This assignment allows you to explore a health policy topic from a variety of perspectives. You will use this information as a foundation for policy development and advocacy. The assignment engages you in learning about an issue and to accurately – and in a non-biased fashion — identify the policy and political issues that are central to that topic.

• Statement of the Policy Issue
  • Brief (2-3 sentence) statement describing the issue
• Background related to the issue
  • An explanation of the problem and its significance. Include support as needed, including references to research literature if relevant
• Information pertinent to the issue 
  • This may pertain to current laws needing to be changed, current debate about the issue, and/or data about the issue
• Policy Options
  • What has been done (or proposed) about the issue so far? Have other organizations addressed it? Are there pending legislative or regulatory proposals? (include support as needed)
• Your Recommendation for Policy
  • List recommendations about what different stakeholders should do—e.g., Congress, state legislatures, relevant government agencies, health systems leaders, other nursing organizations, etc. (Of course, this will depend on the specific issue). Can be formatted as a bullet list if appropriate.

APA format, 5 pages (excluding title and references)