PA001 Assignment Agenda Setting

Identify the Population Health concern you selected.

Opioid Epidemic

Describe the Population Health concern you selected.

The opioid epidemic refers to the widespread abuse of prescription and prescription opioids, leading to significant increases in substance abuse, overdose, and death. This public health crisis has disrupted healthcare systems, affected economic activity, and had a profound social impact across the United States (Humphreys et al., 2022).

Administration (President Name)

(Joe Biden)

Donald Trump

Describe the administrative agency’s focus related to this issue for the current and past U.S. presidential terms (a total of two administrations).

Lifestyle determinants of health that contribute to drug abuse can be addressed by the Biden administration’s efforts to expand treatment for opioid abuse, increase funding for mental health services, and overdose reversal drugs like naloxone. Harm reduction increases access to strategies.
Treatment and prevention of opioids are included in the Biden administration’s American Rescue Plan with over $ 450 million (Whitehouse, 2023). This is a huge amount of money that’s being proposed to help alleviate the issue of the opioid crisis by increasing enrollment in Medicaid, so there is a larger option in this service provision because people who have an opioid relapse should be treated appropriately (Whitehouse, 2023). This expansion is vital as it expands options for addiction treatment centers so that a growing number of patients from the opioid crisis can benefit.

In 2017, the Trump Administration declared the opioid crisis to be a public health emergency (Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, 2019). Increases in financing for treatment programs, reduced availability of illegal drugs, promotion of medication-assisted treatment (MAT), and tighter opioid-prescribing guidelines (Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, 2019) are among the efforts made.
Trump’s administration realized the dangers of opioids in 2018 and addressed it by setting $6 billion in the Federal budget being allocated to programs concerning opioids only. This allocation translated to extra funding from the federal level to address the epidemic, which had already occurred and was more prevalent in this period (Wen & Sadeghi, 2020). The bill, known as the SUPPORT for Patients and Communities Act, was well-addressed, giving an increase in dollars and organizations to combat various aspects of the opioid crisis.

Identify the allocations of resources that the current and previous presidents dedicated to this issue.

Lifestyle determinants of health that contribute to drug abuse can be addressed by the Biden administration’s efforts to expand treatment for opioid abuse, increase funding for mental health services, and overdose reversal drugs like naloxone. Harm reduction increases access to strategies.
Treatment and prevention of opioids are included in the Biden administration’s American Rescue Plan, with over $ 450 million (White House, 2023). This is a huge amount of money that’s being proposed to help alleviate the issue of the opioid crisis by increasing enrollment in Medicaid, so there is a larger option in this service provision because people who have an opioid relapse should be treated appropriately (Whitehouse, 2023). This expansion is vital as it expands options for addiction treatment centers so that a growing number of patients from the opioid crisis can benefit.

In 2017, the Trump Administration declared the opioid crisis to be a public health emergency (Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, 2019). Increases in financing for treatment programs, reduced availability of illegal drugs, promotion of medication-assisted treatment (MAT), and tighter opioid-prescribing guidelines (Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, 2019) are among the efforts made.
Trump’s administration realized the dangers of opioids in 2018 and addressed it by setting $6 billion in the Federal budget being allocated to programs concerning opioids only. This allocation translated to extra funding from the federal level to address the epidemic, which had already occurred and was more prevalent in this period (Wen & Sadeghi, 2020). The bill, known as the SUPPORT for Patients and Communities Act, was well-addressed, giving an increase in dollars and organizations to combat various aspects of the opioid crisis.

Administration (President Name)

(Joe Biden)

Donald Trump

Which administrative agency (HHS, CDC, FDA, etc.) would most likely be responsible for helping you address the healthcare issue you selected? Why is this agency the most helpful?

The primary role for the fight against opioid use in the HHS is the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) main roles to fight the opioid are expanding service delivery in treatment and harm reduction (Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, 2023). CDC also helps with this effort to the extent that it supplies data that is used in interventions and for prescribing. Also, the National Institutes of Health (NIH) brings in its support through the HEAL Initiative, whose studies focus on enhancing the understanding of better prevention and treatment mechanisms (Bell & Strang, 2020).
The opioid crisis can be made to get on the agenda via the method of setting up social and political demands, and prominent articles on the cases of overdose. A researcher and an organisation that shares the same views are of great assistance because they can give the information derived from a thorough study of the subject in question and its economic and social implications. Lobbying, testimony, and report dissemination efforts by the groups have been persistent and continuous (Campus Drug Prevention, 2024).
Designating Dr. Vivek Murthy, the U. S. Surgeon General, is an apt symbol for the opioid overdose epidemic. He has also actively been sharing public health perspectives to combat substance abuse issues while maintaining a preventative approach to substance abuse treatment and recovery efforts (Mazumdar, 2018). As a physician, Murthy has a platform for influencing the health policies of a country and can influence the general public’s opinion; he’s in a position to address the opioid epidemic.

During Trump’s time in office, the US Government’s Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has been collecting data and implementing public policy initiatives that are essential to address opioid use (CDC, 2024). The Food and Drug Administration oversaw opioid pain medications to ensure safety and reduce misuse. In the main, the big federal agencies were directed by the Office of National Drug Control Policy or ‘ONDCP,’ whose goal was to coordinate methods of prevention, treatment, and enforcement. (National Drug Control, 2023)
The White House, though, failed to act on the opioid crisis under Trump, but the question was on the table due to social and political demands triggered by the ever-growing rate of drug overdoses and media attention (Humphreys et al., 2022). Healthcare workers and researchers constantly fed the public and the policy-making circles with new numbers and data, and presented them in the policy-making arena, arguing and lobbying with policymakers daily.
Another influencer who pays a lot of attention to the issue of opioids is Gary Mendell, the founder and CEO of the Shatterproof non-profit organization. He has been actively involved with fighting addiction and lost his son to substance use disorder, thus his passion to change policies on addiction treatment and prevention (Carson, 2019). The organization that Mendell has formed is called Shatterproof, and it is aimed at ending stigma, raising awareness, enhancing treatment, and policy accomplishments at the national level.

How do you think your selected healthcare issue might get on the agenda? How does it stay there?

The primary role for the fight against opioid use in the HHS is the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) main roles to fight the opioid are expanding service delivery in treatment and harm reduction (Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, 2023). CDC also helps with this effort to the extent that it supplies data that is used in interventions and for prescribing. Also, the National Institutes of Health (NIH) brings in its support through the HEAL Initiative, whose studies focus on enhancing the understanding of better prevention and treatment mechanisms (Bell & Strang, 2020).
The opioid crisis can be made to get on the agenda via the method of setting up social and political demands, and prominent articles on the cases of overdose. A researcher and an organisation that shares the same views are of great assistance because they can give the information derived from a thorough study of the subject in question and its economic and social implications. Lobbying, testimony, and report dissemination efforts by the groups have been persistent and continuous (Campus Drug Prevention, 2024).
Designating Dr. Vivek Murthy, the U. S. Surgeon General, is an apt symbol for the opioid overdose epidemic. He has also actively been sharing public health perspectives to combat substance abuse issues while maintaining a preventative approach to substance abuse treatment and recovery efforts (Mazumdar, 2018). As a physician, Murthy has a platform for influencing the health policies of a country and can influence the general public’s opinion; he’s in a position to address the opioid epidemic.

During Trump’s time in office, the US Government’s Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has been collecting data and implementing public policy initiatives that are essential to address opioid use (CDC, 2024). The Food and Drug Administration oversaw opioid pain medications to ensure safety and reduce misuse. In the main, the big federal agencies were directed by the Office of National Drug Control Policy or ‘ONDCP,’ whose goal was to coordinate methods of prevention, treatment, and enforcement. (National Drug Control, 2023)
The White House, though, failed to act on the opioid crisis under Trump, but the question was on the table due to social and political demands triggered by the ever-growing rate of drug overdoses and media attention (Humphreys et al., 2022). Healthcare workers and researchers constantly fed the public and the policy-making circles with new numbers and data, and presented them in the policy-making arena, arguing and lobbying with policymakers daily.
Another influencer who pays a lot of attention to the issue of opioids is Gary Mendell, the founder and CEO of the Shatterproof non-profit organization. He has been actively involved with fighting addiction and lost his son to substance use disorder, thus his passion to change policies on addiction treatment and prevention (Carson, 2019). The organization that Mendell has formed is called Shatterproof, and it is aimed at ending stigma, raising awareness, enhancing treatment, and policy accomplishments at the national level.

Who would you choose to be the entrepreneur/ champion/sponsor of the healthcare issue you selected? An example is Michael J. Fox, a champion for Parkinson’s disease.

The primary role for the fight against opioid use in the HHS is the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) main roles to fight the opioid are expanding service delivery in treatment and harm reduction (Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, 2023). CDC also helps with this effort to the extent that it supplies data that is used in interventions and for prescribing. Also, the National Institutes of Health (NIH) brings in its support through the HEAL Initiative, whose studies focus on enhancing the understanding of better prevention and treatment mechanisms (Bell & Strang, 2020).
The opioid crisis can be made to get on the agenda via the method of setting up social and political demands, and prominent articles on the cases of overdose. A researcher and an organisation that shares the same views are of great assistance because they can give the information derived from a thorough study of the subject in question and its economic and social implications. Lobbying, testimony, and report dissemination efforts by the groups have been persistent and continuous (Campus Drug Prevention, 2024).
Designating Dr. Vivek Murthy, the U. S. Surgeon General, is an apt symbol for the opioid overdose epidemic. He has also actively been sharing public health perspectives to combat substance abuse issues while maintaining a preventative approach to substance abuse treatment and recovery efforts (Mazumdar, 2018). As a physician, Murthy has a platform for influencing the health policies of a country and can influence the general public’s opinion; he’s in a position to address the opioid epidemic.

During Trump’s time in office, the US Government’s Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has been collecting data and implementing public policy initiatives that are essential to address opioid use (CDC, 2024). The Food and Drug Administration oversaw opioid pain medications to ensure safety and reduce misuse. In the main, the big federal agencies were directed by the Office of National Drug Control Policy or ‘ONDCP,’ whose goal was to coordinate methods of prevention, treatment, and enforcement. (National Drug Control, 2023)
The White House, though, failed to act on the opioid crisis under Trump, but the question was on the table due to social and political demands triggered by the ever-growing rate of drug overdoses and media attention (Humphreys et al., 2022). Healthcare workers and researchers constantly fed the public and the policy-making circles with new numbers and data, and presented them in the policy-making arena, arguing and lobbying with policymakers daily.
Another influencer who pays a lot of attention to the issue of opioids is Gary Mendell, the founder and CEO of the Shatterproof non-profit organization. He has been actively involved with fighting addiction and lost his son to substance use disorder, thus his passion to change policies on addiction treatment and prevention (Carson, 2019). The organization that Mendell has formed is called Shatterproof, and it is aimed at ending stigma, raising awareness, enhancing treatment, and policy accomplishments at the national level.

Note: Part 3 of Module 1: Assignment: Agenda Comparison Grid and Fact Sheet or Talking Points Brief is a 1-page Fact Sheet or Talking Points Brief that you will create in a separate document.