Prevention of Chronic Diseases in the USA Research Paper

Prevention of Chronic Diseases in the USA - Research Paper Example The provision on clinical and community preventative services is one of the main provisions of this act that is critical in the prevention of chronic diseases. The professional nurses have an important role in implementing this provision. Prevention of Chronic Diseases Introduction According to Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) (2013), the American nation spends 75 percent of its health care budget to treat chronic diseases. Chronic diseases are the nation’s leading causes of disability and death. The conditions of chronic diseases leave in their wake compromised life quality, deaths that could have been prevented, as well as burgeoning costs of health care. The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (ACA) that President Obama signed into law in March 2010, is a comprehensive health reform that makes preventive care more affordable and accessible for majority of Americans. The Affordable Care Act has numerous provisions that are aimed at making preventive ca re more affordable and accessible for majority of Americans (Fortin et al, 2013). This paper will focus on the specific provision of clinical and community preventive services and the role of professional nurses in implementing this provision. The recommended core set of clinical and community preventative services are largely based on gender and age (Slonim et al, 2013). This provision calls for the joining or linking clinical organizations and public or community health organizations in improving clinical preventive services. It is characterized by their trust, time commitment, and resource exchange and sharing, as well as sharing of responsibilities and risks aimed at improving delivery, quality, and access to preventive services. Clinical and community preventive services also increase public and particular patients’ access to comprehensive and medical care services. Community organizations’ clients lacking regular primary care can be treated and evaluated by clini cians for chronic and acute conditions. Patients of primary care practices significantly benefit from referrals to health organizations at community level, which tend on focusing on social health determinants such as food needs, employment, or housing (Feldman, 2011). The provision of clinical and community preventative services in the Affordable Care Act is fundamental in the prevention of chronic diseases. This provision seeks to enhance the delivery of preventive services in the following areas: physical activity, nutrition, tobacco use, and obesity. The provision also focuses on the broader aspects of prevention of chronic diseases such as health promotion, health professional capacity building and disease prevention (Fortin et al, 2013).