Health Policy Analysis on postpartum Mood Disorder Prevention
Health Policy Analysis part
TOPIC: POSTPARTUM MOOD DISORDER PREVENTION
JURISDICTION: ILLINOIS
Law/Policy Solution: Illinois Public Act 093-0469. Perinatal Mental Health Disorder Prevention and Treatment Act, 2007.
Description
In this assignment, you will analyze a health policy. You will analyze the process of designing and implementing policy into place using the approach in your textbook, which we call the Milstead framework.
Suggested Format
• Paragraph 1: Introduction – Use one paragraph to introduce the diagnosis. Explain why we should care about this medical problem. Review the nature of the clinical issues leading to the need to think about a policy issue. Do not address your policy solution here. The introduction is where you try to make us care about the problem, not where you persuade us you have a solution to it. There is no need to mention your solution here at all; it only takes up space that could be better used to give the prevalence and sequelae of the clinical issue.
• In the next four paragraphs apply the Milstead framework to this policy. Write one paragraph for each of the four stages in the framework, similar to the analysis in Milstead (2019) and Milstead and Knestrick (1998).
o Paragraph 2: Law or Policy Name/Agenda Setting – Explain what players or events precipitated action on this policy. This is the background on how the law was passed. Who were the stakeholders? Who were the advocates? How did the bill get signed into law?
o Paragraph 3: Government Response – What government action (legislative or executive) made this policy official? What did the law do? What is the problem that the law solves? How does this problem relate to the health care topic that interests you?
o Paragraph 4: Policy and Program Implementation (include funding sources) – What action makes this policy real? How did the government operationalize the law? Was the law funded?
o Paragraph 5: Policy and Program Evaluation – Clearly identify both the process and outcomes measures needed to evaluate this policy, even if they were not used in an evaluation that was actually completed.
 Process (formative) measures – Did it happen? Was this policy implemented as intended?
 Outcomes (summative) measures – Did it work? Did this policy have the intended outcomes? This should circle back to your introduction, the problem the policy addresses. If your issue has not proceeded yet to program evaluation, give some ideas on how the program might be evaluated.
• Paragraph 6: Summarize the evidence. Summarize what you found out about whether this policy leads to the health outcome desired. Do we have the evidence we need to establish that? How good is it? Give a brief summary of what evidence we have for this policy solution. Draw on expertise gained in the evidence courses to search for, identify, and evaluate evidence that addresses what we know about what might resolve this problem. Summarize your findings in terms of what we know about effective interventions for this problem. Be sure to comment on the nature of the evidence you have found, particularly if you find only recommendations, or minimal research evidence to support the policy. Draw on what you learned in the course on evidence-based practice, distinguishing between weak and strong evidence and commenting on what you find. Think about the following questions:
o Is there evidence that the procedure itself leads to better health outcomes (clinical evidence)?
o Is there evidence that the policy leads more appropriate use of the procedure (more utilization, which is policy evidence)?
o Or, even better, can you establish that the policy leads to better health outcomes (policy evidence)?
Paragraph 7: Conclusion – Give your opinion on whether this policy issue has been successfully resolved or not. Explain your rationale. Include whether evidence supports the policy process to date. Include what steps you think most useful for the future.
Health Policy Analysis on postpartum Mood Disorder Prevention
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Health Policy Analysis on Postpartum Mood Disorder Prevention
Introduction
The birth of a baby can trigger powerful emotions from excitement to anxiety, and even depression in some cases. Most new mothers experience baby blues after childbirth, which include crying spells, mood swings, anxiety, and others (Lindensmith, 2018). The baby blues are mild and should go away once the hormone levels out. However, for some women, the situation gets worse when the individual develops postpartum depression. Postpartum mood disorders are associated with diminishing symptoms such as sadness, irritability, reduced concentration, anxiety, and trouble sleeping. Severe symptoms include depressed mood, excessive crying, social withdrawal, feeling hopeless and worthless, and suicidal thoughts (Lindensmith, 2018). Untreated postpartum mood disorders last for a long period and may become a chronic depressive disorders. Even when treated, the condition still increased the mothers’ risk of future episodes of major depressive disorder. Nationwide, about 10-15% of adult mothers develop this illness yearly (Lindensmith, 2018). About 50% of the affected mothers experience symptoms lasting for more than six months. In that regard, the purpose of this paper is to use the Milstead framework to analyze a health policy related to postpartum mood disorder.
Law or Policy Name/Agenda Setting
The selected law or policy is the Illinois Public Act 093-0469. Perinatal Mental Health Disorder Prevention and Treatment Act of 2007. This law creates the postpartum mood disorder prevention Act (Trackbill, 2022). It allows the director of public health alongside the department of financial and professional regulation and the board of nursing to work with healthcare facilities, physicians, nurses, and other licensed caregivers within the state to develop policies for preventing, treating, and diagnosing postpartum mood disorders in women (IGA.gov, 2022). The Illinois General Assembly provided some findings that led to the enactment of the law. More than 500,000 women were experiencing anxiety postpartum mood disorders, therefore, it raised a concern. Many women suffering from health issues needed counseling and treatment, hence, they either did not realize they needed help or did not find secure and appropriate resources. The chief sponsor of this law was legislature Don Harmon (D) (Trackbill, 2022). The bill was signed into law after enactment by the Illinois general assembly, after passing in both houses. The bill was signed by the governor of Illinois at that time.
Government Response
After the findings, there was a sense to find a solution to the problem. The law came into existence as a way of resolving the problem. The law was enacted through legislative action. The bill was first introduced to the Illinois Senate on May 2, 2007. On May 10, 2007, the senate recalled the second reading, and the third reading was passed (Trackbill, 2022). The bill arrived in the Illinois house of representatives on May 14, 2007. It was debated and passed in both houses on May 32, 2007. Furthermore, the bill was sent to the Governor on May 31, 2007. It became a public act and was signed into law on August 27, 2007. The signed law began to work on January 1, 2008. The Illinois Public Act 093-0469 (IGA.gov, 2022). The Perinatal Mental Health Disorder Prevention and Treatment Act of 2007 creates awareness among women about perinatal mental health disorders to reduce the incidences. It provides procedures for diagnosing the illness among women. The law also promotes the early detection of perinatal mental health disorders. The law directs health workers providing prenatal care shall provide education to women regarding perinatal mental health disorders, among other demands (Trackbill, 2022). The problem addressed by the policy is the prevention of perinatal mental health disorders. This problem is the same one outlined in the health care topic, which is Postpartum mood disorders.
Policy and Program Implementation (include funding sources)
The policy was implemented immediately after it was approved and signed into law by the Illinois governor. This was the first step in the implementation of the Illinois Public Act 093-0469. The Perinatal Mental Health Disorder Prevention and Treatment Act of 2007 (Trackbill, 2022). The State’s department of health and other relevant agencies ensure the law is put into practice. Agencies such as the Illinois Board of Nursing and the department of public health also participated in the reinforcement of the law (Trackbill, 2022). The law directs other state agencies, care facilities, and physicians in the State of Illinois to collaborate with the Department of Financial and Professional Regulation (IDFPR). The agency is responsible for the oversight, regulation, and licensure of several professional organizations (The State of Illinois, 2022). The urgency has the power to revoke licenses of non-complaints. The law was funded by the State of Illinois (the State Department of Financial and Professional Regulation). The funding for the program was allocated in the State annual budget. The Illinois budget is driven by the State’s constitutional and statutory requirements (The State of Illinois, 2022). The Governor prepares and submits the state budget to the General Assembly. The budget is then reviewed and approved by the General Assembly.
Policy and Program Evaluation
Process (formative) measures
To achieve process assessment or evaluation, the hospital’s adherence to the new policy can be monitored through the licensing agencies. For instance, the Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation (IDFPR) should perform a process assessment to determine the level of adherence in the hospitals within the State (Trackbill, 2022). This policy was implemented as intended and the IDFPR was responsible for reinforcing the implementation. All the healthcare facilities in Illinois were bound by the law.
Outcomes (summative) measures
There are various ways to perform outcome evaluation to assess the effectiveness of the policy in addressing the problem. Assessing the rates of incidences after and before the enactment of the law would provide good insight into the effectiveness of the law (Mickwitz, 2021). Reduced incidences of postpartum mood disorders, especially the severe ones such as postpartum depression, would indicate that the law is effective. However, the opposite outcomes would indicate that the law is ineffective. Another way to evaluate the policy is through surveys. Participants or patients would answer questionnaires regarding the program to assess patients’ experiences and opinions (Mickwitz, 2021). There is no available information as to whether the evaluation methods were applied. There is no available information regarding the impact of this policy on the public.
Summary of Evidence
The main challenge with the analysis of this policy is the limited information available. Although the legislation itself is available online, any analysis or evaluation of it is difficult to access. The information about its effectiveness is not available. Based on the requirements or the policy, it can have a positive impact on public health (IGA.gov, 2022). The policy requires mandatory education and counseling for all mothers under prenatal care. Based on the sections of the law, it provided information to their families about perinatal mental health. It also enhanced the assessment and early diagnosis of the problem (Trackbill, 2022). The evidence available includes a summaries of the legislative process and the full texts of the policy. There is no evidence showing that the policy itself leads to better health.
Conclusion
The policy issue identified in this paper is postpartum mood disorders. The associated policy that could be useful in resolving the issue is the Illinois Public Act 093-0469. Perinatal Mental Health Disorder Prevention and Treatment Act of 2007. Although the legislation text can be assessed there is limited information about the policy. There is inadequate evidence to conclude that the policy has contributed to the successful resolution of the issue. The most useful step is to carry out further research about the effectiveness of the policy.
References
IGA.gov. (2022). Mental Health and Developmental Disabilities (405 ILCS 95/) Perinatal Mental Health Disorders Prevention and Treatment Act. https://www.ilga.gov/legislation/ilcs/ilcs3.asp?ActID=2932&ChapterID=34
Lindensmith, R. (2018). Interventions to improve maternal-infant relationships in mothers with postpartum mood disorders. MCN: The American Journal of Maternal/Child Nursing, 43(6), 334-340. https://doi.org/10.1097/NMC.0000000000000471
Mickwitz, P. (2021). Policy evaluation. In Environmental Policy in the EU (pp. 241-258). Routledge.
The State of Illinois. (2022). Illinois State Budget Fiscal Year 2023. The State of Illinois https://www2.illinois.gov/sites/budget/Documents/Budget%20Book/FY2023-Budget-Book/Fiscal-Year-2023-Operating-Budget.pdf
Trackbill. (2022). Illinois SB15: Postpartum Mood Disorders Prevention. https://trackbill.com/bill/illinois-senate-bill-15-postpartum-mood-disorders-prev/139845/