My name is Adita Flagg. I am a proud mother of 15-year-old twins (boy/girl). I was born in
Lima, Peru, and moved to San Diego, California, at 14.
I joined the Healthcare field 20 years ago and had the opportunity to work in various roles,
including field nursing, management, regulatory, clinical risk, quality improvement, quality
assurance, and business operations.
Nursing has provided me with numerous opportunities, but my passion always leads me to
improve the quality of life of our patients by focusing on achieving our Organization’s Quality
Improvement, Quality Assurance, and Patient Experience goals.
I am fortunate to have been allowed to lead our Quality department in the Director of Quality
role. In my current position, my responsibilities include ensuring our organization maintains the
Joint Commission accreditation improving quality metrics and overall patient experience. My
journey through healthcare has shown me how drastic changes have resulted in not enough
providers of mental health care to meet the demands of the growing population. This change has
led me to pursue a master's degree in Psychiatric Mental Health Nursing (PMHNP). I understand
that the pandemic has only made this shortage of mental health providers more acute. I aspire to
use my degree to make a positive difference in my community and to help people who are
struggling with mental health issues.
It was published in 2019 by the American Psychiatric Nurses Association (APNA) entitled
'Shortage of Trained Professionals Threatening the American Mental Health System', concluding
that the shortage of mental health providers is increasing. It was estimated that 56 million adults
in the United States had mental illness or substance abuse disorders, though there is an increasing
shortage of skilled and dedicated caretakers (APNA, 2019). "Of the 67 million adults and
children in the U.S. who need mental health and substance use services, 44 percent receive them
(APNA, 2019, p.1)." Approximately 250,000 healthcare providers are expected to be in short
supply by the year 2025, according to U.S. Department of Health and Human Service (HHS,
2019). A shortage of providers can result in an increase in violence from non-compliance with
medications and an increase in suicide rates from lack of treatment. There were 56 million
Americans living with a mental illness or substance use disorder in 2019, and the number of
providers specializing in these conditions is declining (APNA, 2019). "The U.S. is facing a
shortage of providers of mental health and substance use care, as only 44 percent of adults and
20 percent of children and adolescents receive treatment for these conditions (APNA, 2019, p.1).
This lack of access to mental health services has resulted in significant health disparities, with
individuals living in rural and low-income areas having the least access. Mental health services
are essential for people to thrive, and this current shortage is having a devastating impact on
individuals and communities across the country. Therefore, I feel that I will be able to provide
treatment to those in need as an APRN who combines holistic nursing approaches with medical
diagnoses and treatments (Kinchen, 2019). I am committed to using my knowledge and skills to
Lima, Peru, and moved to San Diego, California, at 14.
I joined the Healthcare field 20 years ago and had the opportunity to work in various roles,
including field nursing, management, regulatory, clinical risk, quality improvement, quality
assurance, and business operations.
Nursing has provided me with numerous opportunities, but my passion always leads me to
improve the quality of life of our patients by focusing on achieving our Organization’s Quality
Improvement, Quality Assurance, and Patient Experience goals.
I am fortunate to have been allowed to lead our Quality department in the Director of Quality
role. In my current position, my responsibilities include ensuring our organization maintains the
Joint Commission accreditation improving quality metrics and overall patient experience. My
journey through healthcare has shown me how drastic changes have resulted in not enough
providers of mental health care to meet the demands of the growing population. This change has
led me to pursue a master's degree in Psychiatric Mental Health Nursing (PMHNP). I understand
that the pandemic has only made this shortage of mental health providers more acute. I aspire to
use my degree to make a positive difference in my community and to help people who are
struggling with mental health issues.
It was published in 2019 by the American Psychiatric Nurses Association (APNA) entitled
'Shortage of Trained Professionals Threatening the American Mental Health System', concluding
that the shortage of mental health providers is increasing. It was estimated that 56 million adults
in the United States had mental illness or substance abuse disorders, though there is an increasing
shortage of skilled and dedicated caretakers (APNA, 2019). "Of the 67 million adults and
children in the U.S. who need mental health and substance use services, 44 percent receive them
(APNA, 2019, p.1)." Approximately 250,000 healthcare providers are expected to be in short
supply by the year 2025, according to U.S. Department of Health and Human Service (HHS,
2019). A shortage of providers can result in an increase in violence from non-compliance with
medications and an increase in suicide rates from lack of treatment. There were 56 million
Americans living with a mental illness or substance use disorder in 2019, and the number of
providers specializing in these conditions is declining (APNA, 2019). "The U.S. is facing a
shortage of providers of mental health and substance use care, as only 44 percent of adults and
20 percent of children and adolescents receive treatment for these conditions (APNA, 2019, p.1).
This lack of access to mental health services has resulted in significant health disparities, with
individuals living in rural and low-income areas having the least access. Mental health services
are essential for people to thrive, and this current shortage is having a devastating impact on
individuals and communities across the country. Therefore, I feel that I will be able to provide
treatment to those in need as an APRN who combines holistic nursing approaches with medical
diagnoses and treatments (Kinchen, 2019). I am committed to using my knowledge and skills to
