Wise thoughts that may affect us as DNP colleagues. What do you think?

[Doctors of Nursing Practice, Inc.]

Source

[Ji B.]

We are now further in the depths this pandemic, and we still have as little direction/solutions for the various issues that came along with it, such as childcare assistance, missed work and pay, and healthcare overall. Federal and state governments are still struggling to figure out how to best manage/contain the virus, and have been inconsistent at best in providing guidance for arising questions such as if schools should reopen, and if so, how we can not only provide a safe learning environment for the students, but also a safe working environment for teachers and other staff. The author suggests that widespread political support for Universal Family Care would benefit the entire population, which would be ideal. However, I’m wondering how healthcare providers specifically can be a part of “jolting” this change to life, especially when there is so little existing support for these ideas?

[Whitney Woodard]

This is an interesting topic that I don’t feel would be completely solved by the suggested intervention. One thing we can all agree on was that most Americans had little to no back up plan for child/family care when the country shut down. In most homes, both parents work full time and leave the house to do so. In fact, my 5th grader’s teacher told me often how she had a couple students in her class at home by themselves or caring for even younger students while doing at-home schooling. Yet there is little to no support from the workforce when it comes to family care conflicts. I don’t know if this childcare benefit that the author mentioned is the solution. These governmental benefits tend to only benefit the lower income class, yet most middle class families cannot afford to pay for childcare services on the regular. Child care has become incredibly expensive (but that is another topic) and cannot be afforded in many families. Will there also be additional taxes imposed on American’s with and without children or aging family members who may or may not even be able to utilize this benefit? I feel like the focus is in the wrong area. There should be more pressure on business and corporation to value and provide family benefits for those wishing to work who have families at home. Unfortunately, I think we are a long way off from any sort of solution.

[Jorge Mesa]

The COVID 19 pandemic has revealed a series of significant strengths and weaknesses of some of our current programs and services. The article’s author makes an excellent point about the lack of a safety net to help families and individuals in need of child and elderly care. The creation of a fund to help support the child and elderly care sounds like an excellent idea. However, before developing a new program, current programs at a federal and state should be evaluated, expanded, and amended accordingly to provide family and caregivers the resources needed. The program should include support in education and counseling, not only to the caregiver but also for family members to help deal with the adjustment and new challenges. Many services for children and young adults have been provided via the school system; with COVID, some of these services have been suspended, directly impacting these groups. Providing funds and the structure so specific services can continue to be provided. Safety net programs need to be extensive and comprehensive to provide the needed services and support for each member of society. It is important to provide services for caregivers. Still, it is also important to include medical services and other services to ensure the basic needs are provided during times of need.

[Author]

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