NURS FPX 4065 Assessment 3 Ethical and Policy Factors in Care Coordination
Student Name
Capella University
NURS-FPX4065 Patient-Centered Care Coordination
Prof. Name
Date
Ethical and Policy Factors in Care Coordination
Hello, I am Elizabeth. I am honored to have the opportunity to speak with you today. I currently serve as a care coordinator at Longevity Center. The organization supports persons with mental health conditions through education, support, and access to essential care services.
Agenda
This presentation examines the ethical and policy factors that influence mental health care coordination at the Longevity Center. It highlights the role of multidisciplinary care, key laws like the Baker Act and HIPAA, and the ANA Code of Ethics. Ethical challenges, including access and cultural sensitivity, are discussed. Emphasis is placed on reducing disparities through community collaboration and the development of sustainable care systems.
Significance of Care Coordination in Chronic Disease Management
Care coordination is crucial for managing mental health conditions at the Longevity Center. It safeguards timely and suitable support across various care areas. Adults with mental illness receive a combination of services from multiple experts and community organizations (Bury et al., 2022). When these services are fragmented or inconsistent, patients are likely to experience worsening symptoms, recurring crises, and higher healthcare costs. In the Florida community, around 2,889,000 adults are affected by mental disorders. In 2021 alone, about 40.9% of adults in Florida reported indications of despair (National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI), n.d.). Effective care coordination improves access to care at the Longevity Center.
Governmental Policies’ Effect on Care Coordination
The coordination of mental health care at the Longevity Center is influenced by state and federal policies in Florida, which are written and implemented. The Florida Mental Health Act, widely known as the Baker Act, delivers crisis intervention facilities for persons with psychological disease, functioning similarly to other critical areas for those facing acute medical conditions. It provides legal guidelines for protecting patient rights during psychiatric interventions (Florida Department of Children and Families, 2024). The HIPAA protects the privacy of individuals’ health data. It guarantees that healthcare providers can share patient data securely to support coordinated and continuous mental health care (Subbian et al., 2021). This is important as healthcare teams, including psychiatrists, primary care providers, and social workers, are involved in a patient’s mental health care at the Longevity Center.
NURS FPX 4065 Assessment 3 Ethical and Policy Factors in Care Coordination
Recent policy reforms in Florida have led to improvements in the coordination of mental health care at the Longevity Center. The state’s increasing support for integrated behavioral health systems and value-based care models has promoted patient-centered approaches to service delivery. These models encourage early intervention and preventive strategies that enhance the management of mental health conditions (Pincus & Fleet, 2022). These models are beneficial in regions where access to mental health services varies. Community resources, such as NAMI Florida, play a critical role by offering support, education, peer support, and navigation services that complement clinical care at the Longevity Center.
Ethical Questions or Dilemmas for Care Coordination
National Policy Provision
The Affordable Care Act (ACA), a national healthcare reform, aims to expand access to healthcare at the Longevity Center. It enhances service quality and controls costs. These goals support integrated mental health care. They raise ethical concerns when financial limitations and standardized care pathways interfere with patient autonomy (Pincus & Fleet, 2022). Personalized care is crucial in mental health due to the complexity and variability of mental health conditions. However, value-based care models require providers to favor cost-effective interventions over personalized approaches. This creates ethical strain when patients need care that deviates from standard treatment protocols (Braun et al., 2023).
State Provision Policy
Florida’s Medicaid behavioral health programs aim to provide coordinated mental health care to low-income and underserved populations at the Longevity Center. However, several ethical concerns arise in practice. While these programs promote integrated services, individuals with serious mental health conditions face delays in care, limited access to specialists, and administrative barriers that compromise the quality of care (Patel et al., 2025). The ethical principle of beneficence is challenged when care delays and staff shortages lead to worsening symptoms among vulnerable groups. Disparities persist as Medicaid recipients receive lower levels of mental health support compared to those with private insurance (Braun et al., 2023). At Longevity Center, these issues are intensified by regional provider shortages and complex managed care protocols, which contribute to fragmented services.
Local Provision Policy
The community mental health services program represents a local initiative designed to enhance mental wellness through education and community-based support networks at the Longevity Center. Organizations such as NAMI Florida play key roles in supporting these efforts by offering free screenings, counseling, educational resources, and peer support to individuals with mental health conditions (NAMI Florida, 2025). The ethical challenge of resource allocation arises when the demand for services exceeds available capacity. The distribution of these free mental health services, such as therapy, transportation assistance, and workshops, eliminates certain populations if the access criteria are inconsistently applied. This raises serious ethical concerns about justice and fairness in underserved communities (Braun et al., 2023). At Longevity Center, inconsistent funding contributes to a fragmented service delivery system. This erodes public trust in community mental health programs.
Impact of the Code of Ethics for Nurses
The American Nurses Association (ANA) Code of Ethics for Nurses provides a foundational outline for delivering ethically sound and coordinated mental health care at Longevity Center. Disparities remain a significant concern among underserved and rural populations, making this ethical guidance vital. Provision 2—The nurse’s commitment to the patient emphasizes the duty to prioritize patient needs, respect individual dignity, and advocate for patient-centered care. Provision 8: Collaboration to protect human rights and reduce disparities highlights the importance of collective efforts in minimizing health inequities and advancing social justice through culturally responsive care (ANA, 2025).
At the core of these provisions are the ethical principles of beneficence, justice, non-maleficence, and autonomy, which guide nurses in making sound decisions that foster trust, uphold fairness, and ensure patients’ rights and safety are preserved (Braun et al., 2023). These principles are especially relevant at Longevity Center, where access to consistent mental health services is limited and ongoing patient support is critical. By upholding these ethical standards, nurses can strengthen long-term care planning and improve treatment adherence for all.
Social Determinants of Health and Health Equity
Disparities in psychological well-being, care coordination, and outcomes are influenced by Social Determinants of Health (SDOH) at Longevity Center. It includes economic stability, health literacy, access to transportation, and housing security. Patients at Longevity Center face barriers such as food insecurity, limited access to staff, lack of insurance, and transportation challenges. These all compromise the ethical principle of justice by limiting equitable access to care. The ANA Code of Ethics requires nurses to recognize and address systemic inequities by delivering care that is responsive to each patient’s unique social and cultural setting (ANA, 2025). It enhances treatment adherence and promotes well-being at Longevity Center.
Recommendations for Support and Collaboration
Current and existing ethical policies emphasize the role of nurses in driving change through collaboration, community engagement, and active participation in health policy advocacy at Longevity Center. In the realm of mental health care, organizations such as NAMI Florida and the Mental Health Association of Central Florida (MHACF) serve as essential partners (MHACF, 2025). They offer services like peer counseling, education, housing support, and access to affordable care resources. Guided by the ANA Code of Ethics, nurses are ethically obligated to overcome institutional barriers and advocate for culturally sensitive practices. Nurses fulfill their ethical promise to person-centered care by supporting these strategies at Longevity Center.
Conclusion
The vital role of ethical and policy-driven care coordination is central to addressing mental health challenges among adults within the Longevity Center. Nurses guided by the ANA Code of Ethics and supported by partners such as NAMI Florida and MHACF can overcome systemic barriers and promote a fair approach to psychological well-being. The integration of culturally sensitive interventions and support for policy reform.
References
ANA. (2025). Code of ethics for nurses. American Nurses Association. https://codeofethics.ana.org/home
Braun, E., Scholten, M., & Vollmann, J. (2023). Assisted suicide and the discrimination argument: Can people with mental illness fulfill beneficence‐ and autonomy‐based eligibility criteria? Bioethics, 38(1), 61–68. https://doi.org/10.1111/bioe.13243
NURS FPX 4065 Assessment 3 Ethical and Policy Factors in Care Coordination
Bury, D., Hendrick, D., Smith, T., Metcalf, J., & Drake, R. E. (2022). The psychiatric nurse care coordinator on a multi-disciplinary, community mental health treatment team. Community Mental Health Journal, 58(7), 1354–1360. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10597-022-00945-7
Florida Department of Children and Families. (2024). Baker act | Florida DCF. Www.myflfamilies.com. https://www.myflfamilies.com/crisis-services/baker-act
MHACF. (2025). About us. Mental Health Association of Central Florida. https://mhacf.org/learn-more/
NAMI Florida. (2025). Mission. National Alliance on Mental Illness Florida. https://namiflorida.org/about-nami-florida/mission/
National Alliance on Mental Illness. (n.d.). Mental health in Florida. National Alliance on Mental Illness.org. https://www.nami.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/FloridaStateFactSheet.pdf
Patel, R., Baser, O., Waters, H. C., Huang, D., Morrissey, L., Rodchenko, K., & Samayoa, G. (2025). Open access to antipsychotics in state medicaid programs: Effect on healthcare resource utilization and costs among patients with serious mental illness. Journal of Health Economics and Outcomes Research, 12(1), 222–229. https://doi.org/10.36469/001c.137909
NURS FPX 4065 Assessment 3 Ethical and Policy Factors in Care Coordination
Pincus, H. A., & Fleet, A. (2022). Value-based payment and behavioral health. JAMA Psychiatry, 80(1), 6–8. https://doi.org/10.1001/jamapsychiatry.2022.3538
Subbian, V., Galvin, H. K., Petersen, C., & Solomonides, A. (2021). Ethical, Legal, and Social Issues (ELSI) in mental health informatics. Health Informatics, 479–503. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-70558-9_18
