Primary Issue
Food insecurity is a pertinent issue that has continued to ravage the country in the last few years. Since the COVID-19 relief measures were withdrawn, families have struggled to provide food (Waxman et al., 2022). The COVID-19 pandemic saw the states and federal government take practical steps toward ensuring food insecurity was limited (Waxman et al., 2022).
The school food distribution projects continued but made adjustments to supply the food to various homes. Relief financial packages were offered for those who lost their jobs. The end of the pandemic has seen a removal of these relief measures, yet the affected families cannot comfortably afford food. The economic state of the world is a vital factor, with inflation and climate change affecting food production, food prices, and the ability of families to afford. This has worsened the food insecurity crisis, with one in five adults in the country reporting food insecurity and 23.9% of adults living with children reporting challenges (Waxman et al., 2022). An essential component of APN care is nutrition, as it affects immunity and influences recovery periods. APN practice focuses on ensuring recovery, which involves the provision of holistic health that includes nutrition.
Positives and Negatives
Positives
The brief provides a holistic analysis of the situation as it starts from the past and covers the present while offering detailed statistics. The brief indicates that the food insecurity crisis had declined between 2020 and 2021, before the pandemic, and thereafter surged upwards between 2021 and 2022.
Additionally, the brief covers current affairs and prevailing economic times, ensuring that the views presented regarding the food insecurity challenge achieve relevance (Waxman et al., 2022). The incorporation of the inflation status into the analysis informs an audience about the influence of market forces on food prices and affordability.
Moreover, the brief offers practical recommendations as it emphasizes further research and temporary relief measures. The brief recommends further analysis of the situation to understand the extent of the insecurity while proposing the restitution of the COVID-19 measures that can employ existing infrastructure with ease.
Negatives
A major negative component of the brief is that it does not offer long-term solutions to the food insecurity crisis. It only proposes remedies that would make people dependent on aid, which is unsustainable.
Another shortcoming is that the brief does not recognize the role of multi-sectorial participation in solving the food insecurity challenge. Any proposed solution to the food insecurity challenge must involve the scholarly community, healthcare workers, industrialists, farmers, and the financial market, amongst others.
Another negative feature is that the brief does not collect the views of enough participants on the issue and may have missed some perspectives. The perspectives of the families concerned and what they think would be the most viable solution to their food insecurity challenge are not captured.
Recommendations
Food insecurity can be solved through the provision of free food to ensure patients achieve faster recovery. The infrastructure within the healthcare system is organized and trusted by the community. The use of healthcare workers ensures that a vulnerable section of the community consisting of the sick is prioritized. The role of healthcare centers and hospitals as points of relief and comfort is also emphasized through this move. The distribution of relief food ought to utilize the massive workforce and community trust the hospitals share with people in society.
A greater focus on medical research to increase the production of food which reduces the deficit is another essential strategy for combating food insecurity. Drought-resistant crops are a vital priority in ensuring food insecurity is not an issue during dry climates (Nuccio et al., 2018). This will ensure consistent growth and production of food for subsistence needs. Research into better production will ensure that the challenge of food insecurity is solved at its root and that the other subsequent steps are efficient.
A more strategic investigation of the depth of the problem to cover various ages, regions, and races for equity is a vital step. This is likely to guarantee a better understanding of the issue of food insecurity while creating solutions that are customized for each group (Gundersen et al., 2021). Various age groups have different food needs, as do races and regions in the country. Solutions are likely to be more effective if the most affected groups receive the most aid and if their answers are specific.
Advocacy
Insist on quality assurance for the food provided to the community through better storage, transport, and handling to ensure it is fit for human consumption. This is vital in ensuring relief food is not likely to result in healthcare challenge. The brief proposes the provision of relief food through the measures and infrastructure established during the COVID-19 pandemic. An APN can advocate for this policy by insisting professionals are hired throughout each step in the process and that their role is given adequate oversight.
An APN communicating the needs of the community on a balanced diet that consists of all the necessary nutrients is another step in advocating for the policy. This ensures that the food meets the needs of the people it serves, especially children and the sick (Brassard et al., 2020). This ensures healthcare challenges do not compound the food insecurity crisis, and well-being is guaranteed.
An APN fostering collaboration between the patients and the government officials responsible for implementing recommendations ensures all the parties are satisfied with the progress made. This is a vital step in advocating for the policy and ensures there is constant communication for improvement (Brassard et al., 2020). This guarantees food adequacy and quality so that the specific requirements are met.
References
Brassard, A., Quinn, W. V., Little, P., & DiChiacchio, T. (2020). Advocacy for Nurses and Consumers. In Advanced Practice Nursing Leadership: A Global Perspective (pp. 313-326). Springer, Cham.
Gundersen, C., Hake, M., Dewey, A., & Engelhard, E. (2021). Food Insecurity during COVID‐19. Applied Economic Perspectives and Policy, 43(1). Web.
Nuccio, M. L., Paul, M., Bate, N. J., Cohn, J., & Cutler, S. R. (2018). Where are the drought tolerant crops? An assessment of more than two decades of plant biotechnology effort in crop improvement. Plant Science, 273, 110–119. Web.
Waxman, E., Salas, J., Karpman, M., & Gupta, P. (2022). Food Insecurity Trended Upward in Midst of High Inflation and Fewer Supports. RWJF. Web.