The Health Policy Issue Paper must address a relevant state or federal bill/policy, or local ordinance, that has been introduced but has not yet been passed, or one that exists but needs to be revised or eliminated.

The paper must be written in the most recent APA format. You are encouraged to submit an ungraded draft of the paper in SafeAssign for personal review and editing before submitting the final version. Headings and subheadings must be included based on the objectives discussed below. You are encouraged to post questions about this assignment in the Discussion Board Forum “Ask the Professor.” Make sure to cite your paper clearly and completely. It’s a good idea to cite at least every paragraph or two. Avoid using direct quotations excessively, and only include page numbers with direct quotations.

Avoid relying too heavily on web-based information in the paper’s background/significance section. Preference is given to published articles. Also, do not cite Wikipedia because it is not an academic source; information is abstracted and not verified.

Page 1 is the title page for this paper, page 2 is an abstract, and page 3 begins the body of the paper (the abstract is simply a brief summary of the main purpose of the paper and general findings/recommendations). The paper should be 12–15 pages long (excluding the title page, abstract, and reference page) and contain 10–15 references.

Paper Components

(Use Points I–V as the main headings for your paper.)

I. Problem/Issue Introduction and Related Bill:

Discuss the issue briefly and identify the relevant legislation/bill.
Provide the bill’s name and number, as well as the individual(s) who introduced it and the bill’s current status, i.e. in committee, passed by the house, etc.
II. Problem Background/Significance and Scope:

Information, bill history, initial development, impetus for bill introduction, and so on.
Include a review of relevant literature relevant to the issue/problem (i.e., if bill is related to the issue of HIV or teen pregnancy, present literature that validates this problem).
Discuss the issue’s social, economic, political, and ethical implications.
III. Arguments for and Against:

Who (interest groups/individuals) support the bill. Discuss their stance.
Who are the opponents of the bill (interest groups/individuals)? Discuss their stance. IV. Nursing’s OR Human Services’ Point of View:

Present a “nursing” OR “human services” viewpoint on the issue and the corresponding bill. Use the Internet and journal sources (for example, see the role of Advanced Practice Nurses (Hamric); ANA position statements, human services-oriented institutions and organizations; the Virginia Nurse Practice Act; the Code of Ethics for Nursing, and so on).
What are your personal thoughts on the subject/proposed legislation?
V. Recommendations for Policy/Bills:

Extend on the introductory remarks about the bill made in Part I. (may also include actual bill document retrieved from Internet as an appendix).
Should the bill be passed in its current form, according to your recommendations? If so, why? Why not, if not? And what are your suggestions for revision–or omission?