world and the United States, the mental well-being of this population should be at the forefront for healthcare providers and society. Older Adult Population Trends It is estimated that between 2015 and 2050, the global population of those over 60 years old will nearly double from 12% to 22%, and approximately 15% of those older adults suffer from a mental disorder (2). According to the 2020 U.S. Census, those age 65 and older account for 16.5% of the nation’s population, and this number is projected to rise to approximately 20% of the overall population by 2050 (3). In Tennessee, approximately 17.1% of the state’s population were 65 and older in 2020 (4). Prevalence of Mental Health Issues in Older Adults In 2019, 8.1% of those 65 and older in the United States reported frequent mental distress and 14.7% of older adults in the United States reported that a health professional told them that they have depression (5). In Tennessee, 10.3% of older adults reported frequent mental distress, and 18.9% reported a health professional told them that they have depression (5). These numbers show that older adults are more likely to have a healthcare professional tell them that they have depression than to self-report mental distress, which highlights that mental health issues are under-reported by older adults. Furthermore, there was an 11% increase in reported frequent mental health distress by older adults in the United States between 2016 and 2019, and a 3% increase in deaths due to intentional self-harm per 100,00 adults age 65 and older in the United States (6). Among all adults, young adults have the highest prevalence of suicide attempts, but men age 75 and older have the highest suicide rate (6). Among adults age 50 and older in 2020, 2.7% had serious thoughts of suicide in the past 12 months, 0.4% made a suicide plan, and 0.1% attempted suicide (7). Under-reporting and rising prevalence of mental health issues among a continued growing population is a grave concern that requires attention and education. Risk Factors Due to lack of psychoeducation and stigma, older adults are less likely to report mental health issues, and healthcare providers perpetuate this further with under-diagnosing and treating mental disorders. Older adults tend to report depressive symptoms differently, such as in the form of physical symptoms, which may be one reason for under-diagnosis. In addition to stressors that are common in all age groups, older adults may have more population-unique stressors related to physical health issues, decreased functional abilities, cognitive impairment, bereavement, change in socioeconomic status due to retirement, relocating, lack of social support, and isolation. Social isolation is a risk factor that the COVID-19 pandemic magnified. We all need social connection to thrive, yet older adults often spend more time alone especially when isolating in a pandemic. What You Can Do Unfortunately, there is a shortage of mental health providers in the workforce and even more so for those who specialize in the care of older adults. With the increasing older adult population, the shortage of mental health providers is projected to increase and thus create more barriers to care for this vulnerable population. The Institute of Medicine and others have proposed strategies to address the capacity of the geriatric mental healthcare force. In the meantime, primary care remains the most likely place to capture this population (1). The power of mental health and suicide awareness is frequently underestimated. Don’t be afraid to start the conversation about mental health, or to ask patients if they are having thoughts of wanting to harm themselves. Although it seems like an awkward topic of conversation, you can normalize it just by asking the question. Screening tools are an especially helpful way to initiate that conversation and measure symptomology. Older adults will often express symptoms of depression as physical symptoms such as feeling tired, having pain that changes locations in their body, or feeling weak. Educate yourself and your patients on the prevalence and presentation of mental disorders and know what local resources you can suggest or provide for your patients. References 1. Kunik, M.E., Mills, W.L., Amspoker, A.B., Cully, J.A., Kraus-Schuman, C., Stanley, M., and Wilson, N.L. (2017). Expanding the geriatric mental health workforce through utilization of non-licenses providers. Aging Mental Health. Retrieved from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/ PMC5568805/ Accessed May 13, 2022. 2. World Health Organization. (2017). Mental health of older adults. Retrieved from https://www. who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/mental-health-of-older-adults Accessed May 13, 2022. 3. United States Census Bureau. (2020). Population 65 and older in the United States. Retrieved from https://data.census.gov/cedsci/table?q=s0103 Accessed May 13, 2022. 4. Kilduff, L. (2021). Which U.S. states have the oldest population? Retrieved from https://www.prb. org/resources/which-us-states-are-the-oldest/ Accessed May 13, 2022. 5. United Health Foundation. (2021). America’s Health Rankings Analysis of CDC, Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System. Retrieved from https://www.americashealthrankings.org/ Accessed May 13, 2022. 6. National Institute of Mental Health. Suicide. Retrieved from https://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/ statistics/suicide Accessed May 13, 2022. 7. Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. (October 2021). Key Substance Use and Mental Health Indicators: Results from the 2020 National Survey on Drug use and Health. Retrieved from https//www.samhsa.gov. Accessed May 13, 2022.
Page 1 and 2: Volume 85 • Number 2 • Summer 2
Page 3 and 4: May, June, July 2022 Tennessee Nurs
Page 9: May, June, July 2022 Tennessee Nurs
Page 23: May, June, July 2022 Tennessee Nurs

Tennessee Nurse - May 2022

Create successful ePaper yourself

Delete template?

Save as template?